How to make a cutting board

How to make a cutting board, step by step

Last reviewed October 22, 2026 by John Bourscheid.

This is the full build for a simple edge grain board, the best first project. The hands-on work is a few hours, and the rest is glue curing and oil soaking.

What you need

Wood: a few board feet of food-safe hardwood like maple, walnut, or cherry. See best wood for cutting boards to choose.

Glue: a waterproof wood glue rated ANSI/HPVA Type I, such as Titebond III. Titebond lists Titebond III as FDA-compliant for indirect food contact once it has cured.

Tools: a saw to cut strips, clamps, a way to flatten the panel (a planer for edge grain, or a sander or hand plane), sandpaper in a few grits, and food-grade mineral oil.

Step 1: Pick and prep the wood

Start with kiln-dried hardwood that is flat and dry. If the boards are rough, flatten one face and one edge so you have square reference surfaces. Plan your final size: around 12 by 18 inches is a good all-purpose board, and buy a little extra for trimming. Maple, walnut, and cherry are the usual picks: hard, food-safe, and easy to find. Let rough lumber sit in your shop for a few days so it settles before you cut.

Step 2: Cut your strips

Rip the wood into strips of equal width, usually 1.5 to 2 inches, with the saw set square. For an edge grain board you will stand these strips on edge and glue them side by side. Keep the widths consistent so the strips line up with little gap. Cut one or two extra strips so you can drop any with a knot or wild grain before glue-up.

Step 3: Glue up the board

Lay the strips on edge in the order you want, flipping every other strip so the growth rings alternate, which helps the board stay flat. Spread a thin, even coat of glue on the mating faces and clamp until a small bead squeezes out along every seam, alternating clamps above and below the panel and checking that it stays flat. Scrape off the squeeze-out once it turns rubbery. Use a glue rated ANSI/HPVA Type I for water resistance, such as Titebond III. The Titebond glue FAQ says to keep unstressed joints clamped for 30 to 60 minutes and not to stress new joints for 24 hours, so let the panel cure overnight before you flatten it.

Step 4: Flatten the panel

Once the glue is cured, flatten both faces so the board is level. An edge grain board can take light passes through a planer, or you can use a drum sander, a router sled, or a hand plane and a sanding block. Take off just enough to remove the glue lines and level the strips. Check the board against a straightedge as you go, and stop once it sits flat with no rock.

Step 5: Trim it square

Cut the panel to its final size, trimming the ends clean and square. This removes any uneven strip ends and sets the finished dimensions. A crosscut sled or a guided saw keeps the ends true. Mark the final length on both ends and keep one edge as your reference so opposite sides stay parallel.

Step 6: Ease the edges and sand

Soften the sharp top and bottom edges with a small roundover or a few passes of sandpaper, and round the corners so they sit comfortably in the hand. Then sand the whole board through the grits, for example 120, then 180, then 220, wiping off the dust between passes, until the surface is smooth. A 1/8 inch roundover bit gives a clean, even edge, but a sanding block does the same job by hand.

Step 7: Raise the grain, then finish

Wipe the board with a damp cloth to raise the grain, let it dry, and give it a final light sand with the finest grit. Then finish with food-grade mineral oil: flood the surface, let it soak in for at least 20 minutes (overnight is fine on a new board), wipe off the excess, and repeat until the wood stops soaking it up. Three or four coats is usually enough. A beeswax board cream on top adds water resistance. The full method is in how to oil a cutting board, and a fresh coat about once a month keeps the board in shape.

How long does it take?

A simple edge grain board is a weekend project. The active work, cutting, glue-up, flattening, and sanding, takes a few hours. Most of the calendar time is waiting: overnight for the glue to cure, and a few days of oil coats for the finish. End grain boards take longer because of the extra cutting and the more careful flattening.

Edge grain or end grain for a first board?

Build edge grain first. It takes fewer steps, less wood and standard tools, and it teaches the core skills of glue-up, flattening and finishing. Once you are comfortable, an end grain board is the natural next step for a surface that is easier on knives. See end grain vs edge grain for how the two compare, and how to make an end grain cutting board when you are ready.

Common first-board mistakes

The usual stumbles are skipping flat reference surfaces before the glue-up, using too little glue or uneven clamp pressure, and rushing the cure. Two more: forgetting to alternate the grain, which lets the board cup, and putting the board to work before it is oiled. Take your time on the glue-up and the finish, and the board will last for decades.

Keeping your board for the long run

A new board needs a few coats of oil over its first few days before heavy use. For the first couple of weeks, oil it whenever the surface looks dry, then settle into about once a month. From day one, hand wash it with warm soapy water, dry it on edge, and keep it out of the dishwasher. See how to clean a wooden cutting board for the full routine.

Can you make a board without power tools?

Yes. You can build a simple edge grain board with a handsaw to cut the strips, a hand plane to flatten and smooth, clamps for the glue-up, and sandpaper. It takes more effort and patience than a table saw and planer, and the result is the same. The hand tool build guide walks through it.

A few shop-safety notes

Keep your fingers clear of the blade and use a push stick on a table saw. Wear eye protection, and wear a dust mask when you sand: The Wood Database lists skin and breathing reactions to the dust of many common woods, including maple, walnut and oak (see the safety notes in the Janka hardness chart). Let rags used with tung or linseed oil dry flat outdoors before you throw them out.

Tools worth buying for your first board

You can build a board with very little, but a few tools make it easier. Clamps are the one thing you cannot skip, and more is better for an even glue-up. A way to flatten the panel, a planer, a drum sander, or a sharp hand plane, saves a lot of sanding. A random orbit sander speeds up the finish work. Beyond that, a saw you trust to cut square and a tape measure cover the basics.

How to know your board is food safe

A board is food safe when the wood, the glue and the finish all are. Use a hardwood suited to cutting boards, such as maple, beech, cherry or walnut; the Janka chart lists pore type and safety notes for 20 woods. Use a glue its maker rates for food contact once cured: Titebond lists Titebond III as FDA-compliant for indirect food contact. Finish with food-grade mineral oil. The white mineral oil FDA allows as a food additive has to meet the purity specs in 21 CFR 172.878, so look for “food grade” or “USP” on the label. Avoid treated or unknown wood and any finish that is not labeled food safe.

Resurfacing a board you made

One advantage of a solid hardwood board is that you can renew it. When the surface gets deeply scarred or stained after years of use, sand it flat again, work up through the grits, and re-oil it, and the board comes back close to new. A bought board with a thin veneer or a plastic core cannot be brought back this way, which is one more reason to build solid.

How much does it cost to make a cutting board?

The main cost is the wood. A 12 by 18 inch edge grain board in maple uses about 3 board feet once you add 20% for waste, while a large end grain board in walnut uses more wood of a pricier species. Glue and oil are cheap and last across many boards. Run your own numbers in the board foot calculator, which also works out lumber cost from your dealer’s price per board foot.