“A Thin Red Line” Walnut End grain cutting board

This board was built for a firefighter in the San Francisco Bay Area. His wife brought the concept to us. The design is built around the Thin Red Line — a symbol of solidarity with the fire service and a nod to the courage and sacrifice of firefighters everywhere.

The heartwood and sapwood were deliberately arranged to mimic the flicker of flame above the red line. The walnut had natural voids in it. Rather than work around them, we filled each one with a dense mixture of wood glue and dark walnut sawdust. The result looks like sparks caught mid air above the line.

Sometimes the wood tells you what it wants to be. This one knew exactly what it was.