Today I'll show you how to make a simple edge grain cutting board from scrap wood in this video tutorial. I'll also show you how to make a quick jig to add juice grooves. This is a very easy DIY project for anyone to try!
Check out the full build video below!
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materials
Walnut
Padauk
Canarywood
Zebrawood
step 1: breaking down lumber
I started by digging through my stash for scraps that were too big to throw away, but too small to be used for anything else. Then took them over to my workbench to lay them out to find a pattern I liked. I ran the workpieces through the jointer to flatten them out, then through the planer to get the glue surfaces flat and smooth to ensure a strong joint during glue-up. Finally, I ripped the pieces down to a uniform width, which was about 1-3/8” wide. This will also become the thickness of the final cutting board.
step 2: glue-up
I did a final layout to get the grain the way I liked and made sure I had enough pieces to get the widest board possible to fit into my planer, which in my case, was 12.5”.
Once I was satisfied with the layout, I began the glue-up. The process was pretty simple. Just apply glue to all of the faces, then flip them over one at a time to glue to each other and clamp everything down.
step 3: clean up
I don’t usually bother cleaning up the glue squeeze out when the part is in the clamps. I just wait until it’s all dried up, then come back to it with a hand tool to clean up the bulk of the mess. Then I run it through the planer to remove the rest of it. This will also help to flatten the board out if there was any slippage between the workpieces during glue-up.
After using the table saw to cut off the excess material, i tilted the blade to 45 degrees and put a bevel all around, which would help with handling the board.
step 4: juice groove
Next up, I’m making a quick jig to help me put a juice groove into the board. The entire jig was made out of a piece of melamine I had sitting around. You can use MDF or plywood if you want, just make sure the pieces are flat.
The jig includes a base for the cutting board to sit on, plus four shorter pieces for holding the board in place. Finally, I also screwed in four skinnier pieces on top which will act as fences to guide my router.
If you’ve got a router like mine, where two sides are flat and the other two are circular, then make sure to always run the router with the circular side against the fence. This will help to make the transitions around the corners smooth and will keep the distance from the groove to the edge of the board consistent.
step 5: oiling
Finally, it’s time to start sanding. I worked my way from 80 grit up to 220 grit. After sanding to 220 grit, I sprayed water on the board to raise the grain. This is an important step to make sure the top of the board will stay smooth after the owner washes the board later. Once the water has been wiped off, I sanded the board back down to 220 grit by hand until it’s smooth. Then I wet the board and sand one more time before moving on to hand sanding with 320 and 400 grit to give that polished look and feel.
Once the sanding was done, I used some good ol’ food safe mineral oil to finish the board. I just poured it on, rubbed it in, and let the wood absorb as much as it could. After 20 minutes or so, I came back and wiped off the excess. A day later, I put on a second coat. And after the third coat, I added a few layers of beeswax to finish it off!