How To Make A Cutting Board With Hand Tools

Mark curves onto the cutting board by tracing around a template made from 18 in. For the dark wood walnut is a good choice and works really easily with hand tools. Align the back end of the cutting board nearest you with the edge just covering the saw cut in the fence.
how to make a cutting board with hand tools

This video focuses on cutting the timber to size working around defects and orientating the grain to get maximum.

How to make a cutting board with hand tools. This shows how i ran the glued up cutting board through my tablesaw and squared up the board. A pattern bit guided by the template produces perfect curves. The first two pictures show a different cutting board i was working on previously. This step is optional but it will make it easier to grip and hang your cutting board.

Sand and oil the diy cutting board. Then fasten the template to the cutting board with double sided tape. In this new series ill show you how to make a chopping board entirely by hand. Again the straight edges bothered me.

Some other things to consider. You can also use a piece of sandpaper attached to a wood block. You can use a square to check your cuts and make sure theyre 90 degrees. The last 3 pictures show the in progress cutting board for this instructable.

Now its time for sandingugh. Use the 58 inch drill bit and drill a hole through the wood plank at the mark. This is the sanding station i use when im making a cutting board. Beech or cherry will hold up well in a cutting board and much nicer to work by hand.

Avoid hard maple with hand tools. Measure and mark 1 12 inches from each side of one of the corners making a plus sign. For this i used a hand plane and it was easy work. Its a cutting board.

Hold onto the cutting board with your left hand on the outside left edge and push the cutting board forward through the saw blade using the handle on the miter gauge with your right hand. I prefer a very small roundover on my cutting boards that i mostly do by hand but sometimes ill go with a chamfer if im feeling macho that day. Dont worry about being exactly on target with measurements. The cutting board needed something more.

For the cutting board i didnt make this angle go too far in so as not to disturb the practical useability of the board. Rough cut the shape with a band saw or jig saw keeping the blade about 18 in.