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    Home » Do it Yourself » Home Decor » How to Make a Wood Cutting Board

    How to Make a Wood Cutting Board

    Published: Mar 24, 2014 · Modified: Aug 14, 2019 by Sherri · This post may contain affiliate links · 23 Comments

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    two wood cutting boards

    I owe this post to my Hubby.  He researched and wanted to make our own wood cutting boards.

    Why I asked? Because he doesn’t like the idea of plastic potentially making it’s way in to food using a plastic cutting board.  OK, honey. I get that. 🙂

    How did he do it?  It was really very simple!  He headed to Home Depot and bought a 2ft long piece of untreated Poplar Wood for $7.00 (it is a little over 9 inches wide) and a bottle of Howard Cutting Board Oil for $8.00. (any food grade Mineral Oil will work)

    a piece of wood

    1.  He simply cut the piece of wood into (2) pieces to make us a small 8 x 9 cutting board and a larger 15 x 9 cutting board.

    A close up of a hand holding a piece of wood and sanding the edges with a sanding tool

    2.  After cutting, he used our handy little Dremel tool to round the edges and then a fine grit sandpaper for smoothing the edges down and going over the entire front and back surface to smooth as well.

    FYI – You don’t have to use a Dremel tool.  You can simply use a pieces of sandpaper.

    • 1 medium grit for rounding the edges
    • 1 fine grit to give the edges and surface a smooth finish.

    a mans hand wiping a wood cutting board with a white cloth

    3.  After he finished the sanding, he wiped them down with a wet cloth to remove any dust from sanding.  Let dry about 10 minutes.

    4.  Then, he rubbed the mineral oil all over the front and back surfaces.  Covering liberally and spreading with a cloth or old t-shirt.  We put it on a pizza box to do this so the excess oil would soak into the cardboard.

    5.  Repeat the oil covering process 2 more times, waiting 20 minutes between coats.

    Voila, ready to use!  They turned out so great!

    two wood cutting boards

     

     

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    Filed Under: Do it Yourself, Home Decor

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lisa

      July 11, 2020 at 11:21 am

      I like dark wood stain. Can we stain the board first and then apply the mineral oil? Will it be food grade safe?

      Reply
      • Sherri

        July 11, 2020 at 1:46 pm

        Hi Lisa, I found this article that may be helpful for your decision to stain. Hope this helps. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/questions-and-answers/q-a-is-polyurethane-food-safe/

        Reply
    2. Matt

      September 14, 2018 at 1:59 pm

      Can you run these thru a dishwasher? If not, what’s the best way to clean it? Also, do you have to reapply the mineral oil every so often? These look great and easy.

      Reply
      • Theresa

        September 16, 2018 at 8:49 am

        Wooden cutting boards and utensils should NEVER go through the dishwasher!
        The high heat and humidity in dishwasher will cause the wood to warp and split.

        The best way to wash wood tools is with soap and water, then towel dry.

        The oil only needs re-applied when the board starts to look dull. Frequency depends on how often you use the cutting board.

        Reply
        • Brian

          December 18, 2019 at 4:49 pm

          Can the board be painted. And stained before sealing

        • Sherri

          December 19, 2019 at 7:46 am

          I don’t recommend painting or staining the board if it will be used for cutting food.

    3. Amanda

      August 10, 2018 at 1:04 pm

      How do you clean the boards after use?

      Reply
    4. William Clemens

      April 04, 2018 at 12:48 pm

      Looks like Poplar was used. Hardwoods such as Oak,Maple or Walnut are more common, soft wood like Poplar is not as durable.
      A tack rag should be used to clean off dust. Water should not be used as it raises the grain and should be resanded. I an a very long time woodworker (40 years)

      Reply
    5. Frazier Mark

      November 02, 2017 at 3:14 pm

      Hi – just got two new cutting boards and have been using Clark’s and Boos board oil and waxes for the past week. I’d love to use coconut oil and have some questions. (a) will the coconut oil be absorbed, even though my boards have had several treatments with the oil and wax, and are my boards ruined now by the use of mineral oil? (b) I’ve always read that natural oils will turn rancid unless refrigerated. How is it that coconut oil does not? (c) does it matter if the coconut oil is organic and unrefined, or can I use non-organic or unrefined? (d) I find coconut oil has a very distinctive smell (like coconut!), and wouldn’t this affect their use with foods? (e) is occasional use of beeswax okay, if using coconut oil? Eager to hear your comments, as I want to get this right with my new boards. Thanks!

      Reply
    6. Cruz Gallardo

      August 15, 2017 at 11:07 pm

      Great cutting board

      Reply
    7. Mathias IV

      July 31, 2017 at 12:50 pm

      Though poplar may look nice it is not a good wood to use for cutting boards or butcher blocks. With poplar being soft as it is, it is a good place for bacteria to hide from previous food preparation. I would use woods like Teak, Maple, Cherry, or Walnut. Maple looks good, and is not all that expensive. It is also a very common wood for cutting boards. Hope this helps.

      Reply
      • Ken

        April 19, 2021 at 12:49 am

        Best reply on this thread. Thank you for good advice.

        Reply
    8. Susan

      May 16, 2017 at 1:35 pm

      I have some raw wood from tree just cut wanting to transfer photo onto do I need to to treat wood and with what

      Reply
    9. Amy S.

      October 20, 2016 at 4:10 pm

      Love how simple this is! I also just had a “a-ha” moment after reading your blog 🙂

      Now that it’s been a couple years (I’m not sure when you originally posted this, so I’m guessing from the comment dates), how are they holding up? Do you frequently re-oil them?
      Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    10. Amanda

      December 17, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      How did the wood hold up? I was told to use a hardwood and that I couldn’t find A good cutting board would at Home Depot. I want to give them as gifts, so I want to make sure they last:)

      Reply
      • Sherri

        December 17, 2015 at 7:10 pm

        They are holding up wonderful! I use them pretty much everyday too. Just the standard few cut marks. We love them 🙂

        Reply
    11. Pam Yates

      March 20, 2015 at 10:39 am

      Where do you get the cutting board oil that you used? This looks so simple! Hubby’s been talking about making some cutting boards. I saw this at just the right time!

      Reply
      • Sherri

        March 20, 2015 at 11:37 am

        We got the oil at Home Depot 🙂

        Reply
    12. Kristen @ Smithspirations

      April 04, 2014 at 10:28 pm

      Found this on Pintetest and had a “Why didn’t I ever think of that ” moment! So smart.
      Do you know what other oils (if any) might work?

      Reply
      • Sherri

        April 05, 2014 at 6:07 pm

        I know right?! Us too! We have only read that the oil should be food grade and not prone to rancidity which would happen with vegetable oils or olive oil. Mineral oil is a popular choice. Coconut oil is good too. Walnut oil or Almond oil would also work if there are no nut allergies in your house.

        Hope this helps 🙂

        Reply
      • Christie

        May 25, 2017 at 8:40 pm

        I like to use coconut oil. Just do NOT use vegetable or olive oil – they will turn the wood rancid and Ruin it!

        Reply
    13. Meg @ Lip Gloss and Lumber

      March 26, 2014 at 2:32 pm

      These are gorgeous! I love this idea, way more cost effective then buying new ones too. And I need new cutting boards too, perfect timing. Thanks so much for sharing this 🙂

      Reply
      • Sherri

        March 27, 2014 at 8:08 am

        Thanks! I was so impressed with how easy it was too!

        Reply

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