Wooden Cutting Board with Designs

           For Christmas my sister asked me for a larger cutting board. My sister is an amazing gal who has a big heart and a wonderful smile. She has two boys that are just entering primary school. Needless to say the last few years she has been a stay at home mom. During her spare time taking care of the little ones she makes wonderful homemade jams, sauces, desserts and other wonderfully homemade goodies! As a result of being her loving older brother, I get to benefit from these wonderful items. So I made sure she received a gift that would keep on giving.
          Her cutting board is made of Maple, joined together with biscuits and glue. The surface was smoothed to 220 grit. Then I used the router to carve out the design. The design serves two purposes, beautiful artwork, and a place for juices to run to. I used another router bit to edge the sides and allow ease of lifting. Another hit with the 220 sandpaper cleaned up any extra material. 
          For a finish I used food safe mineral oil. As most visitors know, I use all natural oils and avoid petroleum based products. After a couple of mineral oil coatings and letting them soak in, I used 400 grit sandpaper to clean the board for food products. I like the results and my little sis' loved it!