Carved cutting board
Today’s project is a cutting board shaped like Taiwan. Not the most ergonomic shape, but it was the current request.
Ripping the maple
I have a pile of hard maple and my friend gave me some unidentified red colored wood for a stripe in the center. After planing down the wood, I believe it to be Honduran mahogany.
Ripping the mahogany
After I ripped the boards to the desired size, I planed and jointed them.
Planing and jointing
Applying water proof wood glue
I am using Titebond II outdoor rated wood glue to assemble the boards. Since the cutting board will get washed often, you need a glue that will hold up to water.
Clamped up
I clamped the boards together and let them set up while I grabbed dinner. Once they sat long enough, (about an hour) I planed the composite board down to about 7/8″ thick.
Planed down
First outline cut
I created a program for my CNC router and ran it. Each board takes nearly an hour to cut out. I even had it rout a small chamfer on the top side.
Small chamfer added to the top
Cutting out the tabs
I left three small tabs holding the board together for the carve. I cut them and filed down the nubs. Next I clamped the boards in a vise and ran my buff sander over them to remove all of the fuzzy bits that the carver left behind.
Eliminating the fuzzy bits
First one complete
Here is what they look like complete.
First run successful
Next step will be to apply about three coats of mineral oil, and my friend will have some fully functional cutting boards.
Midnight Woodworking 
Hi. I do not know where I could put a specific question, therefore (because you speak about Mahogany) I ask here. Sorry if inappropriate.
I just realized a CNC sculpture on this wonderful wood and I am amazed; there is no need for any further sanding etc. Everything is perfect!
My question concerns the best wood protection for Mahogany. What do you think will be the best? Because this kind of wood is so great looking and with such a nice texture, I think about something colorless and mate; what do you think? Thank you for your kind advice.
That is a tricky question Paul. It depends on the amount of use and exposure your project is exposed to. For cutting boards you would use food grade oils like mineral oil, possibly mixed with bee’s wax. But, I am assuming that you are referring to a carve that you may display. I think the best option for protecting the wood without affecting the color would be to use a water-based polyurethane. The oil-based finishes tend to darken the wood. To see an example, look at my maple and walnut blanket chests. They were finished with Minwax water based polyurethane.
https://midnightwoodworking.com/2013/11/08/maple-and-walnut-blanket-chests-day-10-complete/
I hope this helps.
Thank you for your kind answer; I will let you know the results.