A little bit more about our American Flag Cutting Board

I've long had a fascination with the American Flag, and I own about 20 or so of them myself, so I feel as though this piece is long overdue!  I actually used to carry one in my wallet, folded up in classic military style.  The design is a new territory for us as its design is based on a symbol as opposed to our usual "structure informs design" motif as seen with our Brick and Mortar Boards inspired from historic Brownstones.  When choosing the coloration, we wanted to select woods that reflected an older, or weather worn flag.  Something that stood the test of time.  Something that embodies the Star-Spangled Banner and its line "Our Flag Was Still There."  This notion of endurance was extended to this future heirloom to ensure that your American Flag Cutting Board would last generations.

While the first American Flag Board was end grain to help distinguish it a little bit more from what was more commonly seen out on the web, featuring more imported hardwoods like Purpleheart and Padouk (they're still FSC certified though, aka sustainably forested).  In terms of determining waste and production, the end grain is a bit wasteful and tricky to just make every now and then.  That's why I decided to make a long grain version, which I've actually come to prefer far more (that's just me though).  When choosing woods, I thought it make more sense to select domestic woods to make it American-made through and through.  Maybe we could call it Roots-to-Hands? Maybe not.  The first few long grain versions had flat sides.  I wanted to add a bevel or something to the edges, but it cut off the stripes on the top and bottom when you looked at them from certain angles, making it seem like a mistake.  Fortunately, I found the edge for the boards, which they have now.  The eye picks up on the curvature of the sides, so even though it may appear that those stripes are thinner, the mind can kind of pick up the slope.  What I really love about those though is that they are a pleasure to pick up and really fit well into your hands.  Lastly, the choice to keep it starless.  I am typically not one for cutting corners (the only corners we cut are corners, har har) but the stars were proving to be a difficult part to produce--which is another huge reason why I decided to not make this board for years.  While sifting through some college projects though, i found an old stamp I had made to serve as my signature.  It was an American Flag that featured no stars.  Given that, I thought it was actually quite fitting to make the board without the stars.