Order a Custom Cutting Board — Your Wood, Your Story

Yes — you can order a custom hardwood cutting board built to your own size, wood and inscription, made by hand in my one-person shop in Virden, Manitoba and shipped anywhere in Canada or the United States. Every custom board I build is end grain: the wood stands on end, so the knife edge parts the fibres instead of cutting across them. You pick the size, the wood, the features and the wording. I send you a plan to approve before I cut anything.

Boards that came out of this shop

None of these is a stock photo and none of them is the board you will receive — yours gets built to your own spec. They are here so you can see the actual work before you spend anything. Click any of them to see that board’s own page.

Walnut end grain, with a juice groove

Figured hardwood, juice groove

Contrasting border and finger notches

Round, basket-weave pattern

Purpleheart, chevron pattern

Accent strips, up close

Hard maple end grain, 20×12×2¼″

Side handles, routed into the ends

Feet, so both faces dry

Maple and walnut end grain, 18×12×1½″

Walnut end grain with a carved relief

Engraving, cut into walnut

End grain with a maple inlay

End grain, up close

What you choose

ConstructionEnd grain, always. It is the harder build and the better board.

SizeRectangles 12–21″ long by 8–21″ wide, or a round 12–21″ across. Thickness 1¼–2″. Bigger is quoted.

WoodPick one, or as many as you like. Three or more adds 10%.

FeaturesJuice groove, side handles, feet, edge profile. All included.

InscriptionUp to two lines, engraved. Add $45.

**Not sure?**Choose “help me choose” in the buy box and I will recommend a combination.

Sizes and prices

Build it in the box above — pick a length, a width and a thickness, choose your woods, and the price updates as you go. Anything from 12×8″ to 21×21″, or a round 12″ to 21″ across, in four thicknesses. A few common sizes, so you know roughly where you are landing:

Bigger than 21×21″, thicker than 2″, an unusual shape, an inlay, a logo, or a pattern you have drawn — that is a project rather than an order. Tell me what you are picturing and I will quote it.

Wood species I work in

• Black walnut — deep brown with chocolate streaks, classic and rich
• Hard maple — pale, clean, the timeless workhorse
• Cherry — warms and deepens to russet over years
• Black limba (korina) — golden cream with dark streaks, rare and showy
• Canarywood — yellow-orange tropical, vivid figure
• Curly maple, ash, ambrosia maple, padauk, zebrawood, purple heart — ask if you want something rarer; I will quote.

Engraving and inscription

Up to two lines, your wording. Names, dates, “From the family, est. 1987,” a single word — anything that fits. Add $45 — tick the inscription box in the buy box above and type your wording. I send you a layout to approve before anything is engraved, and nothing gets cut until you say go.

Why order from me

I am Jonathan, and I am the whole shop. I pick the lumber, cut it, glue it up, flatten it, sand it, finish it and pack it, here in Virden. There is no sales desk to hand you off to and no production floor behind me. When you email about your board, you are emailing the person building it.

That is the practical difference between a custom board from here and a personalised board from a bigger operation: you get to change your mind before I cut, and you get to come back to me in ten years when the board needs a refinish. Same person, both times.

What people say about boards from my shop

This page is new, so it carries no reviews of its own yet. These are real reviews left on other boards I have built — each one names the board it was written about.

“Beautiful craftsmanship, almost too nice that I did not want to use it for what it is intended for … but finally gathered up the courage to use it as a cutting board and not a conversation piece. The end grain holds up incredible! Highly recommended!”

Al · Citadel end grain board, maple and walnut

“I received this cutting board as a gift. WOW!!! The attention to detail from this manufacturer shows vs some of my other wood block cut charcuterie boards. The inlay is perfect! As is the finished edge of the black walnut. This has instantly become a treasured gift!”

Dave Snowdon · Walnut end grain butcher block

“Fabulous attention to detail. And perfection at picking quality wood! Beautiful design with no flaws. Can’t ask for better quality for the perfect gift!”

MJ · Walnut end grain butcher block

“Amazing job, incredible work, very happy with my board.”

Clinton Russell · Maple end grain butcher block

“More beautiful than I thought! My new board arrived quick and it looks amazing. I almost don’t want to use it because it’s so nice. Thank you!”

Jammerz · review left on the shop

How it works

1. Build it on this page. Pick your size, choose your wood, tick the features you want, and add an inscription if you want one. The price updates as you go.
2. Place your order. You will get an email confirming the build slot within 24 hours.
3. I confirm the details. I send you the plan — wood, layout, and the inscription if there is one — and I do not start cutting until you approve it. Not sure on wood? Pick “Not sure yet” and I will make a recommendation.
4. I build it. Three to four weeks for most boards. Add a week or two for engraving, and a little more again for a rare species.
5. It ships tracked, with a tin of Board Butter and a lifetime refinishing guarantee.

If you would rather talk it through before you spend anything, tell me what you are picturing — rough size, the kitchen it is for, a wood you like — and I will come back with a plan and a price. No payment and no account needed.

Timeline

Standard build: 3–4 weeks, counted from the day you approve the details rather than the day you order. Engraving adds 1–2 weeks. Rush builds are sometimes possible — email me if you need it faster and I will tell you straight away. For Christmas, order one-offs by mid-November.

Materials and care

Every custom build is finished with food-safe mineral oil and beeswax, and ships with a complimentary tin of Board Butter — my own conditioner blend, which is what I use on every piece I make.

Lifetime care guarantee: any board I make, I will re-oil and refinish on request. You ship it back, I make it right.

If something is not right

Because every board here is built to one person’s specification, I cannot resell it, so custom boards are not returnable for a change of mind. What I do guarantee: if your board arrives damaged, or it is not what we agreed on the approved plan, tell me and I will repair it, rebuild it or refund it. That is the reason I send you a plan to approve first — so there are no surprises when the box is opened.

Questions people ask

Is it end grain or edge grain? End grain, every time. That is the construction where the wood stands on end and the blade goes between the fibres instead of across them. It is more work to build and it is easier on your knives. Here is the longer explanation.

Can I have a juice groove, handles or feet? Yes, any combination, and they are included in the tier price. Tick them in the buy box.

What if I do not know which wood I want? Choose “Not sure yet — help me choose” in the buy box. Tell me what your kitchen looks like and what you cook, and I will suggest something.

Can I see the design before you build it? Yes, and you have to — I do not start cutting until you approve the plan.

Do you ship outside Canada? Canada and the United States, tracked. Canadian shipping is free over $300.

How do I look after it? Wipe it, do not soak it, do not put it in the dishwasher, and rub in a little Board Butter when it starts looking dry. The tin comes with the board.

Can you match a board I already own? Often, yes. Send me a photo through the planning form and I will tell you honestly whether I can get close.

Want to gift a custom board?

The shop gift card works for this — pick an amount, send it to whoever you like, and they bring it back here to start the conversation.