How to best make a decorative inlay cutting board

[Alan Lightstone]

SWMBO has a request for a new cutting board. With a somewhat detailed drawing inlayed into the top. Think palm trees, water, other vegetation, sun, etc... She's an artist, so I'm sure the drawing will be fantastic. The cutting board -- well, I'm no artist, but will give it my best attempt.

This is a cutting board that will be used. Likely face grain, not end grain, though.

How thick would I have to make the inlays to survive frequent use? The board itself will likely be 1"-1-1/4" thick range. Woods TBD. Would wood movement make thick inlays crack?

[Richard Coers]

I've never made a cutting board over 3/4" thick. I have no intention of butchering a hog on one, nor am I going to use a cleaver to chop through bones. Since you don't mention the other dimensions of the board, I have no idea how much it will move. Use quarter sawn wood and that will limit a lot of movement. The best way to make it is hire some CNC or laser shop to do the cutting of the inlay and recess.

[Stewart Lang]

I'd imagine any inlay over 1/4" would more than suffice. 1/8" would probably work, but 1/4" would be safe.

My only advice is to keep the grain direction of the inlay pieces parallel with the grain direction of the board. Especially being a cutting board that'll get wet, that's important to prevent cracking.

[Dave VanDewerker]

I made a few inlays in cutting boards using the router with an inlay bit and bushing. I doubt i would try what you are asking with it but for simple inlays it works fine. The inlay pieces are small so I never worried about grain, never had problems. The inlays in my cutting boards is about 1/8 thick, for a cutting board it works fine, but I would not want to chop on it.
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[Edward Weber]

1/4" is probably the balancing point between too thin and wanting to move.
Standard PVA glue will keep most anything 1/4" think in place, any thicker and you can have issues. Gaps and cracks in cutting boards is not good.

[Jonathan Jung]

Considered using resin for the inlay? It handles any shape and complexity. They she can do whatever color / combos she wants.

[Alan Lightstone]

I've never made a cutting board over 3/4" thick. I have no intention of butchering a hog on one, nor am I going to use a cleaver to chop through bones. Since you don't mention the other dimensions of the board, I have no idea how much it will move. Use quarter sawn wood and that will limit a lot of movement. The best way to make it is hire some CNC or laser shop to do the cutting of the inlay and recess.

Roughly 12" x 16", give or take.

[ChrisA Edwards]

If it's going to actually be used, a wood inlay would be the choice, although I'v heard there are some food safe epoxies.

If it's on a none cutting side, epoxy is easier, but you still have the issue of routing out the design.

A CNC is probably the best, followed by a Shaper Origin (hand held CNC). These will offer you the luxury of using very small bits. I have a Shaper Origin and use 2mm and 1mm bits on a regular basis and occasionally 0.5mm. You would most likely break a ton of these with a standard hand held router.

This is epoxy fill on the underside of a wedding present. End grain in Walnut, Cherry and Maple.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/i452/cedwards874/AnneBrandonS8.jpg

[Alan Lightstone]

I don't have a CNC or a Shaper Origin, though I periodically think of getting a CNC. This is a hobby for me, not a job, so the economics don't really add up for me.

It's tempting to make the cutting board out of epoxy, but it really will be used, so pretty sure I'll have to take the inlay route. I just need to know what the "best" thickness of the inlays should be.

BTW, gorgeous board, Chris.

[Jim Becker]

I suspect that just like finishes today, resins sold for inlay work would also be food safe once cured. I do a lot of personalization work on charcuterie boards for someone where I cut the recesses with my CNC and he does the resin inlay work.

Alan, I don't think I'd make your inlay pieces more than .25" thick to avoid movement issues. And consider making the board two-sided...inlay for show and the plain side for work.

[Bob Falk]

This is my first inlay in an end-grain cutting board. I used a 60 degree vbit and followed Stephen Forsellies video on end grain inlays (he uses a 15 degree bit, which I have yet to try). Using his settings, my inlay came out 0.30" deep at the flat depth, shallower, of course at the narrower areas. His video is very detailed and well done. FWiW, I wouldn't make an end-grain cutting board less than 1-1/4" thick, especially if it is sitting on pads or rubber feet. The potential for too much downward chopping force and the wood being stressed perpendicular to grain make splitting the board in two a real possibility.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY0zLv3wcyc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY0zLv3wcyc&fbclid=IwAR1OmzXkQaZsfY6GzyGtr4qXCKNpIgJJilbGVhtmT o6gi3nuDdjOOTGbh20)

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[Alan Lightstone]

I suspect that just like finishes today, resins sold for inlay work would also be food safe once cured. I do a lot of personalization work on charcuterie boards for someone where I cut the recesses with my CNC and he does the resin inlay work.

Alan, I don't think I'd make your inlay pieces more than .25" thick to avoid movement issues. And consider making the board two-sided...inlay for show and the plain side for work.

I'm really not worried about the resins being food safe once cured. I fully agree with that one.

And great idea about the two-sided board. Definitely sounds like a winner.

This would be so much easier with CNC, but again wouldn't be me doing it, as I don't have one.

[Jim Becker]

I only mentioned the CNC because I've cut a lot of the pockets for someone using the resin...'kinda in that context. But hand-cut with various kind of non-powered and powered tools like a Dremel would work the same way. Using the resin takes away the sometimes "interesting" fitting challenges that solid inlay pieces would bring, but then again, that very thing can also be very satisfying work.