Cutting Boards, with Hand Tools

I believed this would be an ideal project to begin with—a straightforward cutting board crafted using hand tools and traditional techniques. While it wasn't difficult to construct, I gained a lot from the experience. I also made numerous mistakes, which is the best way to learn. The materials used for this project are walnut and maple.

The project begins with using a hand saw to cut my materials to an approximate length. This is my first experience working with hardwoods, an area where I lack much expertise. Cutting the walnut was a pleasure; it wasn't too hard or too soft, and reminded me a lot of cherry. However, the maple was extremely tough. I had significant difficulty cutting it with the hand saw, especially when attempting to rip it into strips. Ultimately, I had to use the table saw to finish the last two strips. I don't feel great about resorting to it, but this material is too costly to risk damaging due to my inexperience. That doesn't mean I won't attempt to cut it by hand next time, but this time, it was a bit much. I learn later on a better way to get this done by hand.

Next, I needed to dimension my lumber pieces to achieve tight seams for gluing. This process didn't take too long, but I once again noticed how much more difficult it was to hand plane the maple. Occasionally, my plane would skip across the wood's surface, leaving chatter marks. I decided to use my Jack plane, closing the mouth as much as possible and setting the iron to take thin shavings, which seemed to help somewhat.

I've cut all my strips to rough size and squared the edges with a plane. This is a straightforward design I've used; I added maple strips to increase the width slightly. The glue-up process went smoothly.

After the glue had sufficiently dried, I began hand planing the two surfaces to make them flat. This was another lesson in understanding grain direction. I encountered difficulties only with the maple; planing in one direction would tear out some strips, while going in the opposite direction would damage the remaining strips. It was frustrating because it left deep gouges, and just when I thought I was finished, one final swipe would ruin the surface, forcing me to start over. The walnut, however, posed no issues regardless of the direction I planed.

It made me realize how much more connected you become with the wood and tools when working by hand. You can feel all the imperfections in the wood, and if your tools aren't sharp, they aren't suitable for the job. This was part of my challenge; I should have sharpened my tools to achieve a better finish. Ultimately, I used a scraper and sandpaper to get the finish I desired.

Next, I needed to cut my cutting board to the desired length. I decided to use a ridge-backed saw for this task, and it proved to be much easier than when I initially used my crosscut sway-back saw at the start of the project. The ridge-backed saw was so much more effective that it restored my confidence to attempt ripping that maple in my next project.

I wanted to put in some hand holds as this is a heavy and thick cutting board. Getting up off the work top could be a bit challenging. Not having a lot of experience with this kind of stuff I opeted for a simple design. I started out by cutting in knife walls all around where I wanted to chisel out.

The chiseling process was slow but successful. My knife walls were straight and sharp, which resulted in equally precise lines for the handholds. I removed as much material as possible using the same technique I would use to chisel out a mortise for a tenon.

Once the handholds were completed, it was time to attach the small feet to the bottom of the board. I discovered these small wooden plugs at the hardware store and decided they would be perfect for my needs.

I drilled the holes using my brace and drill bit. I find manually drilling holes to be one of the most satisfying hand tool techniques. The holes produced are incredibly smooth and precisely cut, which is much nicer than using my electric drills. A neat aspect is that you can count the rotations of the drill bit, and by doing the same for each hole, you ensure consistent depth. It's quite accurate.

Next, I applied my favorite oil finish to the cutting board. I prefer using Tried and True products, and for this board, I used their original blend. I applied the first coat and let it sit for 8 hours, then added a second coat and let it sit for another day. Afterward, I burnished the surface with 0000 steel wool and finished it off with a premium paste wax. All the products are food safe.

I purchased a small brass tool with my logo etched into it for adding a signature to my work. I think it's a nice touch, but I need some practice using it, as it didn't turn out very clear.

And that wraps up this build. I created two walnut and maple cutting boards, both available for purchase here on my site and on my Etsy store page. I also crafted two purpleheart and maple cutting boards, which are thinner than the original and entirely made with machine tools. The purpleheart was too hard for me to practice on, maybe next time.

Thanks for reading. In the next blog, I'll be outside at the sawmill. We'll be milling some lumber for a fence build, but first, we'll need a few sets of sawhorses. It should be enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to another hand tool project with plenty of learning opportunities.