The homeowner in this project is also a great cook who wants to make a very solid chopping board that will not warp or move as she cuts. She also wants a design that facilitates scraping the chopped food into the bowl.

Decide on the design, dimensions and materials for your cutting board and assemble the required tools and materials.

You will be using several power tools, so be sure to wear safety glasses. Use a facemask when you sand the project.

Cut three 17-inch lengths of 2-inch thick clear maple on the miter saw. These are straight cuts--not miter cuts.

Alternate the wood grain by flipping the middle board over so that its grain runs counter to the outer two boards.

Apply wood glue to the edges of the boards where they will join.

Clamp them together while the glue dries.

Use a belt sander to flatten the surface so there is no noticeable ridge/transition from board to board. First, move the belt sander in a diagonal motion across the boards. Once the transition is smooth, then sand with the grain along the length of the boards.

Switch to a random orbit sander and to progressively finer grades of sand paper until the surface has no discernable texture. Random orbit sanders are faster and produce a finer finish that regular orbital sanders, using a dual action of a rotating sanding disk and an elliptical movement of the sanding platform.

Trim one end of the cutting board on a table saw. Place the cutting board in a wooden cradle that holds the wood steady as you slide it into the saw blade. Cut only a thin strip off the end, to smooth the edges of the three boards that you glued together. Establish which side of the cutting board will be the top—possibly by selecting the surface with the more attractive wood grain.

Flip the board so the bottom side faces upward and draw a semicircle at the unfinished end with a compass and pencil. This represents the cutline for a large notch/scallop that will facilitate scrapping the food from the board into a bowl.

Pass the board through the band saw and cut along the scallop tracing.

Add a drum sander to your drill press and smooth away any saw marks along the curved vertical edge of the scallop.

Install a rabbeting bit with ball bearing guides on your router. This bit will cut a recess into the bottom edge of the scallop while leaving a collar of wood on the top surface.

Turn the board bottom side up and route along the edge of the scallop to form the rabbet/recess. The recess will enable a bowl of a particular dimension to slide into the board without gaps and catch the food.

Drill four leg sockets in the bottom of the cutting board using a drill press. Do not drill all the way through the board. Locate a socket at each corner on the flat end of the board about ½ inch off the long and the short side. Align the other two about ½ inch from the long side of the board, but inset them about 2 inches from the short side to provide clearance for the scallop and recess.

Coat the interior of the leg sockets with glue.

Tap in short pieces of wooden down for the legs. Ensure that the dowels are of identical length and tap them in to the same depth so that the board will stand levelly on them.

Add a mineral oil coating to protect the board from food and liquids. We use mineral oil, which is both inert and non-toxic and will not turn rancid as a vegetable oil might.

Sand the mineral oil into the board using No. 400 wet and dry sandpaper.