This was the first cutting board I ever made — a birthday gift for my mom — and it ended up launching me into a whole new world of woodworking. I used purpleheart, oak, and lignum vitae, all sourced from a local woodshop. After squaring the pieces on a belt sander, I glued them together and added a small juice groove using a router. At the time, it was my first attempt at both edge-gluing and routing, and it sparked a lasting love for the craft.