Making a 3D End Grain Cutting Board #3: I made this cutting board a year ago. It is one of my most famous 3D end grain cutting boards. It looks simple, but you must be very precise making this board. Otherwise you will not get correct joints in the ready cutting board and will break the.
End Grain Cutting Board designs are an awesome upgrade to the normal edge grain cutting board. A few month’s ago I showed you and I got a great response to it especially over on. One of the questions that kept coming up though was how to make an end grain board and how is that different. Today I’m going to answer those questions give you the end grain cutting board plans you need to make a cutting board with some amazing end grain patterns!I’ve also update this post with a recent YouTube video I made showing exactly how I made a similar end grain cutting board with a diamond pattern.
I used my new on that one and it was a breeze. I’m proud to have JET on as a sponsor of the channel! How to Make an End Grain Cutting Board. Select your cutting board wood.1. Select your Wood for the End Grain Cutting BoardThe first and probably most important part of making a cutting board is the wood selection. For making end grain cutting boards the grain pattern on the ends of the boards is what will be showing when it’s done.
I had a 6′ long piece of walnut that was about 2-1/2″ wide and I cut it into 16″ pieces that were 1-1/4″ thick. Looking at the end grain, I could see these would make an amazing end grain cutting board. The lighter streaks you see are what’s call the sapwood. This is the wood that is closest to the bark and carries the sap. In walnut the heartwood is dark and the sapwood is light which makes for a great contrast on your end grain cutting board designs.I arranged the boards as you can see above so it resembled a mirror image from the center.
I lined the grain direction of the outer boards up with the grain direction of the inner boards so it almost looks like they are just one larger board. The triangle the sapwood made was perfect and you’ll see what it turns into later. You can come up with a ton of awesome designs so move your boards around until you get the end grain cutting patterns you like. Glue Up the End Grain Cutting Board BlankJoint the edges to make sure you have clean edges ready for glue up (If you don’t have a you can also use a tablesaw). Then glue the boards together using and a water resistant.Spread the glue from the squiggly lines evenly before clamping. Squiggly lines is a technical term ? When you clamp the boards together you want to see small beads of glue rise up between the joints. The small oak strips on each end of the glue up help protect the edges of the walnut so you won’t have to sand the cutting board more than you need.Before putting the top clamp on wipe up the excess glue on the top and bottom of the board with a wet rag.
These faces will be planed later so smearing the glue is not an issue.Let the glue dry over night and then run the glued up blank through the on both sides until you have a flat smooth surface to begin cutting the strips for your end grain cutting board.3. Cut Strips for Final End Grain Cutting Board DesignNext you’ll cut the cutting board blank into sections on the tablesaw. This part is very important because the width of the sections will become the height of the end grain cutting board.
Start off by trimming one end of the blank so it is clean and square. A tablesaw sled or a very good miter gauge is almost mandatory here.Next set a stop block or other means to make repeatable cuts. I was able to cut 12 sections that were 1-1/4″ wide.
You want to cut an even number of sections so factor that in when planning your cuts. And don’t forget to factor for the saw kerf!4. Final Glue Up of the End Grain Cutting BoardNow comes the fun part, flip all those parts over and match up your perfect end grain cutting board design.
For mine I alternated flipping one piece clockwise then the next piece counterclockwise. This gave me the awesome diamond shape you see.After you have your perfect end grain cutting board pattern, you’ll go through another glue up.
Just rotate each piece towards you so all the faces needing glue are facing up. The starter piece won’t get glue as it’s mating piece will get it.Apply glue to all the faces and then clamps them in place and let the blank dry over night.And here is what you’ll be left with. Pretty cool huh!?At this point you need to flatten the surface of your end grain cutting board. I’m fortunate enough to have a (picked up a 9 year old one off Craigslist for cheap) so this is what I use. You can also use a for this chore or even a.After all the glue and roughness is gone you can really see the end grain cutting board design shine through! Finish Sand and Oil the End Grain Cutting BoardNow that the end grain cutting board is flat you can put your desired edge profile on it with a.
I used a for my cutting board.Then sand up through the grits from 80, 100, 150, to 220. After 220 spray the board down with water to raise the grain. Let the board dry and feel the surface and it will be very rough.
Sand again with 220 then repeat the wetting and sanding one more time. This will keep your cutting board from being rough after it’s first wash.Finish sanding the end grain cutting board with 320 and 400 grit and then you’re ready to put on the finish.I use straight for the first couple coats on my end grain cutting board and then apply a combination of at the end.And you just can’t beat that look when it’s all done!Now you know how to make an end grain cutting board and a.
If you’re a little more adventurous you can also check out. Put together some awesome creations and post your builds in the comments.
Outside of workshop-oriented projects like and, there’s no simple project like the cutting board that attracts and challenges new and experienced woodworkers alike. With Christmas around the corner it’s time to justify that garage full of woodworking with something BESIDES;) 4 Overachiever Cutting Board Designs That Blew My Mind 3 End Grain Cutting Board Plans 6 Laminated Long Grain Cutting Board Plans 3 No Frills Cutting Boards 4 Cutting Boards PLUS Cutting Board Design Inspiration 5 Video Guides to Building Your Own Cutting Boards More Cutting Board Resources More Free Woodworking Plans 4 Overachiever Cutting Board Designs That Blew My MindIs it any coincidence that all of these are end grain cutting boards? Probably not – you can really show off your creativity and wood pairings with end grain cutting boards. These four designers – to put it simply – blew my mind. Three of the four I selected also provided detailed tutorials, though if you’re just getting started in woodworking I’d look for something a bit simpler1)From LumberJock dewoodwork, whose cutting boards are the most beautiful I saw out of all the plans, guides and tutorials currently on the web. His tutorial rocks too, though I think this is one that the newbies might want to hold off on;)2)Also see –No plans available for these, but they’ve made quite an impression on the;) According to the creator’s blog he works part time in his father’s cabinet shop and spends the rest of his time well it used to be playing video games but NOW he’s cranking out these cutting boards for online retailers:D Here’s his blog, where it appears he’s working on Pac Man next3)Beautiful, innovative and creative.
These cutting board designs and tutorials from Mike Schwing are incredible. Schwing put these together for the SawmillCreek.org woodworking community.4)Gorgeous, huh? He’s also made one based on a quilt square that is astounding too.
Vaughn’s a seasoned yet still friendly moderator over at, a favorite woodworking forum of mine that started up as an alternative to SawmillCreek.org. 3 End Grain Cutting Board PlansSince we started with mostly end grain cutting boards I thought I’d finish with them first rather than rushing into the laminated long grains Enjoy!5)While I don’t think this one would be easy for newbies, I think it would be easier than those mentioned above. This simple, gorgeous design is accompanied by easy to follow photographs. It’s great inspiration from Router Jim over there at Woodworkers Zone (another SMC spin off?)6)This design comes from the cutting board that Marc Spagnuolo made in The plan itself is courtesy of Ron Jones.7)No pictures, just written advice. Solid though.
6 Laminated Long Grain Cutting Board PlansIt looks to me like the laminated long grain (also called flat grain) cutting boards are a bit easier to make than the end grains, especially those above. Long grain cutting boards have a tendency to wear out more quickly than the end grain cutting boards, but they sure do look great. Here are some plans:8)Simple, pretty cutting boards made of maple and cherry.9)From the Lowe’s site: “This is a great weekend project for a beginning woodworker.”10)From Instructables: “how to make hardwood cutting boards out of maple and cherry scraps.”11)Definitely not the best guide, but hey maybe you’ll get something out of his description?12)Gorgeous, huh? Who said that the end grain cutting boards had all the fun? Another great guide from Lee.13)This plan is for quite a behemoth of a cutting board 3 No Frills Cutting BoardsMostly these use one piece of wood. These are great places for brand new woodworkers to start.14)Very simple. Good basic ideas and suggestions.
From Chris Baylor.15)16)Wood suggestions, basic instructions on the care of a cutting board. Decent instruction. A little weak on illustrations though. 4 Cutting Boards PLUSRolling cutting boards, cutting boards designed to fit around your favorite bowl, cutting boards that defied my other categories You’ll find them all here!17)Nice!
This is one cutting board that aint goin nowhere. It’s a solid piece that sports a cutout so that it’s easy to move your choppings into a bowl with out a mess.
Wow.18)19)I couldn’t put it any better than they put it themselves: “a primo cutting surface atop a rolling cart – this portable unit increases kitchen productivity and jazzes up our humble cutting board!”20)No pictures for this one Decent description.Cutting Board Design InspirationBrowse through these galleries for inspiration (if you haven’t gotten enough already). 5 Video Guides to Building Your Own Cutting BoardsIf a picture’s worth 1000 words then a video’s worth 10,000. Here are some great how-to videos from YouTube.The Wood Whisperer Cutting Board Tutorial Video – A Cut Above (Pt. 1)The Wood Whisperer Cutting Board Tutorial Video – A Cut Above (Pt.
2)Fine Woodworking Cutting Board Video How ToWoodworking 101 — Solid Wood Cutting Boards More Cutting Board Resources More Free Woodworking Plans.