Weekend Projects - Natural-edge chopping boards (1) archive

These lovely chopping boards are great to use and have a handy hand strap fashioned from leather, held on with mirror screws and caps, although the soft focus is optional…

We do like our waney-edge boards – they have a much more organic feel to them and are perfect for projects such as these chopping boards.

STEP 1

Firstly, take some offcuts of waney-edge board cut to suitable lengths. Use timbers suitable for food use, such as maple (Acer campestre), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), beech (Fagus sylvatica), etc.

STEP 2

Remove all the loose bark with a chisel, taking care not to dig into the wood. Some dark matter may remain but so long as it is firmly adhered, this is OK.

STEP 3

A good stiff wire brushing is next on the menu in order to get rid of any dust, dirt and little creepy crawlies….

STEP 4

Just in case they didn’t get the message, the decibels from a sander will soon sort them out. Give both faces a good sanding until you get a smooth but not necessarily even surface.

STEP 5

The wood needs to be protected and sealed with a food-safe finish. We chose tung oil – a natural oil that dries and hardens, gives plenty of protection and keeps it looking lovely.