End Grain Cutting Board

After buying the table saw I wanted the next build I did to be something small that would help me get familiar with the table saw operation.  An end grain cutting board was a perfect project.

I didn't document the step by step build process, however, Marc Spagnuolo (the Wood Whisperer) has a great instructional video.  I just followed his directions.


For the wood I chose to use hard maple and walnut.  I really liked the contrast of the dark and light woods.  I ended up buying the lumber from a somewhat local supplier, definitely a different experience than Home Depot but another one of Marc's videos helped me with that too.

Here's the finished product:

I chose to use this offset checkerboard pattern.  I like that the design messes with your eyes so you end up staring at it trying to figure out how it was put together.

Instead of routing out the recesses as Marc did in his video I chose to route slots in the sides.  I wanted to have the option of using either side of the board and still be able to easily pick it up.

Overall the project was just as easy as Marc made it look in the video.  Sanding was the hardest part and only because it took a LONG time.  We've been using it for a few months now and it's holding up well.  So far much better than our other wooden cutting boards.