If you want to create a beautiful, functional piece of art in your home, then a live edge cutting board might be just what you need! Living edge cutting boards are a fun and unique way to add character to your kitchen and are an excellent way to experiment with different species of wood. These DIY cutting board ideas can be a great project for experienced woodworkers or home DIYers and require relatively little skill but provide high-end results. A live edge cutting board can also be an excellent gift or heirloom item if you find the perfect piece of wood. One of these DIY Live Edge Cutting Board Plans might be just what you’re looking for. These boards are beautiful and serve as art while working as the perfect tool for your kitchen. Try your hands on one of them and see what you can do yourself!
DIY Live Edge Cutting Board Plans
Cutting boards are an essential tool in any kitchen. Choosing the right style and size takes some thought, but once you have the perfect one, it will last forever. These DIY Live Edge Cutting Board plans to give you a fun project to enhance your home. They’re simple and beautiful, beautifully functional, and endlessly customizable. With these DIY live edge cutting board projects, you can make a custom design for yourself or someone on your holiday list. Always start with a quality piece of wood so you don’t have splintery results.
Live edge wood is an incredibly attractive and versatile material to work with. It can make a beautiful addition to any kitchen and can be used as exterior siding or flooring. One of the most popular ways to use live edge wood is for cutting boards. DIY Live Edge Cutting Boards Plans are great because they’re durable and will last for years if properly cared for, but they also make for beautiful conversation pieces. While they may look fancy and be a great decorative piece, these cutting boards are also useful. Once your project is finished, you can rest assured that it will withstand everyday wear and tear and age beautifully.
How To Make Cool Cutting Boards
Simple but one-of-a-kind, this wood slice is a great personal touch for home and kitchen. Beautifully made to help you chop, mince and slice through any dish. Each piece is one-of-a-kind, featuring a naturally textured live edge and intricate knots. This stunning cutting board will look beautiful in any kitchen, smooth to the touch, with a cradle that fits all your knives. This live edge walnut cutting board is great for everyday use, perfect for chopping up fruit or veggies. Use it as a serving tray for cheese, bread, pate, or meats! Or add it to your collection of rustic decor.
- 50-grit and 120-grit sandpaper
You can also see: DIY Bread box ideas
Live Edge Charcuterie Board
This live edge serving board is a beautiful and functional addition to your kitchen. Use it as a cutting board, a serving tray, or a fruit display. The creator coated her black walnut board in food-grade oil for an extra smooth finish, but you can leave yours unfinished if you like the look it gets from the wood slivers left in place after milling. In the steps below, she used a drill press to create the open handle on this project, but if you don’t have access to one, no worries—you can complete the job with a jigsaw and some sandpaper.
- Jigsaw
- Drill press
- Forstner bit
- Hand rasp
- Wood clamps
- Sandpaper
Easy To Make Live Edge Wood Slab
This creative woodworking project teaches you how to design and create a stunning live-edge wood slab. Live edge wood slabs are some of the most unique and beautiful pieces of lumber you can find. Produced from fallen trees, these one-of-a-kind pieces offer a unique presentation. Follow along as we show the complete process of cutting this piece of ambrosia maple and applying an oil finish highlighting the wood's highly figured surface. Ultimately, you're left with a unique work of art that can be used as a tabletop or wall hanging.
- Jigsaw
- Chisels
- Sandpaper
Tree Trunk Cutting Board
Need an affordable and eco-friendly way to put your woodworking skills to use? This 9-step cutting board plan walks you through every stage of converting a stump to a high-quality live edge cutting board. The design is for average kitchen countertops and can be made with no tools other than a chainsaw, circular saw, handsaw, drill, and sandpaper. If you're like many people, you'll want to build more than just one piece once you have completed this one!
- Chainsaw
- Scrap wood (1” x 3”)
- Orbital sander
- 80-grit, 120-grit, and 220-grit sandpaper
- Screwdriver
- Hammer
Handmade Live Edge Cutting Board
This hand-shaped cutting board project is a great way to add personality and interest to your kitchen. It’s made from a standard rectangular piece of lumber, with a twist on the live edge build. By outlining an organic shape with a few simple steps, then cutting it out with a jigsaw and sanding it into the desired shape, you can create an eye-catching cutting board that will bring some natural beauty and uniqueness to your kitchen or dining room table.
- Pencil
- Jigsaw
- Electric sander
- 60-grit sandpaper
- 80–220 grit sandpaper (optional)
Rectangle Live Edge Cutting Board
This video shows how to carefully use a pull saw to make a large rectangular live edge cutting board that looks professionally made. With this method, you can make a live edge cutting board in an hour or less using a jigsaw and pull saw on a piece of maple. Make sure your board's width and length are right by cutting it down if necessary, but even if so, the builder formed the delicate handle on this design with a pull saw, which can be accomplished by finessing a jigsaw as well. You’ll finish by drilling a hole through its center for hanging, and your finished product will look store-bought!
- Jigsaw
- Pull saw
- Drill
- Sandpaper
Curved Cutting Board
This could be the perfect choice if you want a beautiful, durable cutting board with a classic design. This curved cutting board is made from the most time-consuming build on this list, but the result is undeniably elegant. It's made of thin strips of maple, meaning it is light and easy to handle while still sturdy. The smooth finish hides any accidental cuts or marks you make during your cooking adventures. The curved shape is easy to wash and will fit almost anywhere in your kitchen.
- Drum sander
- Parallel clamps
- Bandsaw
- Miter saw
- Tablesaw
- Sander
- Planer
- F-Clamps
- Router
- Roundover bit
- Hardwood scraps (or new)
- ¾″ MDF
- Wood glue
- Glue brush
- Sandpaper
Basic Live Edge Cutting Board
Cutting boards are as important to your kitchen as any other tool, and the best cutting boards are made from natural materials. The handmade creation of these live edge maple boards is all about detail. Cutting to shape and finishing, you’ll learn how to sand and seal your wooden cutting board with this basic woodworking video tutorial. Learn the basics of how to sand and finish your board, including sanding in an orbital disc sander, using the random orbital sander, and controlling dust.
- Multiple sandpaper grits (80–320)
- Vinegar
- Water
Large Live Edge Charcuterie Board
When you’re ready to build your own large live-edge charcuterie board perfect for sophisticatedly showcasing various kinds of cheese and meats, take a look at this video. Start by cutting up thick pieces of wood with a table saw and miter saw before using an electric planer or drum sander to smooth out the surface. Use glue, epoxy, and wood filler to fill in any imperfections. Once you have completed your new work of art, you can use it to entertain friends at home or even sell it for profit!
- Miter saw
- Jigsaw
- Table saw
- Router
- Planer
- Epoxy
Ocean Wave Resin Cutting Board
This ocean wave resin cutting board is an elegant blending of art and design. Each piece starts with a wide plank of premium-grade hardwood sanded smooth, stained, and then coated with a clear finish. A blue and white pigment was added to create the illusion of foamy surf lapping against the natural wood surface, making your kitchen or dining room feel like you’re enjoying dinner on the beach. Try applying different colors to any live edge design, and you’ll take your homemade project to a new level!
- Resin & hardener
- Powder pigment (Bora Bora)
- Powder pigment (White)
- Powder pigment (Okinawa)
- Heat gun
- Carpenter crayon
- Double-sided tape
- Flush trim bit
- Roundover bit
Epoxy Live Edge Cutting Board
Live edge cutting boards aren’t just beautiful to look at; they’re also very practical in the kitchen. The beautiful grain of this piece was a natural choice for epoxy because it uses both the live edge and seam in a way that looks cohesive and highly aesthetic. The epoxy creates a brilliant, smooth surface perfect for cutting and chopping. Now you can use this board as an accent piece in your home or as your primary cutting surface with the comfort that it will last for years. You can also use it as a decorative board!
- Jigsaw
- Sandpaper
- Epoxy
- Blue mica powder
Wood Slice Cutting Board
This project is easy enough for beginners and a great way to get creative. You’ll have your own custom-shaped cutting board in less than an hour, which makes this fun and easy project perfect for the DIY novice. It’s also a great choice if you’re short on space or want to keep this all-natural piece on display in your kitchen. Best of all, you can make it yourself in less than an hour and for under $10 using a pre-cut slice from a crafts store. It also doubles as an adorable serving tray for your kitchen!
- 150-grit and 220-grit sandpaper
- Stiff brush
Live Edge Serving Board With Handles
As a part of the Live Edge series of serving boards, this hand-carved cutting board is a perfect accent piece in your dining room. The wood's natural edge adds an organic touch to any table, while the two handles on either side make serving effortless – leaving no doubt that this table accessory was made with design in mind. It’s a cool way to take your live edge boards up a notch or create an entirely new design that isn’t possible using a traditional technique or grain pattern.
- Orbital sander
- Circular saw
- Red wine
- Handles
Live Edge Charcuterie Board
A well-curated charcuterie board is essential for any kitchen. However, the process of adding a custom handle can be a pain without a router. Take note of this DIYer, who uses a paddle bit and jigsaw to create a natural-looking handle. Starting by drilling halfway through one side and then halfway through on the other side will prevent your board from splintering. The creator of this charcuterie board shows you how to make one by hand, using the paddle bit from a jigsaw and some finished sandpaper.
- Drill
- Chisels
- Jigsaw
- Hand router
- Orbital sander