Gusty Crosswinds: DIY Corian Cutting Boards

I bought this chunk of Corian at a counter top shop nearby. It measured 21" by 27", and cost me $20 cash, not sure if I got a good or bad deal but it fit my budget. Corian is an engineered material by DuPont, and to my knowledge makes a good cutting board. I have a large oval Corian block that is about an inch thick and could be used itself as a weapon.

I ended up getting 3 cutting boards and a little scrap. I had never worked Corian before, but it does so much like very uniform hardwood.

Initial design drawn on rough side of cutting board

The handle of each board is a letter J, this is a gift for a cousin with first initial J. So the concept is custom monogrammed boards. I got a little carried away and put a quasi wrought iron swirl into the pattern. I drew the patterns on the non finished side of the board.

Holes first for alignment, then jigsawed remaining material.

After using a compass to make the rounds, I punched the centers to line up the hole saw. I started on the handle first, before cutting the length, so if I botched the handle I could cut it off and start over. A centering hole was drilled and also one on the inside radius of where the handle meets the board. The hole saw was next. A jig saw with a thin scroll saw blade was used to cut the inside of the handle and the excess material on the outside. I then used the round carving bit on a Dremel groove to outline the handle and outside of the board. If i did it again, I would router the grove before cutting out the hole so you can use a compass jig and the centering hole. The other carving and sanding bits where used on the Dremel to round and shape the swirl and edges. All of the surfaces and edges the user could touch where hand sanded with 120 to 220 grit paper.