How To Make The Best Cutting Board For Gifts This Year

The one my mother still has to this day is the one I used to chop veggies on when I was a kid. How is it that a piece of aged and worn wood brings some comfort and memories to you each time you grab to use it?

I still remember the one my grandmother had. I remember watching her cutting apples to make pies. It’s crazy how memories attach just to one kitchen tool!

I love the big cutting boards but the best cutting boards are the ones that are personalized. I’ve seen some of the best ones shaped like states, and the other ones I love are the wood burned ones.

Oh, what you can’t do with a wood-burning tool! You can engrave and make swirls and they always just turn out so beautifully!

That’s why I wanted to share with you just how easy it can be to make the best cutting board you can burn to give as gifts this year! These personalized wood burning cutting board gifts are just the ticket to spend less this year on your gifts!

You can easily make these DIY wood burned cutting boards! These gifts are just the beginning of what you can do!

Since you will be buying a premade cutting board, this project will not only be easy but super cost-effective too!

Plus, it’s a great way to make great gifts and keep your budget in check. And you can get your older kids involved and let them create beautiful cutting boards! That’s super fun!

And if you already have a wood-burning tool, you can make this gift for under $5 total!

This post is part of our 30 Days of Homemade Gifts Series. 30 gifts that are easy (and cheap) to make, but also something you’ll be proud to give.

Each Homemade Gift has to meet 5 stipulations in order to maximize your money and make it easy for a busy mom to do:

1. Easy to obtain supplies –  Supplies are things you might already have on hand or are easy to find at Walmart or a craft store so you can get them in the same day you want to make it.
2. Easy to make –  Supplies are easy to work with or use so that anyone could do it… not caustic… so you could do the craft with your kids.
3. Quick to make –  It can be made in 30 minutes or less so it’s possible to make this gift in the middle of the night with products you most likely already have on hand.
4. Cheap to make – You should be able to make the project without spending more than $10.
5. Substantial – Each gift is “big” enough that you’ll feel confident giving it alone and not having to add a gift card to it.
   BONUSES:
   Multiple uses –  Multiple gifts can be made out of the same supplies giving you options to use up all the supplies you buy.
   Saving Money Double Bonus: Try to think about what you already have on hand to upcycled and save more money.

So are you ready to make the best cutting board for gifts? Let’s do this!

Best Cutting Board Supplies:

• Wood or Bamboo Cutting Board ($4.44 @ Walmart)
• Wood Burning Tool with tips ($12.97 @ Walmart) Note: mine is 20 years old so yours might look different than mine (hey, pretty cool that it still works, right?!)
• Pencil to mark your design on the wood
• Stencil or Transfer paper (optional)
• Pliers or an old rag (for changing out hot tips)
• Scrap wood to practice on
• Optional: Mineral Oil easily found in the health and beauty area of any grocery store $1.99 (to protect the wood from dishwasher useage)
• Paper for making design or computer & printer to make one on the computer and print it out (this is what I did)

Don’t pass up a kit! This one at Sam’s club comes with more fun supplies than the basic kit you’ll find at Walmart.

The holiday’s are a great time to find craft gift sets that will work for this project too.

And the holidays are a great time to pick up some inexpensive cutting boards for these personalized diy wood burned cutting board gifts. Every year Home Depot and Lowe’s have a good 2 piece set for less than $10.

Please Note: This project is not for very small kids. The wood burning tool gets very hot so I would only advise older kids to try this project with you.

DIY Personalized Best Cutting Board Directions:

Step 1: Design 

After you have practiced using the tool, you will need to create a design for your cutting board.

These personalized wood burning cutting board gifts are only limited to your imagination!

You can either freehand design or create one using your computer. Create your own fun patterns with the computer or even stencils.

Make sure to use a pencil to trace your design onto the cutting board if you freehand a design. Erase the mark when you’re done.

If you design an image on the computer, you will need to transfer the design on to the cutting board. You can do this with transfer paper.

You can also use a pencil to “color” the backside of your design, filling all the spaces of the back of your design. Then trace on top of your design with the “colored” side against your board. This will transfer the graphite onto your board leaving your design. It may a little more time doing it this way, but you won’t have to buy transfer paper.

Need some DIY wood burning cutting board ideas? Here are some great ideas to get you started! There are so many designs you can make with these DIY wood burned cutting boards!

Step 2: Practice

First, read the directions on your wood-burning tool.

Then, start practicing using the wood-burning tool on your scrap wood. If you have never used a wood-burning tool, you will need to get a feel for what it can do and how hard you need to press, etc.

If you need scrap wood, check your local hardware store and ask where the scrap wood bin is. Usually, there are scrap pieces that you can use that won’t cost you a lot. (Sometimes they will even give it to you!)

Practicing is an important step so you don’t aren’t disappointed with the outcome on your gifts.

Once you have burned your cutting board, it can’t be undone. I practiced my patterns several times on scrap wood to make sure I could do the design I wanted.

I realized after I was done that I should’ve used a sharpie to trace the rim of a glass in order to get a perfect circle outline for my initial, even though I practiced it several times beforehand. Doh!

Your friends and family will love these personalized DIY wood burned cutting boards. Since there are so many DIY wood burning cutting board ideas out there, you can even make each gift a different design!

Step 3: Start Woodburning

This is when the rubber meets the road. Yay! You should already know how to use the tool, so just follow your pattern and complete your design.

If you need to change tips, unplug your wood-burning tool first. Then either using pliers or an old cloth towel, change out the tip.

Then just finish burning your design.

Step 4: Finish Your Best Cutting Board

Once your design is complete, erase any marks left over from the pencil or graphite transfer.

If you want it to look sparkling, you can wipe it down with mineral oil and let it dry. The mineral oil is not necessary (I don’t use it on mine), but it will help keep the cutting board newer longer. Especially if your gift recipient puts it in the dishwasher.

Now it’s time to package it up and get ready to give the best gift in town!

Burning Beyond The Cutting Board

A DIY wood burned cutting board isn’t the only thing you can wood burn.

You can also do wooden spoons, cork trivets, spatulas, rolling pins and so much more. These DIY wood burning cutting board ideas just don’t stop!

These wooden products are so inexpensive, you can add in several and still be under the $10 price point. Make it a complete set by giving a set of spoons or trivets along with the best cutting board gift (ever).

These wooden spoons would make an adorable (and thoughtful) Sunday School Teacher’s gift.

These fun gifts are just the start of what you can create and give as gifts with your wood-burning too.

I would love one of these personalized cutting board gifts. Wouldn’t you?!

What Does It Cost?

• Wood or Bamboo Cutting Board – As low As $4.44
• Wood Burning Tool with tips –  $12.97 (@ Walmart)
  Or $14.92 for the kit from Sam’s Club (may be a seasonal deal)
• Pencil to mark your design – $0
• Stencil (optional) – $0
• Pliers (for changing out tips, or cloth) – $0
• Scrap wood to practice on – $0
• Mineral Oil (to protect wood after you are done) – $1.98 (@ Target or Walmart)
• Paper for drafting design or computer – $0

Total Cost: Only $4.44 (bamboo cutting board if you already have the wood-burning tool)

Total Cost if you had to buy everything: $17.41 (bamboo cutting board & wood-burning tool)

These DIY wood burned cutting boards are such a great way to give a gift that seems expensive without actually spending a ton of money on them.

You would pay a pretty penny on a personalized wood burning cutting board gift from the mall or online, you can do it for much less by wood-burning a cutting board yourself.

Plus, it’s a great way to get your older kids involved and spending time together. Let them create their own DIY wood burning cutting board ideas! You never know how creative your kids are till they can just sit and be creative!

And these fun gifts are a great way to spark your creative side. Creating things is so much fun!

And since you can make one for as low as $5, you’ll be saving so much money!

YOUR TURN: Are you going to make a personalized cutting board to give someone this year? Let me know in the comments below!

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