Being creative is good for your soul! And there is something so rewarding about taking a plain board and turning it into a beautiful cutting board, serving tray or charcuterie board. There are so many gorgeous woods to choose from, and when you make you own you also get to choose the design. This pig cutting board was a gift for my daughter. It is made from Bubinga wood, which is a really hard, dense wood. I love the grain and luster of this wood – just look at that sheen!
This house serving tray is also Bubinga wood, which is a very durable hardwood. This wood is pinkish red to darker reddish brown with darker streaks. Each piece has a different grain design.
This cutting board is made out of Shedua wood, which is a cousin to the Bubinga wood. It is light to medium yellow or reddish brown, and it is highlighted with occasional dark brown or black ribbons running through it. A tough, durable wood with an amazing natural luster. A coat of oil really enriches all these naturally exceptionally beautiful colors.
Birdseye Maple is a form of figured hard maple. It is called Birdseye Maple because of the tiny knots in the grain resemble small bird’s eyes. I used one of Grandmother Carr’s old cutting boards for the pattern for this one.
Remember to put your name on your creations, whether you sign it, burn it in or apply a label. All of the above boards were finished with 2 coats of a food safe mineral oil.
If you want an easy, soft wood to work with, pine might be good choice. It is so easy to cut and sand, but not durable enough to be a cutting board. But pine could be used for serving trays. I painted this one light blue, topped with a layer of dark blue. Then sanded the edges and random spots to make it look worn. A black wash was then applied to make it look a little more “antique.”
I added a layer of a food safe wax wood finish on the blue serving board. If using it to serve food from, I would recommend using parchment paper or cloth napkin on top of the wood. These also make colorful backgrounds for decorating or when creating vignettes. Imagine this with a pile of little pumpkins, some fall leaves and a candle on a coffee table.
A Pinterest search will give you many ideas for cutting and serving boards – from designs to finishes to decorations and embellishments. Enjoy being creative! These make wonderful gifts!
We purchased the boards for the above projects at Liberty Hardwoods in Independence, MO. They offer a wide range of woods pre-cut to about cutting board size. They also a variety of paints, stains, finishes and woodworking tools.
