Turn a Fail into a Feature

In a previous Instructables, it details how to make wooden cutting boards out of maple and cherry scrap materials that would have been discarded. They easily turned these fails into features. Beautiful and high quality, they're made from salvaged materials and have been re-purposed in designer homes. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

After a piece of wood is cut and sanded, the skill is in picking out the right oils to nourish the wood and keep it from warping. Canola oil, sunflower seed oil, and olive oil all work well. A good guide is to use what you would use for cooking, but nut oils can go rancid over time. With hardwoods, they need a re-oiling once in a awhile to maintain their natural glow and protect it. The point of the coat of oil is to protect and nourish the wood as some soft woods will turn black when cut (oak as example; the wood has acids in which react and turn black with water). You can still sand off the black marks, but it means the board doesn't look good for very long. A harder wood like beech will look better longer. Another way to make cutting boards is with a wainy edge (with bark still on) and larger hardwood like maple, oak and cherry boards and they make lovely gifts.

There are many different wood that can be used to make a board with a natural wood finish. Bamboo and cork are among other wood finishes, and they can be cut into a variety of shapes. All they need is a light sanding with a bit of mineral oils and they are good to go. I think making these wood cutting boards out of a mistake or discarded piece of wood is a great idea, and if you want to see more ways to turn a fail into a feature, follow the Instructables link below!