Wood burned cutting boards are an awesome and easy way to give friends and family a personalized gift. With our guide for the best wood burned cutting boards, you’ll know all about how to care for a wood burned cutting board and how to make your own. We’ll even give you a list of the top 6 best wood burned cutting boards you can buy online by looking at price ranges, availability, and overall style. Ready to get started? Here we go!
What is a Wood Burned Cutting Board?
A wood burned cutting board is a cutting board that has been marked with enough heat to burn the wood. Wood burning creates dark lines on the cutting board. These dark lines are made to make words, pictures, and unique designs. Wood burning tools that are used to make designs are usually shaped like pens so that wood burning is easy and precise.
What Woods are Best for Doing Wood Burning?
The good news: all types of wood can burn. The bad news: not every type of wood is great for showcasing wood burned letters and designs. The good news again: we’re going to walk you through which types of wood are best for burning so you’ll be a pro in a few minutes.
Maple
Maple is one of the best types of wood for pyrography (the fancy word for burning designs into wood and other things.) This is because maple wood is:
- Available everywhere
- Relatively inexpensive
- Light to medium-colored
- Fine-Grained
If you plan on wood burning maple, make sure to turn up your pyrography tool to the highest setting-maple wood is very hard and the tool needs to be hot!
Birch
This is another top choice for wood burning. Birch wood is available in most places and its light color makes a great contrast against the dark lines of wood burning. If you’ve never tried wood burning before, birch wood is one of our top recommendations.
Bamboo
Bamboo is a very hard, light, and light-colored material. For these reasons, bamboo is another great choice for wood burning. Additionally, bamboo itself makes an exceptional cutting board material.
Cherry
No one is going to deny that cherry wood is gorgeous, but what it’s lacking is uniformity. Cherry wood is not going to be a uniform color, and it’s a darker type of wood. For these reasons, we recommend leaving cherry wood out of your wood burning escapades.
Walnut
Walnut wood is not the best wood for wood burning, because this is the darkest hardwood on the list. Since wood burning makes a dark brown to black design, it will be hard for the design to show clearly on wood as dark as walnut.
Pros and Cons to Wood Burned Cutting Boards
Now that you’re familiar with the different types of wood that make the best cutting boards for pyrography, maybe you’re ready to weigh your options. Is a wood burned cutting board right for you? Here’s a quick list to help you decide.
Pros
| Cons
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What Can You Do with a Wood Burned Cutting Board?
- Use it as a traditional cutting board for chopping food
- Give a personalized board away as a gift for friends and family
- Make a food display on the cutting board for parties and events
- Hang it up or place it in the kitchen as a decoration
What Should You Get on Your Wood Burned Cutting Board?
When it comes time to choose a personalized design or create one yourself for a wood burned cutting board, you may not know where to start! The wood burning designs you can make on a cutting board are endless, so here are some ideas to get you started:
For Friends
- Funny quotes and phrases about cooking
- Reference to or picture of friend’s favorite foods
For Family
- Quotes about love, home, and cooking
- Names of family members
- Hearts, rolling pins, favorite food enjoyed by family
For Weddings
- Names of the newlyweds in cursive calligraphy
- Famous quotes about love
- Doves, hearts, clinking champagne glasses, and rings
How to Clean and Care for Your Wood Burned Cutting Board
Caring for a wood burned cutting board is easy with a few simple steps! Keep in mind that different types of wood require different levels of care. Not to worry-in this list, we’re referencing how to care for common hardwoods like maple, birch, bamboo, cherry, and walnut.
How to Clean a Wood Burned Cutting Board
Here a few golden rules to remember for cleaning your wood burned cutting board:
- Only chop food on the side without the burned wood.
- Wash your cutting board as soon as you’re done using it.
- Never put a wooden cutting board in the dishwasher.
Next, these are some easy guidelines to follow when it’s time to give your cutting board a good scrub:
- Hand Wash your cutting board with warm water and mild dish soap.
- Allow your cutting board to airdry by standing it up against the wall on its side.
- Let it dry completely before you use it again.
How to Seal a Wood Burned Cutting Board
What is sealing, you might ask? Sealing is when you use oil to replenish wood’s natural shine and keep it resistant to bacteria. Sealing also keeps your cutting board resistant to knife scratches, so it’s an all-around good idea.
To seal your wood burned cutting board:
- You will need mineral oil and dry paper towels.
- First, wash your board like normal and allow it to dry completely.
- Next, pour enough mineral oil on your cutting board to coat it.
- Use a paper towel to rub the oil into the wood.
- Allow the cutting board to sit with the oil for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, wipe off any extra oil with another paper towel.
- Let the cutting board dry completely for 2 days.
If you don’t have mineral oil, beeswax is another substance we recommend for sealing. Make sure never to use olive oil or vegetable oil, because oils like these can go rancid.
How to Remove Stains from a Wood Burned Cutting Board
If you’ve got a pesky stain in your cutting board, there’s an easy fix for that. All you’ll need is baking soda and a wet sponge!
- Pour a very generous amount of baking soda onto the stain.
- Use the wet sponge to rub the baking soda into the stain.
- Keep rubbing with the sponge until the stain comes out.
- Wash and dry your cutting board like normal.
How to Get Odor Out of a Wood Burned Cutting Board
Sometimes, wood can harbor smells you don’t want. If your wood burned cutting board has been smelling a little less than fresh lately, here’s what you can do to fix it:
- Pour enough salt to lightly cover your cutting board.
- Cut a lemon or lime in half and use it to rub the salt into the board.
- Let your cutting board sit like this for 15 minutes.
- Wash and dry your cutting board like normal.
Can I Burn My Own Wood Cutting Board?
Yes, you can burn your own wood cutting board using a pyrography tool. Pyrography tools can be bought in kits or on their own.
There are simple tutorial videos online you can follow along with to make sure you’re doing everything right. If wood burning is something you’re interested in, stay tuned, because we’ll go over how to burn your own wood cutting board next.
How to DIY a Wood Burned Cutting Board
Making your own wood burned cutting board can be a fun and really simple process. With this in mind, don’t forget that while burning wood the pyrography tool can get very hot. Always use caution and follow the instructions that come with your wood-burning tool!
Choosing What You Want
First, you’ll want to pick out a type of hardwood. Our top recommendations are:
- Maple
- Birch
- Bamboo
Next, you’ll have to decide on a pyrography tool. If you’re new to pyrography and this project is a one-time thing, we suggest going with an inexpensive model. If you’re serious about pyrography, there are more expensive pyrography kits you can buy, too.
Picking a Design
When picking a design to wood burn onto your cutting board, consider:
- The size of the cutting board
- Who the cutting board is for
- How much time you want to spend
- Letters, pictures, or both?
Freehand or Stencil?
Free-handing your design will be more personal, but for most of us it’s harder to do. Stenciling opens up a ton of options, but you’ll have to buy the stencils.
First, use a graphite pencil to sketch or stencil your design onto tracing paper. Place the tracing paper on the wood and use the pencil again to imprint your design onto the wood. Do this by tracing your design on the paper hard enough with the pencil that it leaves lines on the wood.
Take Every Precaution
Remember: you are about to interact with a tool that was created to burn things. In a lot of pyrography tools, the area near the tip gets hot and it’s best to keep your fingers away from it.
The Burning Sensation
Using your pyrography tool, use it to trace around the letters or designs you’ve imprinted on the board. Once everything is traced, you can either leave it as it is or go back in with your pyrography tool to fill everything in.
Finishing Touches
Don’t forget to seal your cutting board with mineral oil or beeswax so it will stay shiny and resilient!
The Best Wood Burned Cutting Board
If you’re looking to purchase a wood burned cutting board, do we have the list for you! We’ve wracked the internet for the best wood burned cutting boards, each with their own features and unique style. We chose these cutting boards based on affordability, availability, and positive customer reviews.
Custom Cutting Board: Best for Size
About
This wood-burned cutting board is made from bamboo and can be customized with whoever’s name you want. With its dimensions being 10” X 13”, this cutting board is the perfect size for food prep-not too big to be bulky and not too small to be an inconvenience.
- Material-Bamboo
- Price Range-$20-$40
- Warranty-Please contact seller directly
- Best Feature-Great size for food prep
Care
To clean a bamboo cutting board, hand wash it with warm water and a gentle dish soap. After washing, let it airdry completely.
Pros
- Personalized name
- Pretty filigree design
- Perfect size
Cons
- Cannot be put in the dishwasher
Engraved Bamboo Cutting Board: Best for All Occasions
About
This is a smaller bamboo cutting board with its dimensions being 8” X 12”. The quote on this cutting board says, “Home Sweet Home.” Though you can’t personalize this board like some of the other ones, the simple yet sweet quote makes it a great gift for everywhere.
- Material-Bamboo
- Price Range-$25-$35
- Warranty-Please contact seller directly
- Best Feature-The quote makes this a great gift for any occasion
Care
Be sure to seal bamboo with mineral oil or beeswax every month so it maintains its strength and beauty. Always hand wash this board and let it airdry.
Pros
- Friendly, loving quote
- Great cutting board material
- Compact size
Cons
- No handle for serving and hanging
Mother’s Gift-Inspired Unconditional Love Forever in My Heart Poem Design Bamboo Cutting Board: Best for Moms
About
This is a bamboo cutting board with a sweet, loving message to mothers wood burned into it. Its dimensions are 11” X 13.5”, making it perfectly sized for chopping food and charcuterie displays.
- Material-Bamboo
- Price Range-$25-$45
- Warranty-Please contact seller directly
- Best Feature-Quote for moms
Care
Since this wood burned cutting board is made from bamboo, always handwash it directly when you’re done using it. Never put this cutting board in the dishwasher.
Pros
- Great present for moms
- Pretty lettering and heart design
- Bamboo is an ideal cutting board material
Cons
- The words can’t be customized
Custom Catch Personalized Cutting Board: Best for Price
About
This bamboo cutting board is both customizable and the least expensive on the list. For the price, this 8.5” X 11” cutting board is a pretty amazing deal. You get to choose which letter of the alphabet you want wood burned onto the board.
- Material-Bamboo
- Price Range-$15-$25
- Warranty-Please contact seller directly
- Best Feature-Great value for a low price
Care
To make sure your bamboo cutting board stays in top condition, never put it in the dishwasher. Always hand wash this board with a gentle dish soap and warm water. Let it airdry.
Pros
- Great cutting board material
- Customizable
- Pretty pattern around customizable letter
Cons
- Can’t cut lots of food at one time due to size
Monogrammed Custom Cutting Board: Best for Newlyweds
About
Remember when we said walnut wood is hard to do wood burning on? Well, with this walnut wood burned cutting board, it’s already done for you by professionals and turns out perfect! This is an ideal wedding gift, because you choose two names, a last name initial, and a date to have burned on the board.
- Material-Walnut wood
- Price Range-$25-$40
- Warranty-Please contact seller directly
- Best Feature-Customizable for newlyweds
Care
Walnut wood should always be hand washed with gentle soap and warm water. Use mineral oil or beeswax to seal the board every month.
Pros
- Walnut wood is a very strong material
- Lots of customizable elements
- Beautiful design
Cons
- No handle for serving or hanging
Personalized Cutting Board: Best for Customization
About
With this cutting board, you get to choose if you want it to be made with maple or walnut wood. Additionally, you get to choose 2 initials, a last name, and a date. This is another perfect gift for weddings, anniversaries, engagements, and more.
- Material-Maple or walnut wood
- Price Range-$20-$30
- Warranty-Please contact seller directly
- Best Feature-Customizable elements
Care
Both maple and walnut wood should be hand washed with warm water and mild dish soap. Let this cutting board airdry and never put it in the dishwasher.
Pros
- Many customizable elements
- Both hardwoods are great cutting board materials
- Inexpensive for the value
Cons
- No handle for serving or hanging
The Burning Conclusion
You’re officially an expert when it comes to wood burned cutting boards! You know what makes a great wood burned cutting board, how to care for one, and even how to make your own.