Just finished another cutting board.

[RonB]

I only make 4 or 5 a year between larger projects, but I enjoy making them a lot.

This one is made from ambrosia maple and consists of a bunch of bookmatched panels. This one was especially hard because of the holes the Ambrosia Beetle drills through the wood. However, the beetles also cause the wild color patterns in the wood. The problem is that the beetles don't bore holes in a straight line and I never know when I'm gonna uncover another hole - or ten. And if I uncover a hole that runs parallel to the surface, it's much more work to fill it.

My wife does not like the board - she thinks it's creepy. I like it, but it's not my favorite board.

The problem is that with the possibility of a hole being just below the surface, I would not use the board for fear of opening up a hole. It would be for display only.

And here's a closeup of one of the bookmatched pairs.

I could not find a place where I could get any photos without reflections - sorry.

 

[ptolemy]

This could make an awesome charcuterie plate. I really like it

 

[MowgFace]

Haha looks like a beetle face. Or praying mantis

 

[EnderzShadow]

Haha looks like a beetle face. Or praying mantis

I was thinking the same. It is beautiful but with what looks like 'faces', a little spooky.

 

[EnderzShadow]

It sounds like you have a lot of experience making cutting boards.

How did you go about making your first board? Was there a guide you used? Still have the board?

I'd like to make some with my son but I don't know a good place to start.

 

[RonB]

There are a lot of tutorials on youtube from simple to very complex. There are too many for me to link, but look for something that sez something like "beginner's guide".

First you will need to decide if you want to make an edge grain board, (easiest), or an end grain board, (more work). The simplest would be a board made from one wide board, and would be edge grain. Next would be taking strips of wood and gluing them together for an edge grain board. You could use a combo of different woods for this. The next step would be to glue up strips as in the last example, cut them into strips across the glue lines, and turn them end grain up and glue them together. That is how I made the board above, and that's obviously more work. There are lots of ways to make patterns, but again, more work. Here is an edge grain board that I made some time ago using walnut and cherry. Good luck on you journey.