Editorial
Front Page - Friday, June 26, 2015
Cutting boards
Do It Yourself
By April Sherrill
April Sherrill
There are a few things I love to do for my family more than anything else, and one of them is to prepare a fresh, home cooked meal. Recently I have even taken all of the “fun kids breakfast” items out of my pantry, so breakfast is now another made from scratch meal. There is something to be said about knowing exactly what is in your food.
My wonderful mother is a kitchen woman as well. She writes recipe articles and her cooking is the best. She has all the kitchen gadgets that the “cool kids” own, and her cutting boards will make anyone jealous. Sometimes when she comes in town, she likes to surprise me with a nice big, heavy wood cutting board. This always excites me like a little kid.
Obviously, I cut many different kinds of meats, vegetables, and fruits during the course of preparing three meals a day. Cutting boards are just about the most useful tool in the kitchen, but store bought or hand crafted wood ones can get pricey quickly, which is why I never buy my own.
Then one day my ta-da light bulb went off – why can’t I just make my own? I sometimes forget I am a master at woodworking. Okay, not really, but I do possess some woodworking skills. Making your own fabulous cutting board is a project that is easy and can be completed by almost anyone.
Items needed:
• paper (size of paper dependent on the size of the cutting board to be made)
• jigsaw with new saw-blades
• pencil
• scissors
• untreated wood
• sandpaper ( 80 grit and 220 grit)
• orbital sander if possible
• mineral oil
First, for this project you will need to buy a piece of wood. I would recommend staying away from porous, grainy woods like oak or pine, choosing instead a heavy, small or closed pore wood like maple, birch, mahogany, or cherry. My preference is birch, but this can be more expensive. One thing to keep in mind is the size of the board you choose – if you choose a larger cut, you have the opportunity to make multiple cutting boards. If you want to make multiple cutting boards, consider
the size of the boards before pur-chasing the wood, as purchasing enough wood to make several boards will help offset the cost.
After the wood is purchased, create several templates using paper and pencil. This is one of my favorite steps as I can be as creative, eclectic, and funky as I want coming up with fun shapes. Do not be scared to make multiple templates as they will give you ideas and options. Be creative!
Once the templates are finished, simply trace around them on the board to be used. When tracing the templates try to eliminate some of the knots and veins if desired. I prefer some knotting, but I also like my wood to be sturdy and strong as well. Knots and veins can weaken the board. Once traced, grab the jigsaw with a new blade and follow the lines.
Once the cutouts are completed, follow up by sanding the top, bottom, and edges smooth. Using an orbital sander for this step is best, but the sanding can be done by hand. Just make sure everything is nice and smooth. Start by using the 80-grit course sandpaper, and then switch to the 220-extra fine grit.
Wipe down all the boards to remove any remaining sawdust, then condition the wood with food safe mineral oil to bring out the beauty of the wood. Mineral oil is a digestive aid and can be found at most drugstores, grocery stores, and pharmacies.
Every 4 to 6 months make sure to thoroughly clean the board in a hot water and vinegar mixture, followed up with a fresh coat of the mineral oil.
Like with all cutting boards, knife marks will eventually show, but that is one of the countless reasons I love wood cutting boards. However, if knife marks are not necessarily your cup of tea, simply re-sand, clean, and recoat with mineral oil. This will help cut down on the markings.
A nice big wood cutting board holding a piping hot loaf of bread always makes a grand entrance to any dinner table!
I am thinking I might take it a step further, and purchase a simple wood burning kit from Hobby Lobby to add creative words and phrases on some of them. Did I mention these would make an unforgettable gift? Happy carving!
April Sherrill is a staff writer for the Hamilton County Herald. Contact her at april@dailydata.com.
There are a few things I love to do for my family more than anything else, and one of them is to prepare a fresh, home cooked meal. Recently I have even taken all of the “fun kids breakfast” items out of my pantry, so breakfast is now another made from scratch meal. There is something to be said about knowing exactly what is in your food.
My wonderful mother is a kitchen woman as well. She writes recipe articles and her cooking is the best. She has all the kitchen gadgets that the “cool kids” own, and her cutting boards will make anyone jealous. Sometimes when she comes in town, she likes to surprise me with a nice big, heavy wood cutting board. This always excites me like a little kid.
Obviously, I cut many different kinds of meats, vegetables, and fruits during the course of preparing three meals a day. Cutting boards are just about the most useful tool in the kitchen, but store bought or hand crafted wood ones can get pricey quickly, which is why I never buy my own.
Then one day my ta-da light bulb went off – why can’t I just make my own? I sometimes forget I am a master at woodworking. Okay, not really, but I do possess some woodworking skills. Making your own fabulous cutting board is a project that is easy and can be completed by almost anyone.
Items needed:
• paper (size of paper dependent on the size of the cutting board to be made)
• jigsaw with new saw-blades
• pencil
• scissors
• untreated wood
• sandpaper ( 80 grit and 220 grit)
• orbital sander if possible
• mineral oil
First, for this project you will need to buy a piece of wood. I would recommend staying away from porous, grainy woods like oak or pine, choosing instead a heavy, small or closed pore wood like maple, birch, mahogany, or cherry. My preference is birch, but this can be more expensive. One thing to keep in mind is the size of the board you choose – if you choose a larger cut, you have the opportunity to make multiple cutting boards. If you want to make multiple cutting boards, consider
the size of the boards before pur-chasing the wood, as purchasing enough wood to make several boards will help offset the cost.
After the wood is purchased, create several templates using paper and pencil. This is one of my favorite steps as I can be as creative, eclectic, and funky as I want coming up with fun shapes. Do not be scared to make multiple templates as they will give you ideas and options. Be creative!
Once the templates are finished, simply trace around them on the board to be used. When tracing the templates try to eliminate some of the knots and veins if desired. I prefer some knotting, but I also like my wood to be sturdy and strong as well. Knots and veins can weaken the board. Once traced, grab the jigsaw with a new blade and follow the lines.
Once the cutouts are completed, follow up by sanding the top, bottom, and edges smooth. Using an orbital sander for this step is best, but the sanding can be done by hand. Just make sure everything is nice and smooth. Start by using the 80-grit course sandpaper, and then switch to the 220-extra fine grit.
Wipe down all the boards to remove any remaining sawdust, then condition the wood with food safe mineral oil to bring out the beauty of the wood. Mineral oil is a digestive aid and can be found at most drugstores, grocery stores, and pharmacies.
Every 4 to 6 months make sure to thoroughly clean the board in a hot water and vinegar mixture, followed up with a fresh coat of the mineral oil.
Like with all cutting boards, knife marks will eventually show, but that is one of the countless reasons I love wood cutting boards. However, if knife marks are not necessarily your cup of tea, simply re-sand, clean, and recoat with mineral oil. This will help cut down on the markings.
A nice big wood cutting board holding a piping hot loaf of bread always makes a grand entrance to any dinner table!
I am thinking I might take it a step further, and purchase a simple wood burning kit from Hobby Lobby to add creative words and phrases on some of them. Did I mention these would make an unforgettable gift? Happy carving!
April Sherrill is a staff writer for the Hamilton County Herald. Contact her at april@dailydata.com. v