We are presenting you plan for the Classic wooden kitchen cutting board that you can make very quickly and it will last for years.

Kitchen cutting board is one of the oldest pieces of kitchen equipment, and to these days it remains as one of the most important. Cutting board is one of the basic kitchen tools in each kitchen, and is being used in the preparation of almost every food. Kitchen boards are used to protect the working area from the cut marks while cutting the groceries. Another reason for using kitchen boards is that during cutting many groceries release juice that can smear the surface of the kitchen workspace and release a color or smells difficult to wash. Because of this, it is recommended to have several boards in order to avoid cross-contamination of food with unwanted odors. Our advice is to have one cutting board just for raw meat and fish, which will not be used for cutting other types of food. For practical reasons, you should have separate bread board, cheese board, board for fruit cutting and cutting board for vegetables, since you certainly do not want to feel sliced apple smell on a garlic or onion.

 

Kitchen cutting board plan
Project type
Project difficulty
Simple
Skill level
for beginners
Level of workshop equipment
Basic hand toools
Dimensions

Version 1:  210mm (8.27'') x 280mm (11.02'') x 25mm (1'')

Version 2:  180mm (7.09'') x 230mm (9.06'') x 25mm (1'')

Version 3:  150mm (5.91'') x 180mm (7.09'') x 25mm (1'')

 

Kitchen cutting board can be made out of various materials. A good material for the kitchen cutting board should be sturdy, resistant to cut marks, not abrasive and should not dull knives. When everything is taken into consideration, wood and plastic seems like the best materials. Some advantage of plastic are that is cheap, does not absorb juices from the food and it can be washed in the dishwasher. On the other hand, the cut marks remain on plastic retain small food particles where bacteria can grow. Also the knife’s blade is more damaged during cutting on plastic than on wood.

Wood is traditionally used for kitchen cutting boards manufacture and it has many good qualities. First of all, it is natural. It has natural ability of the fibers to strive to get back in its natural position, so after cutting it will come to the self-healing of cut marks that will disappear after some time. Furthermore, scientific evidence proves that bacteria do not grow on wood, and several hours after contamination the bacteria disappear from the wood surface. Of course, this means that the wooden board is previously cleaned from the food remains. Wood is the best material when it comes to saving the knife blades from the damage while cutting.

You can make the kitchen cutting board by our plan out of wood or plastic. If you decide to make it out of wood, you should carefully choose the type of wood. Regardless of the beauty, tropical woods should be avoided because they often contain toxic and allergenic substances. Softwood should be also avoided because it contains resins that can transmit an unwanted smell on food. A proper wood for kitchen utensils, such as cutting board, should be hard, dense, tight grained and with closed pores. It is best to use the orchard woods such as olive wood, cherry, apple wood, pear wood, Osage orange. Also, a good choice is hard maple, beech or sycamore.

 

Kitchen cutting board (version 1) - Drawing
Kitchen cutting board (version 2) - Drawing
Kitchen cutting board (version 3) - Drawing

 

We offer the plan for the cutting boards in three various dimensions, but you can very easily change its dimensions for your needs. After you cut the wood according to our plan, it is very important to sand all surfaces thoroughly and make the board perfectly smooth. From the personal experience we know that cutting board does not require any finish if it is made of high quality and well-dried wood. If you still wish to apply some finish, it should be a water-repellent penetrating finish, such as the food-safe mineral oil or walnut oil. Some edible oils such as olive oil, go rancid very quickly and they are not recommended. Synthetic coating is out of the question, unless you plan to have this board only for decoration. In this case, it can serve even as a very decorative base for painting.

Maintain wooden kitchen cutting board by washing in warm water with detergent after each usage.  After washing, wipe and dry it thoroughly. Store it in a dry place. Never wash it in dishwasher, because wood could crack.

 

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Submitted by Ceh Jan