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Nowadays I see that most cutting boards sold are made up of several pieces of wood that are stuck together with wood glue. I'm not so sure of the safety of the wood glue that is used as most of the ones sold in my country are manufactured in China and not subject to FDA approval: Safety of glues in wooden chopping boards

I noticed that most cheeseboards sold are however made from one piece of solid wood.

Would I be able to purchase a cheeseboard and convert it to a cutting board instead?

This blog post shows people how to create cutting boards from pieces of wood that can be purchased from a hardware store and glue it together to create the final product. The cutting board is then rubbed several layers of mineral oil, walnut oil or beeswax to protect it and allowed to dry overnight.

Would it not be the same to purchase a cheeseboard that is already cut to an appropriate size and then just rub it with several layers of mineral oil, walnut oil or beeswax to protect it? Are there any disadvantages to doing taking a protected cheeseboard and using it as a cutting board?

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  • You might consider getting a plastic cutting board. They have the advantage of being able to clean them by throwing them in the dishwasher.
    – Ross Ridge
    Commented Jan 9, 2017 at 0:10
  • Plastic boards come with their own set of advantages (dishwasher safe) and disadvantages (can be just as chemically unsafe as glue if off brand. can be too light/thin. can be bad on your knives).
    – rackandboneman
    Commented Jan 9, 2017 at 9:58
  • Not to mention that a study done over 20 years ago now showed that when researchers spread bacteria on wood and plastic cutting boards, the bacteria multiplied on the latter and vanished on the former. Wood is better and safer, not to mention possible toxins in various kinds of plastic.
    – Lowell Montgomery
    Commented Apr 10, 2018 at 16:44

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You certainly can use a "cheese board" or other single-slab piece of suitable wood as a chopping board.

What you might want to consider is that there is a reason why even expensive, good-quality chopping boards are made from multiple pieces instead of one big slab:
Wood can warp and / or develop cracks if exposed to changes in humidity or when drying out. Using multiple pieces glued together in alternating directions counters that effect to some degree. This does not mean that your one-piece idea won't work, but that you should take good care of the board and avoid long exposure to water (don't soak it) or dry heat. Keep it well-oiled, clean and towel dry it immediately after use and leave it in a well-ventilated area between uses.

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I don't see any downsides to this, other than the cost and time spent might be higher than if you just bought a quality wood cutting board to begin with. An alternative would be to find a quality woodworker online and buy directly from them, Amazon, etc. You can verify with the seller they use food safe wood glue before purchasing.

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  • Hi Caleb, from my research, I just need to rub coconut oil on the board and let it sit overnight. Are there any other cost or time that I need to be aware of before I do the conversion?
    – Simon
    Commented Jan 9, 2017 at 10:10
  • @Simon - Coconut oil can go rancid with time and impart unpleasant flavors. Pure mineral oil is food safe and will not spoil.
    – RI Swamp Yankee
    Commented Jan 10, 2017 at 19:18

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