It is so much more fun and personal to CREATE gifts for holiday giving.

If you have the time these cutting boards are an awesome project and pretty easy to make.

 Here’s what you’ll need:

Wood (untreated) Hard woods are best.  I found that  the Pine and Poplar were too soft, the Maple a little expensive and the Hickory was just right. (durable and good price).

 It’s important to purchase a wood that can withstand quite a bit of chopping and cutting.  If the wood is too soft, the wood will get nicks and cuts that could potentially harbor bacteria over time.

$30.00

Most of us have the basic tools needed, but if you don’t here’s what’s needed.

Jig saw $40.00        Orbital Sander- $24.00         Mineral OIl $2.00

leather cording (optional) $ 4

wood burner (optional) $10-$12

Here’s how the project came together:  

 I had the lumber cut in various sizes.  You’ll find that the wood will dictate how wide or long the cuts are (accounting for mother nature’s blemishes).  Some are beautiful and worth keeping however.

Next we decided on the shapes we wanted the cutting boards to have.  We used household items that had lines and curves like iphones, bowls, and cups.  We also used a template made from paper for some of them.

After drawing the designs directly onto the boards, the next step was to use the jigsaw to cut them out.  Well I took a short cut and called Joe my go-to handyman who has equipment that put my jigsaw to shame.  Here he is cutting out the wood (top) into the shapes we designed (bottom). 

Once the shapes were cut out my intern Brian and I did the final sanding.  We started with a lower grit sand paper (100) and ended with a 220 grit paper for a finer, smoother finish.

We then applied the mineral oil

 I added this optional step (leather cording) to a few of the boards.  (requires a drilled hole)

For a more personal touch, I opted to add Ydp to the boards with this wood burner.

And here they all are!!!!

Boxing it up for gift giving- wine, cheese,crackers, coasters and a pine cone for effect!

For more tips on making your own cutting boards check out my source of inspiration (article from fine woodworking magazine). Click here for a free downloadable pdf file.

There’s still time to take advantage of this month’s special values. Click the link below to see.

Inspiring  Creativity,

Ricci

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