HOW TO MAKE: AN OAK CUTTING BOARD



Men are super hard to buy for.  I'm always completely uninspired when it comes time to give a gift to my Dad, my brother, my two brother-in-laws, or even my hubs.  This year, I've vowed to try out all sorts of man-friendly DIY gifts and to remember to take pictures of them and write about them so all of you wonderful people out there can have some ideas about what to make for the men in your life.  On a side note, this cutting board was sort of a gift for me, too (of course women would love this gift, too).

This cutting board is really easy to make, easy to personalize, and easy to use.  You don't even need to get out your power tools.  Just some elbow grease.

p.s. The lovely patina achieved on mine is because I accidentally (okay, on purpose because I'm really lazy sometimes) put mine through the dishwasher.  This is not recommended, although it did a lovely job of sort of spalting the wood.

YOU WILL NEED:
Oak board
Sand Paper
Oil for cutting boards (beeswax/mineral oil mix or walnut oil)
optional: Dremel Tool

Cut the board to your desired size or have them cut it for you at the store.  Always check the "rejects" bin of wood for cheap pieces of nice hardwoods- you can find some great deals!  Use the sandpaper or the dremel tool to round the edges a little.  If you don't do this, the edges are surprisingly sharp.  Or, maybe I'm just a wuss. 

Sand any rough spots with the low-number sandpaper, then follow with a lighter one. 

Then, oil the board up heavily and let it soak in overnight.  Keep oiling the board whenever it gets a bit dry.  If you want, you can add initials or a design with a wood burner tool to personalize the boards.

The Left is before it's been oiled- the Right is after it's been oiled- what a difference!

I really love the size of this board- it even works well as a pretty way to display a cheese plate or, as you can see from the burn mark in the picture above, I sometimes use it to set hot pans on.

It's also really wonderfully satisfying to oil the board, which I do about once a month.  What a beaut!