Fashion a High-Quality Cutting Board From Scrap Wood

Some of the tools required for making a cutting board are not common household tools, making this a more advanced project, but it's perfect for aspiring woodworkers.

Materials:
• 3 bar clamps
• Belt sander
• Vibrating and/or orbital sander
• Table saw
• Sled or circular saw
• Wood glue
• Food-safe finishing oil

2. Cut your wood to size. When the arrangement is finished, it's time to mill the pieces to uniform size. I let the wood I have on hand decide the size of the board rather than choosing specific dimensions.

Scope out the thinnest piece (heightwise) and run the remaining pieces through the table saw at that size so that every piece is the same thickness. Apply the same process for length.

3. Glue everything together. Next comes the gluing. Because cutting boards are exposed to moisture, using a waterproof wood glue such as Titebond III is the best bet. Going piece by piece, run a bead of glue down the piece and spread it evenly with your finger or a brush to ensure a maximum bond.

Often I'll glue the cutting board in two halves, then glue the two halves together later. This optional process is more manageable because of the short working time of wood glue. Ten pieces is much less of a headache to glue and arrange than 20 pieces when you have a five-minute time frame.

4. Apply pressure. For this project (and most involving glue, for that matter) I use bar clamps, because they offer the strongest amount of pressure and they're easy to work with. It's best to use stickers, which are pieces that are placed between the clamp head and the work piece that prevent pressure marks from the clamps.

With the pieces glued, arrange them in order into the clamp and begin tightening the clamps. To prevent your board from bowing, alternate the clamps between top and bottom. Standard boards require only three clamps, as depicted in the photo.

5. Sand your board smooth. Everyone's favorite part of any project is sanding, of course, which is great because cutting boards require lots of sanding. Starting with a belt sander and using 80-grit paper, sand both sides smooth. Pay special attention to even sanding — it's easy to take off too much on the edges with a belt sander, and you'll end up with a wobbly board.

6. Square away your ends on the table saw. Now you've got a nice, flat board, but it's got a couple rough ends that need to be squared up on the table saw. Remember to keep those fingers clear of the saw. Sleds are notorious accident causers due to fingers being placed behind the seemingly safe sled fence, only to find themselves in the blade's path. Using a sled, square one end. After one end is square, you can use the saw fence for the other side and cut to your preferred length. The board in this DIY is 8 by 12 inches.

7. Add your end caps (optional). The next step is optional but recommended. End caps are pieces attached to the end grain of the cutting board. End grain is more susceptible to moisture and can result in splitting and cracking. End caps help alleviate this problem by sealing the end grain. (The end caps in these photos have a natural, or live, edge per request and are not recommended for ease of clamping.)

Mill your caps a little thicker than your board so that you can sand them flush with the top and bottom of the board after gluing. To keep your board square, you need to leave both end caps a hair shorter than the board's width (as shown in this photo) and clamp them short of both sides when attaching. After sanding them flush, cut both sides of the cutting board flush with the end caps using the table saw.

9. Apply a food-safe finish for protection and shine. Once you've done enough sanding (don't forget those edges!) the real payoff happens. Apply a liberal amount of food-safe finish such as mineral oil, wiping it on evenly using a rag, a brush or your hands. Stop and admire the color and grain of the wood released by the oil. Let the oil penetrate for 15 to 30 minutes, then wipe off the excess. Repeat the process two to four times for a stronger finish.