In our Kitchen at home we have a large variety of cutting boards we have collected over the years, from simple bamboo boards to heavy butcher block style boards with layers of multi-colored wood. I have always wanted to make my own cutting board, so when the opportunity came up to take a weekend-long class at the Hudson River Maritime Museum to learn how to make a cutting board, I was quick to sign up. This class also taught how to create a charcuterie board/wire cheese slicer (read about it here).
Taking Classes at the Wooden Boat School
The Wooden Boat School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, NY teaches a wide-variety of hands-on woodworking, boat building, and other handcraft classes in their fully outfitted woodworking shop.
Taught by a wide range of experts, artists, builders, and makers, classes at the Boat School have become one of my favorite activities since moving to the Hudson Valley. I love supporting and being inspired by local craftspeople, while learning new skills, and having the satisfaction of bringing something I made, home with me at the end of the class.
Cutting Board Layout
The first step for making the cutting board was to pick my materials. For the class the instructor provided a wide variety pre-cut boards that came from a local sawmill. Oak, Maple, Ash, Walnut, or any other hardwood are a good choice for a cheese or cutting board, because they stand up well to use. Thin strips of Oak and Maple were used as spacers and to give this cheese board the desired look.
I selected a grouping of hardwood boards based on the color and texture of the grain as well as a varied length that would allow for creation of the extended handle and curvature that is in the finished project.
After picking boards and dry fitting together, I added a liberal amount of wood glue in-between each piece and secured the pieces with clamps on our bench to dry overnight. Glue can get messy, so I put down plastic sheeting. Any glue that bubbles out from between the boards will be removed later when the board is planed and sanded to a consistent finish.
The next day, after the glue had dried, I used a pencil to trace the curve on the wood that would create the flow from handle to board and then cut using a band saw. A hand saw could also be used. This cut was initially rough and was smoothed with a sander and sand paper.
In the final steps, I drilled a hole in the handle using a drill press, sanded the board starting from 80 grit sandpaper down to 220 grit. I finished the board with a food safe butcher block oil.
Get inspired to do it yourself with more projects in our DIY series.
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