Basketball Cutting Board

A precision template set makes this project a slam dunk

- Jim Harrold

A cherry blank, commercially available wood balls, and dyed epoxy are the sum ingredients for a cutting board that sports lovers will crave during the NCAA March Madness and NBA playoffs. This iconic design, complete with grooved “seams,” offers fans a fitting place to slice and serve cheese and meats when knocking down game-time hungries. It’s made with a $35 laser-cut plywood template set (see the Buyer’s Guide, p. 70) that ensures accuracy and makes for efficient work when creating boards for family members, sports fan pals, or even an entire high-school team.

Apply the template and rout the grooves

Use a stable wood like cherry to minimize seasonal wood movement and warping. Properly air-dried riftsawn stock (where the annular rings run diagonally) is best. Edgeglue pieces to make up the necessary width. Thickness the blank to 11/16" and trim it to 111/2" square.

Tape the edges of the segment template to the blank, trace the ball’s perimeter on the wood, then affix the segments as shown. Remove the template surround, and ensure that the bushing runs smoothly through the groove channels between the segments. Rout the grooves as shown, then use denatured alcohol to ease the tape’s grip and pry up the segments.

Affix the segments. Temporarily adhere the template surround to the cherry blank with painter’s tape. Then affix the template segments with double-faced tape. Finally, remove the template surround in preparation for routing the grooves.