Advice appreciated: End Grain Walnut Cutting Board Project

Woodshop
#1

Hey everyone! I’m new to makerspace and really excited to be part of the community.

My 5 year anniversary is in 2 weeks and my wife has been eyeing a $400 walnut cutting board. Being a grad student, I’m hoping to make it for and give her a nice surprise. I’ve watched over a dozen youtube videos so I feel like I have an idea but after seeing quite a few people making it in the woodshop space, I thought I’d ask for some advice.

I’m looking to make a 20" x 15" x 3" Walnut End Grain cutting board. It would look great on our countertop and be great for our high-end premium knives that we use.

I just took Woodshop 101 and 102 yesterday and it was my first time using such equipment so I’m a total beginner.

  • Should I go with 12/4 or 8/4 wood?
  • How many board feet do you think I need to buy?
  • Should I buy from wood world? Mark, my awesome instructor, suggested it but wanted to know of other options
  • Is there anyone that can watch me as I use the equipment for the first time? There was a lot to digest in 101 and I want to make sure I follow all safety protocol.

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated!

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#2

I just recently took the absolutely awesome cutting board clsas from @indytruks138. I’m sure he or others will have some good advice.

Twice as much as you think you need.

How thick do you want the resulting cutting board to be? Men tend to prefer really thick cutting boards (1.5") ; women tend to appreciate the reduced weight of slightly thinner ones (1"). Remember that you will end up sanding off some on both faces so plan it thicker than you need it to be.

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#3

3" thick is a super thick cutting board and will be very heavy. Not saying you can’t do it, just saying it will be a beast.
20"x15"x3"=900 cubic inches, divided by 144 equals 6.25 bd ft for the finished product. I suggest buying 1.5X the bd ft you want for your finished project, so 9-10 bd ft.
I highly suggest buying from Central Hardwoods, you can get it around $9 a bd ft for 8/4 walnut, as opposed to $15 or more at wood world.
I would use 8/4 personally, it’s cheaper than 12/4 and you are going to be slicing into sections for the glue up so 12/4 isn’t required. You could even go with 6/4.
Let me know if you have more questions.

8 Likes
#4

Hardwood Lumber is another great resource.

Mahogany is another great choice for a cutting board, and Hardwood has fantastic pricing on it. $5.25 a board foot.

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*not my work

5 Likes
#5

I’ll just point out, perhaps pointlessly, that all those vendors mentions so far, are on the Wood Suppliers page of the wiki.
https://dallasmakerspace.org/wiki/Wood_Suppliers

(I’m just throwing that out there as a resource; this conversation is great, and answering questions the wiki page doesn’t. I’m just proud of the page containing all these suggested sellers!)

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#6

just an FYI here, Walnut is a beautiful wood and easy to work, but not always the best choice for food use due to toxins in the wood that ward off insects. Most people have no ill effects but there is always the odd man out…

#7

I have never heard of Walnut being a bad choice for cutting boards. To the contrary, most every site I’ve read seems to prefer it as a hardwood.

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#8

Thank you everyone! I’m so excited to get started on it :slight_smile:

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