What is the best wood for a cutting board?

A hard, fine-grained wood that stands up to the blade and cleans well: beech, maple, ash, walnut, cherry or hornbeam. Soft woods mark quickly. All my boards combine several of these local species, in end grain.

What size should a cutting board be?

For everyday use, a board about 40 cm long by 28 to 30 cm wide, and nearly 4 cm thick for stability. For bread, cheese or aperitifs, a smaller or longer board is enough. The exact dimensions are given on each product page.

End grain or long grain?

End grain shows the fibres upright: the blade slips between them and the wood closes up, the knife stays sharp and the board lasts ten to twenty years. Long grain marks more quickly, dulls blades more and lasts three to five years. All my boards are end grain.

Is a wooden board hygienic?

Yes. Unlike plastic, wood does not let bacteria multiply in its scratches. After use, wash it by hand in lukewarm water with soap, wipe it and leave it to dry upright: it is standing moisture that you need to avoid.

How do you care for a wooden cutting board?

Wash by hand, dry upright, feed with a plant oil or a beeswax balm, on average once a month. Never in the dishwasher, never soaked. If the surface turns pale or rough, a coat of oil brings it back to life.

Are your boards made in France?

Yes, each one is made by hand in my workshop in Dambach-la-Ville, in Alsace, from wood from French forests. I am a master craftsman, and each board is a unique piece, with its own reference.

Handmade in Alsace

Wooden cutting board, handmade in Alsace

A wooden cutting board, when it is well made, lasts for years and keeps your knives sharp. Each board is made by hand, in end grain, from local wood species: every one is a unique piece.

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Why end grain

10 to 20 years of life, with care
6 local wood species
1 copy of each board

Unique piecesLocal woodHandmade in AlsaceMaster craftsman

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Why wood

The material of the cutting board, since time immemorial

Wood has always been the material of the cutting board, and that is no accident. It cushions the impact of the blade and preserves the edge of your knives, where glass or stone dull them quickly. It is naturally healthy: its fibres trap bacteria and stop them from multiplying on the surface.

Above all, a wooden board can be repaired. Scratched, it can be sanded; dry, it takes a little oil; and it is good for years more. Well cared for, an end-grain board lasts ten to twenty years. It is also an object you enjoy putting on the table.

Knives stay sharp

Your knives hold their edge longer.
A healthy surface

A naturally healthy surface, easy to care for.
Repairable, not disposable

A durable, repairable object that takes on a patina instead of wearing out.

Two DS Wood end-grain cutting boards, made from several local wood species

Wood or plastic

Wood or plastic: which board is healthier?

Plastic

Wood

PlasticOver time, blades cut grooves that are hard to clean, even in the dishwasher.

WoodIt does not let bacteria multiply in its scratches.

PlasticEvery cut releases microplastics.

WoodIt can be sanded when it gets marked.

PlasticA scratched board ends up in the bin.

WoodWell cared for, it lasts for years.

A handcrafted board costs more to buy, but how many plastic boards do you buy in ten years? Over time, wood wins, for your health as well as for the planet.

Read: natural wood or plastic

Long grain or end grain?

The two ways to make a wooden board

On a classic board, known as long grain, the fibres lie flat: the blade cuts through them, the surface gets marked, the edge of the knife dulls. On an end-grain board, the fibres stand upright, perpendicular to the surface. The blade slips between them, the wood closes up behind it, and the board stays smooth for much longer.

Long grain End grain

Fibre orientation Horizontal, lying flat Vertical, upright

Knife wear Blades dull quickly Blades preserved

Impact resistance Average Excellent

Durability 3 to 5 years 10 to 20 years, with care

Appearance Linear Checkerboards, contrasts, textures

This is the technique of butcher's blocks and professional kitchens. All my boards are made this way: strips of several wood species, assembled, turned, then glued so that every square of the checkerboard shows the end of the wood.

All about end grain

The formats

Which cutting board for which use?

Each format serves a purpose. All are end grain, all are unique.

The plain board

The everyday format: vegetables, meat, bread. Around 40 cm long and nearly 4 cm thick, it stays steady on the worktop.
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The juice groove board

For the Sunday roast or meat that releases its juices: the groove catches everything, the table stays clean. With a catch tray on some models.
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The small board

Around 30 cm: for a small worktop, a quick cut, bread or cheese.
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The board with handle

For bread, cheese or serving: pick it up with one hand and set it down in the middle of the table.
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The tapas board

Long and narrow, it runs across the table for aperitifs and charcuterie.
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The palette and drop boards

Free-form shapes, for serving as much as for cutting: cheese, fruit, aperitifs.
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All the available pieces are online, with their exact dimensions: choose the format, then the pattern you like.

The wood species

Which wood for a cutting board?

My wood comes from French forests: local species, assembled in end grain, with exclusively natural finishes, organic plant oils and beeswax.

Black walnut

The darkest of my woods: it draws the stripes and the dark squares of the checkerboard, and adds contrast.
Beech

Light, dense and even: the base of most of my boards. A kitchen wood par excellence.
Ash

Light as well, with a strong grain that shows in the end grain. Solid and lively.
Cherry

Pinkish to russet, it darkens over time: it gives the checkerboard its warm tones.
Maple

Very light and fine-grained: it brightens a board and makes the dark woods stand out.
Hornbeam

A hard, light wood that I use in touches in some small boards and drop boards.

For a cutting board, you want a hard, fine-grained wood that stands up to the blade and cleans well: these species are just that. By combining them, I play on their colours to draw the checkerboard, so that no two boards look alike.

Prices

How much does a wooden cutting board cost?

approx. €60 board with handle
approx. €80 small board
approx. €145 plain board
€155 to €185 juice groove board

Each product page shows the exact price of the piece.

A handcrafted end-grain board costs more than a mass-produced one, and that is to be expected: each piece is cut, assembled square by square, glued, sanded, dipped in an oil bath and then fed with balm, by hand, one by one. It also lasts much longer: ten to twenty years, compared with three to five years for a long-grain board.

See the boards and their prices

Three DS Wood end-grain pieces: board with handle, board and round palette

The workshop

A handcrafted board in solid wood, made in France

Every board comes out of my workshop in Dambach-la-Ville, in Alsace. I choose the wood, cut it, assemble the strips, turn them to get the end grain, glue, sand. Before it leaves, the board is dipped in a plant oil bath, then, once dry, it receives my balm applied warm: organic plant oils and beeswax, nothing industrial.

I am a master craftsman, and renowned chefs work on my boards. No two boards are alike: the wood species, the pattern and the format change every time. Once a board is sold, it is gone.

See how a board is made

Boards available today (32)

unique pieces in stock

Drop Board 26-04 — End grain

Assembly of 5 local wood species with natural finishes. Size: 38 × 19 × 3 cm

HandcraftedLocal woodNatural finish

76€

One of a kind

Mini Drop Board 26-02 — End grain

Assembly of 5 local wood species with natural finishes. Size: 32.5 × 17.5 × 3 cm

HandcraftedLocal woodNatural finish

59€

One of a kind