I’ve seen some pretty cool cutting boards, and I’m thinking about making one with measurements etched into it, but I’m wondering how long the designs will actually last. If I’m cutting on the board, scrubbing it clean, etc, is it going to last any worthwhile amount of time or is it just going to look like a mess in a month? Does anyone have any pictures of a cutting board they have etched after a few months of use?
Thanks!
I haven’t done this for a cutting board, but I would say the etch itself will last a good while. The black contrast you see – that’s the burned wood surface and will probably wash out first. You may be able to apply something to protect that or once it washes out, apply a paint or stain carefully and lightly sand back the surrounding area. Depth is dependent on the power settings you use, but is probably in the 0.5 mm range. If you’re not cutting directly on the etched area with a knife, the relief will probably stay intact for quite some time.
I’ve always assumed the laser etched side is the display side, and the plain side is where you do your cutting…
I think that would normally work but the whole point of the board I’m wanting would be to have measurements (Julienne, Slice, etc) because I’m horrible at keeping that stuff standard lol, so it would have to be on the same side of the cutting size.
The issue with laser cutting is that IF you cut in the lasers area, you have a food trap that has to be cleaned very carefully.
I agree with @Hardsuit, cut on the other side.
An alternate approach, although much more work, is to make the cutting board as a glue-up of uniformly sized slices of different colored woods. Then eyeball against those wood slices in place of etched markings.
Another approach is to find a transparent (or maybe even translucent) laser-safe plastic cutting board and etch the back side of it.
If you’re looking for uniformity in your slicing, I recommend a mandoline.
I do like the idea of an etched ruler or etched marking intervals on a cutting board though.
Make sure the wood you use is food safe when lasering. Some tree resins would not marry well with Laser char.
Could the etched region be filled with some sort of resin or epoxy that’s food-safe and will hold fast between (presumably hand-) washings?
I think ESmith won the internet today people.
And make sure you add glow powder to the resin so when you go to the kitchen for a midnight snack you’ll think an alien left their ruler behind.
re: cutting board sanitation
Here’s a good article: https://news.ncsu.edu/2014/09/cutting-boards-food-safety/