Free Plan: Mosaic Scrap Wood Cutting Board
Three wood species. A handful of offcuts. One board worth keeping.
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- PDF plan
- Glue-up & finish guide
- Step-by-step instructions
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The plan's yours to keep — build it whenever. But if you liked this one, here's the next step most builders take from here.
Download didn't start? Get the plan here.Want the technique reference on your bench before the next glue-up?
Woodworking Secrets is a physical book you can get for the cost of shipping. It covers finishing, joinery, tool setup, and shop technique in plain language. Good reference to have on the bench, especially when you're working with different wood species and want to know how they actually behave under glue, blade, and oil.
Yes — send me the book →Disclosure: I may earn a commission if you buy through this link. It doesn't cost you extra.
Scrap wood looks like trash in the shop. Glued up, it looks like something you'd give away as a gift.
This cutting board is built from hardwood offcuts — whatever you have left from other projects. Maple, walnut, cherry. Even a mix of two species works. The mosaic pattern comes from alternating the pieces during the glue-up. No two boards look the same.
I've made a dozen of these. The best one I kept. The others went to neighbors, kids' teachers, and one to my dentist.
Project at a Glance
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Main materials
- Hardwood scraps (maple, walnut, cherry), food-safe wood glue, mineral oil
- Build time
- About 3–4 hours (plus overnight clamp time)
- Tools needed
- Table saw or miter saw, clamps (several), hand plane or belt sander
- Note
- Use Titebond III or another food-safe glue. Finish with mineral oil only — no varnish or lacquer on a cutting board.
From the shop
Go edge-grain instead of end-grain on your first board. End-grain looks better, but the glue-up is harder to get flat. Edge-grain cuts just as well, holds up just as long, and is much easier to sand flat after the clamps come off. Add a juice groove with a router bit if you want the extra touch — it takes ten minutes and makes the board look finished.
You came here for a cutting board plan. That gives you a quick, giftable project for the weekend. But once you've made a couple, the next problem isn't another plan — it's technique. How different woods move. How glue-ups stay flat. How finishes actually hold up. That's why a real woodworking reference is the natural next step.
Recommended Next Step
Want the technique reference on your bench before the next glue-up?
Woodworking Secrets is a physical book you can get for the cost of shipping. It covers finishing, joinery, tool setup, and shop technique in plain language. Good reference to have on the bench, especially when you're working with different wood species and want to know how they actually behave under glue, blade, and oil.
Woodworking Secrets
Physical book. Finishing, joinery, tool setup, wood species — plain language for the home shop.
Disclosure: I may earn a commission if you buy through this link. It doesn't cost you extra.
16,000+ Woodworking Plans Across Every Project Type
Ted's Woodworking covers furniture, shop jigs, cabinets, outdoor builds, and more. If the cutting board sparked an idea for a bigger project, the plan library has it.
See Ted's Plans →Not sure yet? Start with the free plan.
Build the cutting board first. You can always come back later and pick up the reference book when you want to go deeper into joinery and finishing.