Our "old" kitchen (shown in its stunning glory in the first picture below) featured a cutting board built into the counter between the sink and the cook tops. It was handy for prep work, but difficult to keep clean since it was not "removable" in any easy sense of the word. Years of cooking grease from the previous owner was deeply embedded between the metal edging and the board. During the demolition for the kitchen renovation we undertook last summer, I saved that nice maple block for potential future use. Recycling has its place in what we do!
Last weekend, I took that old, greasy cutting board and rejuvinated it (with power tools...argh, argh, argh ...) so it could be put to use in the new kitchen as a prep board at the sink. It was redimentioned to fit in on the top of the undermount apron-front sink and now includes a walnut "thigh board" that one can use to hold it in place while working on it. No glue was used to fasten the walnut piece; just screws with appropriately elongated holes to allow for wood movement. The countersunk screw holes were filled with maple plugs before mineral oil was used to finish/refinish the whole piece. I would have liked to leave it a little wider, but this was the maxiumum I could fit through the FS350 and the drum sander wasn't yet on order...( )