Cutting Board Thank You Gift

My wife, Jen and I were recently married in a beautiful park in Manotick, Ontario, Canada (we’re from Ottawa). I wanted to make something for my parents as a thank you for all their help. When I saw the sorry state of their flexible cutting mat I knew exactly what to make. I found a picture of a great end grain cutting board online and adapted it slightly. I used maple for most of it, jatoba for the vertical loop, walnut for the horizontal one and cherry for the square and corners. I routed a juice groove on one side and handles on the edges. I finished it with three coats of General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish and two coats of salad bowl wax. The only problem I had was the lack of a drum sander, luckily my local lumber yard has one. It cost me $30 to get them to thickness it for me. It took me about 2 months working a couple of hours every other night after work. My mom says she likes it so much she doesn’t want to use it… duh!!! Hope you enjoy the pics.