A cutting board gets used almost every day, so the one you buy should be built to take it. Here is how I think about the choices when someone asks me to make one, and what to look for whether you order from me or buy somewhere else.
End grain, edge grain, and face grain
These three terms describe how the wood is oriented at the cutting surface, and the difference is real, not marketing.
- Face grain is a flat board with the wide face up. It looks good and works for serving, but it shows knife marks fast.
- Edge grain stands the boards on their narrow edge and glues them side by side. It is tougher than face grain and costs less than end grain. A solid everyday choice.
- End grain turns the wood so the cut ends of the fibers face up. The blade slips down between the fibers instead of slicing across them, so the board is easier on your knife and closes back up between cuts. It takes the most work to build, and it lasts the longest. Most of the boards I make are end grain. I do occasionally make face and edge grain boards, but to be honest, end grain is really the way to go for most uses.
Which wood
Stick with closed-grain hardwoods that are food-safe and hard enough to hold up. Maple is the standard: light, hard, and neutral. Walnut is darker and softer, good for inlay and rich, dark bases. Cherry sits in between and ages to a deeper color. Mahogany shows up in some of my checker bases. Skip soft woods like pine, and skip anything exotic with an oil you cannot confirm is food-safe.
Size and thickness
Buy for the counter and the sink you actually have. A board around 12 by 18 inches handles most kitchen work and still fits in a dish rack. Thickness matters more on end grain: an inch and a quarter to one and three-quarters keeps the board flat over years of use, and the weight keeps it from sliding while you work. If it has to hang on a wall or travel to a table, smaller and lighter wins.
Personalization and inlay
This is where a custom board earns its keep as a gift. A name, a date, or a design set into the wood turns a tool into something a family keeps. I build inlay from contrasting wood, not paint or printed resin, so the design is part of the board and survives the same washing the rest of it does. A family tree board with a household’s name and initials, a butcher chart for someone who cooks meat, a steer skull for a Western kitchen, or a Liberty Bell board marking the country’s 250th year. The design adjusts to what you need.
Care that keeps it for decades
A good board fails from neglect, not use. Hand wash with mild soap, towel dry, and stand it on edge so both faces dry. Never run it through the dishwasher, and never leave it sitting in water. Re-oil every few months, more often when it is new, with food-safe mineral oil or a board butter. I finish and re-oil mine with Langskegg Wood Butter, a mix of mineral oil and beeswax. Do that and the board outlives the plastic ones by decades. Here is more on why wood beats plastic in the first place.
Bring an old board back to life
Already have a board that has earned its scars? I recondition them. I sand out the knife marks and the staining, re-flatten the surface, and bring it back with food-safe oils and waxes until it looks and feels like new again. Boards I built or boards from somewhere else, it does not matter. If you have one worth saving, send me a message and we will sort it out.
Custom or off the shelf
Off the shelf is faster and cheaper, and for a plain everyday board that is fine. Custom is worth it when you want a specific size, a wood combination, or a design with meaning, and when you want it built by a person rather than a factory. I make these one at a time in Nampa, Idaho. I am a Marine Corps veteran, and my name goes on every board. Typical turnaround is three to four weeks for an end grain board.
Ready to look? See the end grain cutting boards I have now, or start a custom project and tell me what you have in mind.