Shockingly, the cutting board can be made fresh in 2 minutes

Three. Get a cope with
I want to have a few form of take care of to grip my slicing board once I’m lifting it. The easiest way to do this is without a doubt drilling a hollow in one of the corners — I used a 1” Forstner bit.

4. Make it glassy
A cutting board’s gotta have a glassy surface, otherwise it’s only a hunk of wooden. So positioned inside the elbow grease for this step.
The board need to pop out of the planer fairly easy, so start with 150 grit paper the use of a random orbit sander. The randomness of the orbit prevents ruts from forming as the sander spins the paper. Each skip covers up the scratches from the previous pass, so your floor might not have any marks or spirals. After you have worked via the board and edges, transfer to 220 grit and repeated the method. A spindle sander is extremely good for sanding the internal of the hole, however you can additionally use sandpaper wrapped round a dowel.

Five. Smooth the rims
Rough edges are surely a party foul here, so ensure to spherical them down. You can do this with sandpaper, or a router with a spherical-over or chamfer bit. I want to take off the corners with a block aircraft, protecting it at a forty five-diploma angle and using the identical range of passes for every aspect so that they’re steady. The block aircraft technique gives you a pleasant, faceted area. It’s regular but no longer absolutely ideal — a sign that the board was made by means of hand.

6. Raise the grain
Wood fibers tend to swell and get up when moisture is carried out to them, and that’ll give you a tough or fuzzy-feeling surface. Raising the grain forces the fibers rise up so you can then sand them off, making the completed floor that a lot smoother.

With the complete board sanded to 220 grit, wipe the floor with a humid paper towel so it is is wet but now not flooded. You also can use denatured alcohol, which dries faster. Set the board aside until it is completely dry, then sand the entire board once more with 220 grit paper. This more step makes a dramatic distinction within the smoothness of the floor.

7. Oil it up
To provide the wood safety from water, end it with food-grade mineral oil — you could get that at grocery shops and pharmacies. Flood the floor with mineral oil, permit it soak in for a few minutes, then wipe it off. Let it dry for some hours or in a single day after which repeat the process a couple greater instances. Some humans make a “butter” the usage of mineral oil and beeswax, and that is cool too. There also are finishes you may buy for wooden utensils that could paintings properly. I chose mineral oil because it’s clean and it works. And if the board seems to be drying out, simply oil it once more.