How to Make a Cutting Board With Mixed Wood

Learn how to make a beautiful DIY cutting board with walnut, mahogany, and maple. This beginner-friendly guide covers every step, from choosing the best wood types to gluing, sanding, and finishing for a durable, eye-catching kitchen piece.

Cutting boards make a great project to hone your woodworking skills and make something functional and beautiful in the process. They also make great DIY gifts.

One of the most popular styles of cutting boards is a cutting board made with multiple species of wood to add color and variation.

I recently made a couple of other cutting boards using walnut, and I had a few strips and pieces left over. I also had some Maple left over from previous projects, so I put those together along with some mahogany to make a patterned cutting board. This is a great way to use up any scrap pieces of hardwood you may have left over.

Type of Woods for Cutting Boards

Choosing the right wood is key to making a cutting board that will last and look great in your kitchen. Hardwoods are generally the best choice because of their density, durability, and ability to stand up to daily use without dulling your knives. Walnut, Maple, Cherry, Acacia, Ash, Mahogany, and Bamboo are great choices.

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How to Make the Cutting Board

Step 1: Choose the Wood

• Choose the wood you will be using. I decided to go with walnut, mahogany, and maple.

The walnut will add a rich dark tone, the mahogany will bring warm reddish hues, and the maple’s light color will add brightness to the board. You can pick any other wood species you have or would like to use for the color.

If the wood is rough-sawn, you will have to also send it through the planer and jointer. All of my boards were either S3S or S4S.

Step 2: Cut the Boards

This is the step that decides how thick your board will be.

My boars were all 3/4″ thick, and you could simply glue them up to make a 3/4″ board. However, I wanted to make a thicker cutting board. I decided to go with a 1″ cutting board. You could also make 1.5″ thick board if you like.

• Set the table saw fence to 1″ or the thickness you want the cutting board to be.
• Rip all the boards down on the table saw.

I made sure to rip enough strips to have a cutting board with a 12″ width. You can totally make it wider if you need to.

See how to use a table saw.

Step 3: Arrange the Wood Pattern

Lay out your strips on a flat surface and play around with the pattern. Alternating the colors—dark walnut next to lighter maple, for instance, can create an eye-catching design.

I decided to go for an “ombre” look, using mostly walnut, followed by a few strips of mahogany and then a couple of strips of maple.

Once you are happy with the design, it is time to glue them up.

Step 4: Glue and Clamp the Boards

I am using these clamps, but you can also use pipe clamps or parallel bar clamps. If using pipe clamps, be sure to curve them in packing tape or parchment paper to keep the boards from staining (from the pipes).

• Layout the clamps on an even surface
• Lay the boards in the pattern you want to glue them up on the clamps, and then lay them all flat with the surface that will glued facing up.
• Apply a generous amount of waterproof wood glue to all of the boards.

• Press the strips together and tighten the clamps.
• Add some cauls on top. These are flat boards (I used plywood) covered in packing tape that are clamped across the top. These help make sure that the boards remain flat while clamped.

• Allow the glue to dry. The drying process usually takes a few hours, but for best results, let it sit overnight.

Tip: Wipe away any excess glue that squeezes out between the strips with a damp cloth to reduce the sanding effort later.

Step 5: Plane and Trim the Board

Once the glue has dried, it’s time to smooth out the surface.

• Use a rasp or chisel to remove as much of the wood glue as possible.
• Use a random orbital sander or belt sander to sand down all the glue residue.

• If you have a planer, run the board through it to remove any uneven areas and get a smooth surface. Alternatively, you can use a belt sander to even out the top.

• Trim the edges with a miter saw to make sure the board is square.

Step 6: Route the Edges

• Using a router with a chamfer bit, route the edges of the board to create a smooth, slightly beveled edge all around on both sides. This adds a professional look.

See how to use a router.

Step 5: Filling the Voids.

This is a great time to fill any voids and cracks that are visible in the wood.

• Apply the CA glue to the void.
• Spray the accelerator on it to harden quickly so it is ready for sanding within a minute or two.

Step 7: Sand The Board

• Start with a coarser grit (like 120), then move to 220 Grit for a smooth surface.

I used my Surfprep Sander with the foam pads for the edges and sides. This sands the edges without altering the shape. You can also get foam sanding pads for a regular random orbital sander.

Step 8: Water Popping

Water popping is an important step that you should do before applying the final finish to the cutting board. Water absorbs into the grain of the cutting board and raises it up which can then be sanded down.

This only happens once, so by taking care of it right now, you will prevent the grain from swelling up when you wash the cutting board in the future.

• Spray water on the entire surface – front, back, and edges.

This is also your first look at what the finished board will look like.

• Once the water has dried, sand down the entire cutting board with fine (220 grit) and Extra Fine (320 Grit) sandpaper.

Step 9: Final Finish

• Apply a food-safe finish. I use this finish, but there are many other options available. Be sure to use a blend of beeswax and mineral oil to finish.
• Let it absorb for 15-20 minutes, wipe away any excess, and repeat the process. Be sure to follow the instructions for the finish you use.

Once the recommended curing time has passed, about a week, in my case, the board is ready.

Making a cutting board with multiple wood types was so much fun!

It is easy to get creative and make a unique, one-of-a-kind piece for your kitchen. It is a perfect way to showcase the natural beauty of different woods and makes an impressive gift for friends or family.

Try experimenting with other wood combinations to create various color contrasts, or play around with different strip widths to add extra character.

If you want something simpler, take a look at the simple walnut cutting board, or you can add a little bit of shine with this brass inlay cutting/serving board.

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