â€‹With the holidays just around the corner, a homemade cutting board can be a great gift to make for family and friends.

You can make them as simple or over-the-top as you want, using exotic colorful woods with grain worth drooling over. You can make end grain boards, add a juice grove or even make a brick pattern board. You can really step it up when it comes to making chopping boards. That being said, for this tutorial, I’ll be keeping itÂ simple, and showing you how to makeÂ basic twin cutting boards.

You can download the free “How to make a cutting board” checklist here.

You can use any type of wood you want, but you must useÂ hardwoodsÂ (walnut, maple, oak, cherry, etc.) when making a cutting board. Using softwoods (pine, cedar, etc.) will not only easily be scared by the use of a knife, but more importantly, willÂ allow bacteria to penetrate the wood.

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For my cutting boards, I used walnut and reclaimed maple floorboards. Here are all the tools and materials I used to make twin cutting boards each measuring 13-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ x 1-1/4″.







MATERIALS

â€‹Hardwood like walnut, maple, oak, cherry,Â etc.Â http://amzn.to/2A54Vd6

Titebond II water resistant glueÂ http://amzn.to/2iNEwqa

Howard cutting board oilÂ http://amzn.to/2iMjisL

2 strips of scrap wood

TOOLSÂ

â€‹Table sawÂ http://amzn.to/2A4XqCw

Crosscut sled

PlanerÂ http://amzn.to/2iNBHFA

JointerÂ http://amzn.to/2zm2sHN

Miter sawÂ http://amzn.to/2iNC0QK

Orbital sanderÂ http://amzn.to/2iNdH5M

ClampsÂ http://amzn.to/2i1G96F

Glue brushÂ http://amzn.to/2A5QhlW

ScraperÂ http://amzn.to/2iNdVKa

Sanding disks (120, 150, 220, 320)Â http://amzn.to/2A49FiE

Palm RouterÂ http://amzn.to/2i1cNFu

Round over bitÂ http://amzn.to/2A2WzSK

Spray bottle containing waterÂ http://amzn.to/2zjS03k

Wood Prep

Using yourÂ â€‹miter saw, cut down your rough lumberÂ approx.Â 1-2 inches longerÂ than you want the final length of your cutting board to be. (ex: for a 12 inch board, cut to 13-14 inches long)

If you’re usingÂ rough lumber, flatten one of the faces using yourÂ â€‹jointer.

Next place the flat face against the jointerâ€™s fence and flatten the adjacent edge of the board.Â I like to mark the jointed edges so you know which side is what.Â

Lastly, run the board through yourÂ â€‹planerÂ with the jointed face down (rough face facing up) until the top face is flat. Repeat the steps above for all the types of wood you will be using.

Rip Your Blanks

Set yourÂ â€‹table sawÂ toÂ 1-3/8 inchesÂ andÂ ripÂ asÂ many pieces from your boards as possible (place the flat jointed edge against the fence).

Note that the strips will be flipped on their side in the final cutting board layout, i.e. 1-3/8â€ is the thickness of the cutting board.

(Optional) Flip the strips on edge (so the thickness is 1-3/8â€ and rip them into thinner strips on the table saw if you want to have thinner strips in your design.







Layout Design

â€‹Layout your strips intoÂ your desired cutting board design, alternating strips to make a symmetricalÂ or random pattern to your liking.

Tip: take notice of the boardsâ€™ ends. Try toÂ alternate the orientation of the growth rings, one facing up, the next facing down, and so on. This will help prevent warping over time.

Once you have the desired layout, it can be helpful toÂ lightly trace a large triangleÂ that covers the entire piece. That way you will knowÂ which board goes whereÂ during the glue-up process.







Glue Up

â€‹Place 2-3Â â€‹clampsÂ open on their backs and lay your design onto the clamps. AddÂ scrap pieces of woodÂ on each end of the design, parallel to the other strips. This will helpÂ distribute even pressureÂ when clamping and also prevent leaving a dent from an over-tightenedÂ clamp.

Flip all the strips on edgeÂ (except the scraps) and applyÂ â€‹water resistant glueÂ evenly across the entire surface. Use aÂ â€‹glue brushÂ to spread the glue onto the entire surface.

Flip all the strips back up one by one (back into the chosen design) andÂ tighten the clamps. Apply enough pressure until glue begins to squeeze, but donâ€™t over-tighten.Â Add 1-2 more clampsÂ across the top.

Tip:Â After roughly 45 minutes,Â gently scrape off any squeeze out while still moist.

Allow to dry overnight.

Taking Shape

â€‹Remove the clamps and use aÂ â€‹scraperÂ to remove any remaining hardened glue from the surfaces.

Run the board flat through yourÂ â€‹planerÂ (do both sides) until you have a flat smooth finish on both faces.

I used my crosscut sled to cut the board in half, then squared off both ends of the boards.

Pre-Finishing

Use yourÂ â€‹routerÂ with aÂ â€‹round over bitÂ or a chamferÂ bit (according to preference) toÂ round over or bevel all the boardâ€™s edges.

Sand all the facesÂ using yourÂ â€‹orbital sanderÂ starting with 120-grit, thenÂ progressively moving upÂ to 150-grit, then 220-grit.

After sanding smooth with the 220-grit,Â â€œpopâ€ the grainÂ by lightly spraying the entire board with water from a spray bottle. Let it dry.Â This is to raise the grain. If you skip this step, your beautiful new cutting board will become rough after the first time you wash it.

Resume sandingÂ with your orbital sander using 220-gritÂ â€‹sandpaper, then 320-grit or higher as desired for an ultra-smooth finish.







Finishing

Apply 3-4 coats ofÂ â€‹food grade mineral oilÂ to the entireÂ cutting board according to the instructions (usually at 20-minute intervals).

Let dry 24 hours and the board is ready to use!