End-Grain Cutting Board — Build Plan (Blueprint #4)

Build the top shelf of the cutting-board world: an end-grain board, where the knife edge slips between the wood fibres instead of across them, so the board is gentler on knives and cutting marks stay hidden. This 5-page PDF plan (Build Plan No. 4 in the Fox Feather Farms winter series) makes the 17 x 12 in (43 x 30 cm) board, 1-1/2 in thick, from hard maple, black walnut, and cherry.

Inside: a dimensioned layout diagram, a full cut list, the complete two-glue-up method explained step by step (ten strips become a panel, the panel is crosscut into sixteen strips, and the second glue-up turns the end grain up), a materials list with per-line costs in Canadian dollars (about $75 typical), the tools required, finishes and cure times, 8 build steps, and a process-at-a-glance diagram. Safety notes included — never run the end-grain glue-up through a planer; the plan flattens it with a router sled or drum sander. About 5–7 hours of active work plus two overnight glue cures.