walnut and maple classic cutting board - Design Tech - Matteo Abel

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For this project in Design Tech, my partner Daniel and I created a striped hardwood cutting board using walnut and maple. Although I was out sick on the day we designed our projects, Daniel took the lead and came up with a design that I ended up really liking. It’s simple, balanced, and came out looking great.

What is your project?

Our project was to make a cutting board from strips of hardwood. We used walnut and maple, which contrast nicely in both color and texture. The design is a classic horizontal stripe pattern that looks professional and clean.

How did you make it?

First, we cut strips of walnut and maple to our desired thickness. We glued them all together to form one large board, and used clamps to hold everything tightly in place while it dried. I was honestly impressed by how strong the wood glue was everything held together really well. After the glue dried, we cut that large board in half to make two matching boards. Then we put our board through the planer machine to get an even, uniform thickness. After that, we sanded it down until the surface was smooth, rounded the edges using a router, and applied food-safe finishing oil to bring out the natural grain. Finally, we burnished the board using steel wool to give it a polished, silky-smooth finish. That step really made the whole thing feel complete.

What do you like most about your project?

What I like most is just how clean and professional the cutting board looks. Daniel’s design turned out great, and I really like how the walnut and maple woods complement each other. It feels like something you’d actually want to use or display in a kitchen.

What was challenging about this project?

The hardest part was understanding the process and catching up, since I missed the day we planned our designs. I had to jump in a little behind, but once we got into the hands-on work, it all started to make more sense.

What would you change about the project if you did it again?

If I could do it again, I might want to be more involved in the design part, just so I fully understand everything from start to finish. I also think it’d be cool to experiment with a more complex pattern or maybe even some edge detailing.

What is your plan for it now that it’s done?

Right now, I’m deciding whether I want to keep it or gift it. It’s honestly nice enough to do either, and I feel proud of how it turned out.




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