EMBER WOODWORKS · THE EDGE OF THE FORGE
The forge cuts wood now.
Ember Woodworks is the hardwood line of the forge: end-grain cutting boards in maple, cherry, white oak, and hickory, carved on hand-tuned blade paths across a 4 by 4 foot bed. Pattern the field, carve your name, or set a licensed artwork inlay in contrasting wood. Design yours in 3D and we build exactly what you see.
Boards from $98 — most land between $150 and $300, priced live as you design.
Every board is a 3 to 4 week build: two full glue-up cures, flattening, the carve, and a deep oil soak. Zero shortcuts.You approve a carve proof after you buy, before we cut. Shopping for a date? Tell us in the notes and we'll confirm we can hit it.
Built the honest way.
An end-grain board is made twice. Strips of hardwood are glued into a panel, the panel is crosscut into slices, and the slices are turned ninety degrees and glued again, so your knife meets the ends of the fibers, not their sides. The fibers part and close back. The board heals. The edge stays sharp.
Designed by you
The 3D builder is the real glue-up plan. Every cell you place is a strip we rip and glue. Nothing is a stock photo; the preview is the build sheet.
Proofed before cutting
The builder prices your board live, so you buy at the number on screen. Then we send a carve proof: spelling, layout, woods. You approve it, then the machine starts. Never before.
Finished for food
Food-safe, FDA-compliant waterproof wood adhesive. A deep soak of food-grade mineral oil, then board butter. A printed care card ships in every box.
The rack
Closed-grain hardwoods only.
Every species on the rack is kitchen-safe: tight-pored, food-friendly, and proven on working boards. Open-grain woods never make the cut. Woods marked order-in are purchased fresh for your board after you pay, which adds about a week and means your money buys your lumber, not warehouse stock.
Hard Maple
on the rackJANKA 1450 · from $163
The classic butcher block wood. Pale, tight grain, takes a knife edge kindly.
Cherry
on the rackJANKA 950 · from $171
Warm reddish brown that deepens with age and sunlight.
White Oak
on the rackJANKA 1360 · from $180
Golden tan with bold ray figure. Closed-grain, unlike red oak, so it belongs in a kitchen.
Hickory
on the rackJANKA 1820 · from $155
The toughest wood on the rack, with dramatic light-to-dark contrast in every strip.
Poplar
on the rackJANKA 540 · from $98
Light, budget-friendly, with an olive cast. Softer: best for serving and charcuterie, not daily chopping.
Black Walnut
order-inJANKA 1010 · from $220
Deep chocolate brown. The premium board wood, and the best canvas for light inlays.
Purpleheart
accentorder-inJANKA 2520 · accent stripe
Naturally violet, extremely hard. An accent stripe that reads as intentional luxury.
Padauk
accentorder-inJANKA 1970 · accent stripe
Vivid orange-red straight off the saw. The ember of the wood rack.
“From” is a single-wood Daily board (12"×16", 1.5" thick, plain strips). Price scales with size, pattern, personalization, and feet — the builder totals it live.
Beyond the boards
Full 3D relief carving.
The machinery that cuts boards also carves sculpture. This dragon went from reference photos to a three-dimensional relief model to finished blade paths: a roughing pass, then finishing passes down to a 1/64 inch tip. Wall art, plaques, and commission pieces ride the same hand-checked pipeline as everything else in the forge.
Commissions are open. Bring a picture, a mark, a memory; we cut the path from what you bring. No engineering drawings, no trademarked art.
Start with a board