Day Tripper Cutting & Charcuterie Board

Day Tripper Cutting & Charcuterie Board 🌀🪵✨

Wavy? Check. Checkered? Check. A little disorienting if you stare at it too long? Check. This board checked ALL my boxes. 🌀✔️

When I first started making these, checkerboard patterns were having a MOMENT! And I was fully on board. I wanted everything checkered. I wanted everything wiggly. So a wiggly checkerboard? WOW. It scratched an itch.

The woodworking technique itself is commonly known as a “drunken cutting board.” I definitely did not invent it. But of course, I couldn't just call mine that, I'm different. 😂  I started calling them Day Trippers, developed my own specific way of making the pattern, and I've been making them that way ever since.

At this point, after making around 750 of them, I feel like you can spot a Handy Dandy Day Tripper when you see one. 🌀✨

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE ✦

The first Day Tripper I made was walnut and maple—dark, high contrast, classic checkerboard.

After I posted it, a friend asked if I could make her a lighter version.

Sure!

I swapped the dark walnut for birch (I now use cherry) and suddenly I had two versions sitting in front of me.

My Day Trippers were chic. They were ladies. And once I had the dark and light versions next to each other, they were obviously Brunette and Blonde.

🤎 Brunette — Maple + Walnut
💛 Blonde — Maple + Cherry

And then the lightbulb went off.

WAIT. I HAVE RED AND ORANGE LUMBER.

❤️ REDHEAD.

Mahogany + Padauk.

It all clicked.

And that's how one wiggly checkerboard turned into a whole girl gang.

PICK YOUR DAY TRIPPER ✦

🤎 BRUNETTE — Maple + Walnut
The original! Light maple against rich, dark walnut for the highest-contrast version of the bunch.

💛 BLONDE — Maple + Cherry
A lighter, warmer version made from creamy maple and naturally golden-reddish cherry.

❤️ REDHEAD — Mahogany + Padauk
Warm mahogany paired with naturally vibrant red-orange padauk. Bold, warm, and absolutely beautiful.

No paint. No stain. Those colors come straight from the trees. 🌳✨

THE DETAILS ✦

✦ Approx. 10" × 13"
✦ Choose from Brunette, Blonde or Redhead
✦ Made entirely from naturally colorful hardwoods
✦ No paint or stain!
✦ Each pattern is completely unique
✦ Fully functional cutting & serving board
✦ Great for chopping, serving, charcuterie & display
✦ Optional juice groove
✦ Optional custom laser engraving
✦ Finished with a food-safe natural finish
✦ Designed and made by me in Long Beach, California

NO TWO ARE THE SAME ✦

This is one of my favorite parts of making Day Trippers.

I have a specific process I follow every single time, but I can't completely control where all those wiggles are going to land.

As the pattern gets cut apart, glued back together and shaped, it creates a completely unique checkerboard every time.

Technically, each board has one inverted twin created during the process—but otherwise, your exact arrangement of wiggles belongs to your board. 🌀🪵

After making more than 750 of these things, I still get a different pattern every time.

THE BOARD THAT JUST... KEPT GOING ✦

I had no idea when I posted that first Brunette that this would become my bestselling cutting board.

But people still LOVE it.

There's something ridiculously satisfying about the pattern. Your brain knows what a checkerboard is supposed to look like, and then all those straight little squares start wiggling around and if you haven't seen the process video, your mind explodes trying to figure it out.

It’s orderly and chaotic at the same time.

YES, YOU CAN ACTUALLY CUT ON IT ✦

Day Tripper may look like countertop art, but she's a real hardwood cutting board. 🔪🪵

Use her for everyday prep, chopping and serving, or load her up with cheese, fruit, crackers and snacks for a charcuterie spread.

You can also add an optional juice groove if you want a little extra help catching liquids while you're cutting and serving.

And when you're finished, prop her up on the counter. Those wiggles deserve some airtime. 🌀

A LITTLE NOTE ABOUT REDHEAD ❤️

Redhead gets her incredible red-orange coloring naturally from padauk.

Fresh padauk can occasionally release a little of its natural red pigment when exposed to moisture, so don't panic if you ever notice some reddish color on a damp towel.

Keeping your board properly conditioned with cutting board oil and wax helps repel moisture and minimize color transfer.

Padauk will also naturally deepen over time from its bright red-orange color into a richer reddish-brown. That's completely normal and part of the way the wood ages. ❤️🪵

MAKE IT YOUR OWN ✦

Add optional custom laser engraving to make your Day Tripper even more personal. Add a name, date, message, inside joke, or something completely your own to the back. 🎁✨

Between your choice of woods, the naturally unique wavy pattern, and optional engraving, your Day Tripper really is yours.

MADE TO ORDER ✦

Each Day Tripper is made by me, Brandy! Most items are made to order, so please allow 2–3 weeks for me to create yours. If I already have one in stock, I'll ship it right away.

CARE ✦

Hand wash with mild soap and lukewarm water and dry thoroughly. DO NOT put your Day Tripper in the dishwasher or leave it soaking in the sink. Water and wood do not mesh!

Store your board on its side so air can circulate around it. Re-oil as needed with a food-safe cutting board oil and wax to help repel moisture, condition the wood, and keep those hardwood colors looking their best. 🪵✨

PLEASE READ!