I have always enjoyed working with my hands to build and create, but I never really considered myself a woodworker. I took shop classes in middle and high school, but really never had what I would call a good tool selection or a place to hone my skills. About 5 years ago I started to take woodworking a little more seriously and invested in some tools closer to what you would call “woodworking tools”— beyond what the average home owner needs.

Always looking for the next thing to learn and ways to challenge myself, I started making cutting boards. I watched a lot of YouTube videos and saw that it didn’t look that complicated to me to get better with the tools I owned. I did learn quickly that there are some tools that do make it easier to more consistently create good joints, which are very important for making a good quality cutting board.

I focused on end-grain cutting boards, which are much more durable than long-grain. Don’t get me wrong, long-grain are also very nice, but you get a lot more character seeing the end-grain and the different figuring that each species of boards can show you.

So, my journey began to create beautiful looking and great quality end-grain cutting boards. I have created a lot of different pattern types over the years, but I have found that often the simpler patterns are more beautiful. A lot of that depends on the species of hardwoods used, and I am always on the lookout for a new hardwood to incorporate.