2012 X-mas Small Cuttingboards

When I use cutting boards in the kitchen, I always go with the smallest board to do the job. I just don’t enjoy moving around big heavy boards. Not that huge cutting boards do not have their place, but I think the majority of my usage of cutting boards is for smaller jobs…a single onion or a few carrots.

So, when both of my young nephews recently moved into new places, my wife put together a large mixing bowl full of kitchen goodies. I made these for their Christmas bundles.

These measure approximately 8” x 10” each, 5/8” thick, both with bottom bevels to make them easy to pick up off a countertop and a slight round over on the top to ease the edge. I finished both with mineral oil.

The checkerboard is obviously end grain, which took the longest of the two boards. It is made of walnut and pecan. I allowed some of the dark burnishing of the pecan to remain because I liked the look. The other board, an Incra-design from my projects book, was actually completed in about 3 hours. It is side grain made of walnut and red oak. The Incra TS fence and my big thickness sander make really quick work out of projects like this.

I’m pleased with these. I haven’t done many cutting boards during my lifetime because I never enjoyed sanding them down. But since I now have the right tools, I think I’ll have to start building a few here and there.

-- jay, www.allaboutastro.com