25 DIY Cutting Board Plans You Can Make Today (with Pictures)

If you’re looking for a great DIY project that you can build and enjoy today, then you’re going to love these cutting board plans! There are some unexpectedly gorgeous designs in this article—and a new DIY cutting board adds a beautiful touch to the kitchen, while functionally serving a purpose.

It’s a piece of handiwork you’ll enjoy time and again. Take a look at these excellent cutting board designs that we’ve dug up for you.

The 25 Best DIY Cutting Board Plans

1. Edge Grain Cutting Board

Here is a beautiful design that really exposes the natural beauty of the wood. While each cutting board will turn out uniquely based on the kind of wood that you choose, the contrast of using two different colors in this example is truly gorgeous.

Using saws and planers safely does require some knowledge, but this project isn’t out of reach for beginners that might be looking for a challenge. Always be sure to exercise caution around new tools, and make sure you understand how to use them safely.

2. End Grain Cutting Board

This tutorial with plans for an end grain cutting board makes it easy for anybody to try and build their first woodworking project. The example piece that the original poster of this tutorial put together is absolutely stunning. Using a few different shades of wood has allowed them to create a pattern that bears some resemblance to tartan or plaid. Lovely!

3. Four-Colored Cutting Board

If you thought two contrasting colors were beautiful, wait until you try these plans, which call for four different species! The resulting effect is a vivid display of wood’s natural appeal. The effect of the tactile makes it appear almost like a chessboard and is strikingly sharp.

4. 3D Zig Zag Cutting Board Design

Did you ever think a cutting board could have a 3D effect? This design allows DIYers to build just that—a 3D zig-zag style cutting board with a really neat illusion! This is a great intermediate-level challenge for more experienced DIYers to tackle.

5. Zig Zag Cutting Board

This is another great end-grain design. You will see a few kinds of this style on the list here. It’s a popular method of building cutting boards because it allows the DIYer to customize their cutting board with increasingly intricate designs. This one is fairly simple, making it a great place to start playing with end-grain designs.

6. ‘Easy-Peasy’ Cutting Board

This is a really fun and beautiful design. Now, it comes in a kit, but for readers who don’t want to wait, milling and planing your own pieces isn’t too difficult. What might be more challenging is finding five different species! It makes for a fun weekend if you’re into that kind of thing.

7. Scrap Wood Designer Cutting Board

If you’re into eco-friendly woodworking, then check out these plans that use any wood! Keep your scrap lumber and use those offcuts to build this amazing designer cutting board. Sometimes, it’s not convenient to run around looking for wood, and this design allows you to use what you have at hand.

8. Eye-Catching Cutting Board

Scrap wood is not garbage. Here is another set of plans that you can use to make a dazzling new cutting board today. Like the last set in the list, they use scrap wood. That means that if you have a surplus of offcuts, then you can start making all kinds of unique and incredible designs.

9. Pear-Shaped (or Any-Shaped) Cutting Board

If you’re reading through this list and thinking, “hey, a lot of these look quite similar”, then check out this set of plans. It’s another scrap wood-based design that uses either a scroll saw or a jigsaw to make a cutting board in any simple shape, like the pear in the example. We’ve also got more unique designs below!

10. 3D Cutting Board

If you don’t mind reading a few subtitles, then check out this video. The designer teaches you how to make the most interesting-looking 3D cutting board design. This is a really neat version of this illusion that almost looks like one of those optical illusion illustration books!

11. Tumbling Blocks Design

This is another dazzling end grain design that is sure to make a lovely addition to the kitchen, and is a fun DIY project too. These tumbling blocks are a classic style that is pleasing to the eyes but isn’t the most difficult to create.

12. Argyle Style Cutting Board

Speaking of classic designs, this DIY argyle cutting board is a fantastic example of a well-known design. Unlike the previous plans, this one requires a little more skill and experience to get right, with the diagonal boards weaving through the end grains. It is a fantastic finished product, though!

13. Celtic Style Cutting Board

The further down the list, the more intricate the end grain designs become, like these plans for a cutting board that features a Celtic knot style of pattern. As the variations become more complex, the difficulty level rises. End grain cutting boards like this one are an amazing way to be creative with wood.

14. Box and Band 3D Cutting Board

Here is another amazing end-grain style of design that features boxes and bands to create a unique 3D effect. This cascading style is yet another neat piece of inspiration for end-grain creativity. This requires an intermediate skill level, but beginners can give this a shot too.

15. Paddle Cutting Board

Alright, so maybe you’ve had enough of end-grain style plans. Let’s freshen the list up with these awesome paddle cutting board plans. While this design might appear intimidating to the novice DIYer, it’s actually not that difficult to make with a little care.

16. Ocean Cutting Board

If you’re up for a challenge and want to make something that is unique and amazing, then check out this ocean-style resin cutting board tutorial. Using resin is a bit of a process for sure. With that said, when you combine it with different pigment powders and the beauty of wood, you can get some amazing results!

17. Curved Inset Cutting Board

For those who like to show off their skills a little, this beautiful cutting board featuring a curved inset will make an awesome challenge! Any carpentry or woodworking that has curves requires skill, and this design is all about the rounded features of the inset. It’ll surely be a point of pride in the kitchen!

18. Cutting Board with Knife Storage

Perhaps you would like to build a cutting board that does more. This awesomely practical cutting board with knife storage project is a brilliant idea! These plans are a fantastic blend of form and function, and you’ll love the satisfaction of sheathing your knives in a block you built.

19. Cleated Cutting Board Design

This gorgeous design ends up looking something like a backgammon board. This is one of those styles that is a simple design concept, but takes some skill and attention to detail to pull off. It’s not difficult, and it’s also not difficult to mess up. The result is surely worth the work, though!

20. Marble Inlay Cutting Board

This sophisticated-looking design is actually quite easy to put together, provided you have the tools at hand. Even if your table saw doesn’t have a dado blade, you can still make this easy, stylish cutting board. What makes it so easy is that it uses a board that is then inlaid, rather than cutting strips and gluing. This is a great project—easy and stylish.

21. End Grain Cutting Board Designs

If you can’t get enough of the end grain designs, then check out this collection of plans! While they all follow the same method of using the end-grains to create various and increasingly intricate designs, they are all very unique looking. Depending on the materials you have at hand, there should be something here for you to build today!

22. Round Chevron Cutting Board

Do all of these plans have you feeling a little square? If you want to go against the grain, try this round chevron cutting board design. It uses the end-grain method but with a twist. Instead of creating a large rectangle, it gets cut into a perfect, beautiful circle at the end. A simple yet sophisticated take.

23. Leather Handled Cutting Board

If you’re wanting to take any of the designs on this list to the next level, why not try adding a leather strap? This clever DIY project makes a great add-on to a cutting board that you currently own. What a fun way to customize your cutting boards!

24. Tree Stump Cutting Board

We know what you’re probably thinking: “how can I use a chainsaw to build a cutting board?” Well, we’ve got you right here! This is a really simple, fun design that will turn that old stump you’ve been meaning to get rid of into a lovely piece for your kitchen. It’s an easy design if you know your way around a chainsaw!

25. Keyboard Cutting Board

For all the music-loving DIYers out there, comes this amazing keyboard design! This is a surprisingly simple set of plans for such a complex-looking design. It might take a little bit of finicking to get the black keys at the right angle to give them a ‘popping’ effect, but it’s worth it. Who knew a simple cutting board could be so cool?

Featured Image Credit: Evgeny Karandaev, Shutterstock