How to make an engrain cutting board with food safe epoxy inlay. Made from soft maple and the food safe epoxy is tinted with food coloring. The endgrain cutting board dimensions 17.5 x 10 x 1.5. Finished with General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish.
I cut all my boards to be 1 3/4" square and 20" long.
Randomize the boards and glue them up. Be sure to keep them aligned and flat as possible.
Once the glue dries cross cut it into 1 1/2" strips. This will be the thickness of your cutting board. Then glue up these strips with the endgrain on the top and bottom faces.
Sand everything down with a drum sander or belt sander.
Load up the art in Easel and send it to the X-Carve
Carve away!
Mix up some food coloring and a food safe epoxy and pour it into the cavity.
With a belt sander sand everything down flush. Once it's nice and flat you can use a random orbit sander and smooth the faces. Sanding endgrain takes a long time. I also like to round over the corners with a router.
I'm using General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish. You can also use mineral oil and paraffin wax.
Add some rubber feet to prevent slipping. Make sure you're using stainless screws.
Once the finish cures you can start using your new cutting board in the kitchen! Like all cutting boards, you'll need to re apply finish after so many uses as the board will take a beating.
Very cool. Where and what type of epoxy did you use?
Paul Kinlaw
Great post! You have answered my question about end grain inlay even being possible. The epoxy is cool, I do this along with wood inlay, but what about cutting the inlay from end grain?
Allan Rider
where do you get the food safe epoxy?
Michael Wilcox
Food safe epoxy locations to buy?
Mike Ramo