This project was built and designed by Caleb from Caleb’s Fine Woodworking. It’s a visually striking cutting board that uses contrasting woods and a clever layout to create a ribbon-like or basket weave effect.
The pattern looks complex but comes together through smart sequencing and clean joinery. This project is a great way to practice layout accuracy, glue-up techniques, and sanding for a smooth, seamless finish.
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Choosing the Right Materials
Caleb selects three contrasting hardwoods for this build: walnut, white hard maple, and African mahogany. These species were chosen for their stability, durability, and visual contrast when arranged side by side.
Walnut brings a dark, rich tone that anchors the pattern. Maple provides a clean, creamy highlight that makes the design pop. African mahogany introduces a warm, reddish tone and adds a layer of color depth between the extremes.
Cutting and Sizing the Strips
The first step is cutting each hardwood into strips. These strips are initially rough-cut slightly oversized, which allows for final planing and sanding to clean them up later.
Caleb cuts the mahogany first, which will form the prominent squares in the final board. Next, he rips the maple strips to size, ensuring all pieces are consistent. Uniformity is key at this stage to keep the weave pattern tight and even.
Surfacing and Layout
Once all the strips are cut, they’re run through a planer to remove any saw marks and bring everything to the same thickness. Clean edges make for better glue joints and a more precise layout.
Before gluing, Caleb dry-fits the layout to visualize the pattern. He adjusts the positioning of each wood type to make sure the alternating effect is visually balanced and flows across the board.
First Glue-Up: Creating the Strips
The first glue-up joins the contrasting strips together into panels. Wood glue is applied to each mating edge, and the strips are clamped tightly to form a clean, solid bond.
To avoid bowing or misalignment, clamps are placed both above and below the workpiece. Caleb checks that the board stays flat as it sets, allowing it to cure fully for 24 hours.
Cutting the Second Pattern
Once cured, the glued panel is trimmed to clean up the ends and sides. Using a stop block on the crosscut sled, Caleb cuts the panel into evenly sized segments—these will become the repeating pattern squares.
After all segments are cut, he rotates and reorders them to create the signature basket weave or ribbon look. Each row is flipped and shifted to form the illusion of overlapping strips.
Second Glue-Up: Final Assembly
With the segments arranged, the second glue-up begins. Glue is applied to each joint, and the pieces are pressed together carefully to maintain alignment.
Caleb uses masking tape on his clamps to prevent them from sticking to the board. This simple trick helps speed up cleanup and prevents glue from transferring onto clamp faces.
Sanding and Leveling
After the glue has dried, the cutting board is run through a drum sander. This step flattens any uneven spots left from the glue-up and creates a perfectly level surface.
If any small gaps remain, Caleb fills them with a mixture of sawdust and glue that matches the surrounding wood. Once sanded again, these filled joints become nearly invisible.
Routing and Edge Details
Next, the edges of the cutting board are rounded over with a router. This softens the profile and makes the board more comfortable to handle and use.
A light hand sanding follows to remove any sharp edges or remaining scratches. Attention to detail here makes a big difference in the overall look and feel of the finished product.
Applying the Finish
Caleb applies mineral oil as the first layer of protection. This food-safe oil is absorbed into the wood, enhancing the contrast and deepening the colors of each species.
Once the oil has soaked in, a beeswax-based conditioner is applied for extra protection and a subtle sheen. This final step seals the surface and brings out the natural beauty of the grain.
A Practical and Beautiful Kitchen Addition
The basket weave cutting board is a showpiece and a functional kitchen tool. It highlights craftsmanship, creativity, and the beauty of working with multiple wood species.
Caleb’s step-by-step approach makes the process easy to follow while reinforcing key woodworking skills. Whether you’re building one for yourself or as a gift, this project delivers professional results.
Please support Caleb by visiting his website: https://www.calebscustomwoodworks.com/.