Monster Cutting Board

I had the opportunity to build a monster cutting board recently.  I got a call out of the blue to build a counter top for a kitchen island, the client wanted it to be 29.5" x 51.25" x 3" and the whole thing should be end grain just like a cutting board.  They also wanted the squares in the counter top to be as big as possible.  

I was pretty excited to do this project as I had never built a cutting board anywhere near this big.  The first step was to find some big wood.  I found some great wood in a warehouse north of the city, it was 3" thick which is quite uncommon to find and I was really excited get to use such great stock for this project.  

My Diamond in the Rough, The Stash of Wood in a Warehouse 

I started by crosscutting the boards to 2' in length to allow for easier jointing, thickness planing, and glue ups.  

Cut to Length for Jointing

The Boards were taken to a thickness of 2.75' and then ripped to a width of 2.875.  They were glued up and then the 2.875" thickness was taken down to 2.75".  

2.75"x 2.75" Segments Ready for Glue up

First Round of Glue ups

Once the thickness planing was done the boards were cross cut to 3" which is the total thickness of the counter top.  

Cross Cutting the First Glueup

When gluing the crosscut segments together I used slots for biscuits to help with alignment and assembled half the counter top at a time.  

Gluing up the Crosscut Segments

Once the halves were built I used a large circular saw on a track to straighten out the minor discrepancies before gluing the two halves together.  

Straightening out the Center for Glueup

With the whole counter top assembled I could then use the large circ saw with track to trim the ends and edges to final dimensions.  

Trimming to Final Dimensions

Ready for Sanding

Once the counter top was sanded I added a small round over to all the edges and I treated the counter top with mineral oil and beeswax, the same finish I use on cutting boards and serving trays and took the counter top over to their home for installation.  

Finished Countertop Ready for Installation