This board was a 40th birthday present for a friend.  He had asked if I could knock him together a board as his existing board was in bad shape.  He has a slot in his kitchen counter that the existing one slides into. This is a long-grain board, so not ideal as a chopping board, however, still better than the existing plywood one that has seen better days!

First I cut the walnut, maple and cherry stock to the desired length and widths, following glue-up, the board was run through the planer to make a straight board.  I marked out dovetails to cut and attach an extra piece of wood to act as a pull for the board to remove it from it’s slot in the cabinet. I then hand-cut dovetails and glued the pieces together.

   I then routed a juice channel in the walnut, maple & cherry cutting board, as well as adding a groove on the underside of the dovetailed walnut piece to allow for easy removal from its slot. The cutting board was then finished with several coats of mineral oil.    Voila – one walnut, maple & cherry cutting board.  Now, only 8 months later, I managed to get round to cuting a chunk of the handle off as it won’t fit in the slot, and fixing his cabinet as the board is too thin for the existing rickety rails.  Note to self: start too big next time. Here are some more shots of the finished article with the trimmed handle and a new groove routed in to make it easer to grab.

And here are a few shots of it in situ.