Since I BBQ multiple times a week, one thing that I’ve come to appreciate is a good cutting board. I’d been using a generic cutting board I bought from Walmart and I knew I’d beaten the crap out of it when I noticed the wood splitting apart along the connected pieces. My time for wanting a new cutting board became a necessity and since I am using my board for prepping, slicing, and presenting, I decided to splurge and look into buying a solid, beautiful and unique cutting board.
Through my Instagram account (@learningtosmoke), I found a custom board maker out of Austin, TX called Flying Dust Woodworks (IG: @flyingdustwoodworks). I sent a DM and quickly got a response from David, the owner. I gave him the dimensions and told him which colors I wanted incorporated into the board and quickly received a quote. After agreeing to the price and paying in advance, David got to work on the board. The quality of the customer service provided was top notch. Very transparent: sent me updates every couple of days on the board’s progress, when it shipped and even when he was notified it was delivered. I’ve also had questions since receiving my board and he has been available to help. Customer service definitely adds value to a product.
After a few uses, the board started to lose its color because it was drying out after each wash. To give more background, I live in a high elevation area and have hard water here, which doesn’t help.
Thankfully, David informed me of some board conditioner you can buy at the hardware store to help keep its original color and quality. It was easy to apply and looks great again.
If you follow me on Instagram, then you will have noticed this board when I display some of my BBQ. It makes for beautiful presentation and something that will hold up for a long time.
Here are my pros and cons for this cutting board:
Pros
- Thick, sturdy feel (1.5 inches thick)
- Variety of quality woods: walnut, cherry, hard maple, and a couple of woods I haven’t heard of before: padauk and yellow heart
- Colorful presentation of natural woods
- Can probably be used in lieu of a folding chair in a bar fight
- Made to the exact dimensions and looks I wanted
- Customer service
- Flat-out beautiful!
Cons
- Cost for custom board can be high
- Board dries out (but can be easily conditioned as mentioned above)
Conclusion
I love this board. I consider it a piece of art that I only use for special cuts of meat, such brisket and ribeye cap. It was by far the most I’ve spent on a cutting board but I absolutely love it and I look forward to ordering another one soon. I highly recommend each of you get a custom board and if you need an idea of where to go, email David at [email protected].
