I love homemade projects but sometimes they feel a little too…homemade. I wanted to do some posts on gifts that are totally doable and that I would have bought from a store let alone be excited to receive it as a homemade gift from a friend. The first is this gorgeous geometric cutting board. I asked my friend and woodworker Jared Rusten to break it down into simple easy steps. You’ll definitely need some basic jigsaw skills but it isn’t anything too tricky. These would make great neighbor gifts or even for a friend that loves to entertain. If you have access to the tools and can find the scraps of wood the whole project is very affordable.

Click through for the easy step by step instructions.

Materials Needed: Scrap Pieces of Hardwood like Walnut, Maple or Cherry in 1.75″ thick, A jigsaw with a long blade, sandpaper in three grits: 80, 120, 220, pencil, paper, Mineral Oil or Linseed Oil.

The key to a great cutting board is starting with a good piece of wood. Soft woods won’t work for a cutting board because they absorb everything like a sponge. Hardwoods are perfect but you can’t find them at a Home Depot. Try contacting a furniture maker or checking the scrap bin at a supplier like Rockler or a local hardwood dealer to get great deals on small pieces of hardwood.

Step 1: Draw on a piece of paper what shape you want your cutting board. (See the photo at the bottom, we also made a heart!) Cut it out and lay it on the wood to trace it.
Step 2: Take the jigsaw and cut along the pencil lines.
Step 3: Take the  80 grit sandpaper and wrap it around a piece of wood and begin sanding. Take off the corners and the edges to look a little rounded. When you are sanding you are sanding for “feel” or how smooth it is, and also for “clarity” so you can see the beauty of the wood. Continue with the other two grits 120, then 220 until the board feels smooth and the wood looks beautiful.
Step 4: Take some oil like Mineral Oil and thoroughly wipe the board down. That’s it! Gift the board with a beautiful knife or some delicious cheeses.

Credits + Contributors:
All photography by Heather Zweig for Oh Happy Day
Art Directed by Jordan Ferney
Crafting by Jared Rusten
Styling by Stacy Wichelhaus