Most wood products today come off an automated line overseas, cut from whatever is cheapest that week. Ours start somewhere very different: a pile of hardwood scraps in a small shop in Colorado Springs. Here's how those scraps become a board you can hand down.
1. It starts with rescued hardwood
Most of our boards are made from domestic, kiln-dried hardwood that's been ethically sourced from industrial production shop scraps. These are good pieces of maple, cherry, and walnut that another shop didn't need.
Giving that wood a second life is part of the point. It's also how we get to work with beautiful material without cutting down anything new.
2. Every piece gets studied
Before anything is cut, each piece of scrap is studied for its grain, color, and direction. Those three things decide where it goes in a board, and whether it belongs in one at all.
Grain direction matters for more than looks. Arranging pieces so their grain works together is what gives a finished board its strength and stability.
3. Many boards become one
The selected pieces are joined together and milled into a larger board. This is the step that makes our boards different.
A large board cut from a single slab tends to warp, twist, or cup as it moves with humidity over the years. A board built from many narrower pieces balances those forces against each other, so it stays flat and true. It's slower, but it makes a stronger, longer-lasting board.
4. Tracing the best shape
Once the combined board is milled, we use templates to trace each product onto it, placing every shape where the grain looks best. If a section doesn't meet our standards, it's set aside for other uses.
5. Shaped, then sanded by hand
Each piece is cut out, then sanded and finished by hand. Every rounded corner on our serving boards and trays feels the way it does because a person and a simple piece of sandpaper are responsible for the final shape.
That's also why no two boards are exactly alike. The edge you feel is the result of time and attention, not a machine setting.
6. The finish and the final details
Every board gets a food-safe, tung oil–based finish with a hard wax, which protects the wood and brings out its color. Cutting boards get a juice groove as standard, plus brass, copper, or stainless steel feet with silicone pads that won't harden or slip over time.
Made by a person, not a factory
Every Elbereth Woodcraft product is made by hand in Colorado Springs. It isn't the quickest or cheapest way to make a cutting board, but we think it's the better way.
See the results in our cutting boards, wine and cheese boards, and bourbon trays. And if you ever have a question, reach out. We'll respond quickly.