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Koru Cutting Board

Koru is Māori for "loop" or coil. It is based on an unfurling fern, a common motive for traditional wooden carvings and tattoos. Said to represent growth, the inward spiral characterizing a return to a central point.

I made this cutting board as a late birthday gift for my Mom.

A koru in the Azores.

Specifications

Dimensions: 297 x 232 x 50 mm

(W x D x H)

Material: End grain walnut, Brass

Weight: 3 kg

Finish: Mineral oil / beeswax

How I made it

I started off by chopping 37 x 37 mm walnut into 40 mm long pieces.

Then I had to figure out how the pattern should be.

This is the final pattern I decided on.

I glued the pieces together.

Then took it over to the CNC.

First I faced both sides flat.

Then I roughed out the pattern.

This is how the cutting board looks after roughing.

Then I did a final finishing pass.

The best part — oiling the board.
I use a mix of food-grade mineral oil and beeswax

The final result

CAD model

You can find a model of the cutting board below. You should also be able to see the cam operations.

Tools I used

01/

Woodworking

Not that much to say. The board is a simple wood working project.

02/

CNC milling

While it would be possible to make the board with only hand tools it would have been much harder.

Things I learnt

01/

CAD / ART

The board combines traditional solid modeling with aesthetic elements.

02/

End grain cutting boards

This is the first end grain cutting board I made.