Photo courtesy of Foster Woodworks.
Clint Foster started selling his cutting boards through his Etsy shop, Foster Woodworking, in December 2017. “It was really just a hobby I was doing, and all of a sudden, I had a dozen or more boards laying around and thought, ‘What was I going to do with all of these?’ so I just thought I’d put them on Etsy, go to an art show or something and see what happens,” Foster said.
Longtime Chelsea resident Clint Foster said he’s had several clients and friends say they don’t even want to cut food on his handmade cutting boards, because of how beautifully designed they are.
“But that’s what it’s intended for,” Foster chuckled.
Foster, the man behind the small business and Etsy shop called Foster Woodworks, said it was only in the last three or so years that he began seriously making his one-of-a-kind cutting boards and wine and cheese trays.
“It was really just a hobby I was doing, and all of a sudden, I had a dozen or more boards laying around and thought, ‘What was I going to do with all of these?’ so I just thought I’d put them on Etsy, go to an art show or something and see what happens,” Foster said.
He officially created Foster Woodworks and began selling his boards online at the end of December 2017, as an extension of his hobby. At first, Foster said he began by researching other craftsmen and what they were doing, and then he started experimenting with different designs as he got more familiar with the art of woodworking.
“I’ve always been pretty hands-on with what I do. If something needs fixing, I’ve always done that. … I really wanted to see if I could make something that was a good quality,” Foster said. “It started off by just making several of them, and then I would give some to close friends for various reasons, provide a meaningful gift, something I spent a lot of time and energy on myself, instead of buying them something.”
Photo courtesy of Foster Woodworks.
One of Clint Foster’s finished cutting boards.
Foster said woodworking a cutting board for someone to have as a surprise gift was a way for him to show people love or that they meant a lot to him and had an impact on his life. It also gave him the opportunity to work with his kids and teach them about woodworking. His son, in particular, has helped sand, glue and finish some of the boards he sells, since his daughter is busy right now getting ready for college.
His cutting boards are “heavy and stout,” he said, and are built to last as long as they get proper care. Whenever he sells a board, he provides information about what kind of wood is used and how to make sure it keeps its luster and lasts a long time.
“It’s just like any furniture you may have. You have to treat it from time to time and take care of it. … They’ll last for generations. It’ll be something that someone can pass down to a family member at some point in time, and say, ‘This was my mom’s cutting board or my dad’s or grandmother’s or what not.’”
So far, he’s made cutting boards, lazy Susan serving trays and some charcuterie boards. Foster said sometimes he tries to make specific designs for the boards based on something that inspired him, and sometimes he just tries out new variations of combining wood. All of his boards turn out different, he said.
Foster’s process of woodworking starts with obtaining the rough wood itself. Often, it will be a rough-cut log from the trunk of a tree that he takes to a sawmill and has it cut into smaller lengths. He then has to let those chunks of wood dry out for at least a year so the moisture level is conducive to woodworking.
For example, he currently has maple wood that he has let dry for about a year and a half that he will use for cutting boards soon. Other times, Foster said, he goes to some of his woodworker sources around the state and purchases dried wood. Recently, he’s been using a lot of black walnut that came from trees that were cleared in the 1970s from West Point Lake.
“That’s how I get my rough lumber. I’ve made contact with guys that have saw mills, and they may have different kinds of wood laying around, cherry or wye oak or red oak or different things like that,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Foster Woodworks.
Foster in the process of creating a cutting board. Foster said sometimes he tries to make specific designs for the boards based on something that inspired him, and sometimes he tries out new variations of combining wood.
When he makes cutting boards that are one solid piece of wood, he begins by rough-cutting them and running the wood through his planer to get the right depth. Then, he does some table saw work to cut off some of the edges and round the corners, he said, followed by sanding it down and applying finish to the wood.
He does a similar process with cutting boards made from multiple pieces of wood, except he glues them together beforehand. The finish is a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax that makes the board water-repellent, while bringing out the natural color of the wood pieces.
“When the wood is dry and rough and sanded, it doesn’t have that luster, its natural color, but once you put a mineral oil on it, it draws out its natural color,” Foster said.
The final step is to glue on the rubber feet. He also might add other accessories, one example being rustic holders to the sides of the wooden board so that people can easily maneuver it and use it as a wine and cheese tray.
Foster said each board can take a fair amount of time. If he were to work on a cutting board every day, it would probably take him about two weeks to finish one, along with additional time for the varnish to finish drying. Every time he sells a board, Foster said, he does a lot of messaging with customers to make sure they were completely satisfied with the quality of the board.
Even though he hasn’t had much time to sell at many craft shows or farmers markets, he hopes to do so in the future. The feedback he’s gotten from customers, friends and families so far, he said, has been positive.
To purchase a wooden cutting board, go to etsy.com/shop/FosterWoodworks.
