First cutting board - Take me to school!

Can’t help with most of the questions, but I do know this. If you make an end grain board, do NOT send glued up end grain boards through a planer. A loud bang, flying chunks of wood and a possibly damaged planer will ensue.

-- Brian in Arlington, TX - Laziness is the foundation of efficiency.

I used Titebond 2 tilll about a year ago and switched to the 3. It seems to hold better (my opinion). As to where to start? Just cut some of the boards into strips and try flipping every other one, or every third one till you see something you like (that’s pleasing to the eye).
Glue ‘em up and clamp e’m. Let ‘em dry overnight and run it thru the planer.
I use a Butcher block treatment that has beeswax in it (it also smells like honey) for the first few coats. For renewing the coating I tell the folks I give them to that they can use simple mineral oil (yes, like your mom used to pour down your throat for “bowel movement issues” LOL
Sometimes I glue 6 or 8 feet of contrasting color woods 1” and 2” wide and then cut different shapes from the long-board. Usually they’re 12” overall wide. I have patterns for house, barn, several motorcycles, fish, cow, several pigs, and sometimes I just cut the ends at an angle (parallel-o-gram)

-- Perform A Random Act Of Kindness Today ... Pay It Forward

-- Perform A Random Act Of Kindness Today ... Pay It Forward

-- Perform A Random Act Of Kindness Today ... Pay It Forward

Interesting shapes. I dont quite understand pic #3. What is that supposed to be?

-- Jay - http://www.jayscustomcreations.com or YouTube.com/jayscustomcreations

You mean the one between Texas and the chicken? It’s the shilloutte of my Honda Gold WIng. The first one I made didnt give much room to actually CUT on, so I added the wider part that extends from the wheels down. At the top is about 10” wide and it’s overall about 12” high.
If you look close at the pic with the wood clamped, you can see where I penciled in the GoldWing shape. But when I cut it out, the “body” of the motorcycle leaves little room for cutting

Here’s the first two motorcycles I made (before I increased the size for more cutting room.

-- Perform A Random Act Of Kindness Today ... Pay It Forward

I find 3/4in the thinnest I will go and base it on size for what feels comfortable for me. Usually anything in the 10-14” length I try to do 7/8-1”, shorter I’ll drop to 3/4”, longer I’ll go 1 1/8”, end grain I bump everything up for thickness. I feel that it helps to give the board a balance of size.
I’ll use titebond II or III, which ever bottle happens to be nearest to hand.
Finish has always been mineral oil for me, fairly cheap at the drug store, been meaning to try adding bee’s wax but don’t have it readily available.
Design is whatever you like, I prefer end grain but not the extra gluing. I keep a stack of boards that are nothing but scrap wood laid out in the most pleasing order I could figure out for emergency gifts. Keeps down the scrap.

-- --Rev. Russ in NY-- A posse ad esse

You have to ruin at least one like the rest of us :-)

Glued up long grain works in planer. Once you cut and glue for end grain, nooooooooo planer. At least not without the risk of severe bodily injury.

The great thing about them is that you can let your imagination run for designs. I use TB3.

Good luck.

-- Mother Nature created it, I just assemble it. - It's not ability that we often lack, but the patience to use our ability