Herringbone(-isch) Cutting Boards

Make a pretty cutting board with a herringbone(-isch) pattern. The pattern variations are endless. Design a busy or more subtle pattern. I personally prefer to put straight strips between the diagonals; to me it looks less busy that way.

The technique is specifically designed to make edge grain glue joints along the long dimension of the cutting board. I believe this will help with wood movement, and be more stable in the long run. Check with me in 50 years!

This grain direction alignment also helps when planing the board.

For the diagonal pieces you need two or more boards in contrasting colors, 4” to 8” wide by 20” long, 3/4” to 1” thick. I used 5” wide walnut and maple boards. In addition you need some narrower boards to get to the desired width of the cutting board.

For tools you need a table saw, router, sander, clamps, wood glue, tung oil finish

Cut sections across the two boards at 30 to 45 degrees, at varying width, 1” to 3” wide. I used a miter gauge set at 30 degrees. A table saw sled would probably be a safer way to cut the sections. Label the sections if you want to match grain pattern when you glue the pieces. Save and use the end pieces that have only one diagonal cut.

Now for the glue up. When clamping the section pieces will slip along the diagonal faces. To prevent this I used a couple of straight boards along the edges and four clamps across the glue-up, see attached pictures. After putting these boards/clamps in place I tightened the long parallel clamps to pull everything together. You could also use pipe clamps. Be sure all pieces line up as flat as possible. Wait for the glue to dry.

First you should remove as much of the hard glue squeeze-out as possible. Hardened glue will gum-up and dull your saw blade and planer knives. Then flatten the two 'diagonal' pieces with a planer. When they lay reasonable flat (don't go all the way to the final thickness, you will plane them again as part to the whole cutting board) it’s time to rip them into strips. My original boards were 5” wide, so I cut four strips at 1-1/8” width. You can cut them wider or narrower to fit your design.

Before you go any further, play with the layout and make a pattern you like. I’m showing a few pictures of different arrangements. Then glue just the diagonal pieces together before completing the whole board. As I mentioned above, I chose to add a narrow strip of walnut in between.

Rip some straight strips of contrasting woods to complete the cutting board. I typically go for final dimensions of 11” by 16”. Glue the strips and herringbone pieces together and let the glue dry. Be sure you clamp everything together as flat as possible.

Now it is time to trim the board, plane it to its final thickness, and sand the surfaces. I also like to glue-in a spline at the two end-grain edges, for looks and strength. It is my signature feature! Then round the corners and edges with a router round-over bit, and cut a juice groove. See my Instructable for making a juice groove jig.

Finally, finish the board with a food-safe finish. I used three coats of 100% pure tung oil which is food-safe once it dries to a durable finish. I am always amazed by the transformation of the boards from the initial messy glue-up, to the planed/sanded stage, and finally to the finished result with beautiful wood colors and grain patterns. Out of curiosity, let me know in the comments which of the two designs you like better.