You can choose just about any type of hardwood combination for your cutting board. I went with my favorites, which are walnut, maple, and padauk. After selecting the wood mill it down, if needed, so that all sides are square and flat. If you purchase your wood pre-milled than you can skip right to cutting it to its width and length.

Cut the pieces for your cutting board to just over the desired length for your board. I wanted my cutting board to be a final length of 16" so I cut the pieces at 16 1/2" long for this step. They will be cut to final length at a later step. Next, rip the boards for the cutting board into 1" (or more if you desire a thicker cutting board) strips. Attempt to keep them in order as you cut them so that the grain matches throughout the cutting board.

Then, cut the pieces for your serving tray to just over the desired WIDTH of the serving tray. I wanted the width of this tray to be 13" so I cut these to approximately 13 1/2" at this step. These boards will be arranged vertically on the serving tray, which is why the length of this cut is determined by the width of the tray and not the length.