Custom Designed Inlayed Challah Board - Free Shipping

Challah boards are used every week. They remind us of many things, from G-d's sustenance in the wilderness to grandmother's freshly baked Challah bread. Often passed from generation to generation, the Challah board marks the beginning of every Shabbat and festival meal.

Custom Challah boards preserve a moment -- not as a photograph freezes an instant in time, but more as a monument captures the spirit of that time. Together we will make the design that shows your intention.

I use fine, expensive woods, and engraved them to tell your story. The most commonly requested combination is maple with an antique bronze inlay, The light wood contrasts nicely with the antique bronze-colored inlay. I also offer cherry and quarter-sawn oak as standard choices with some other species by special arrangement. I have a wide range of pigment colors for the inlay.

The size of each board is about 14 3/4"wide, 9 3/4" deep, and a solid 1" thick. The dimensions may vary slightly.

The photographs highlight some commissions.

We communicate with words and pictures. You can leave information with this order, and I will follow your instructions.  I most cases, it is better to contact me through the "Contact Maker" button.  We can discuss what you want.  I will do a trial design and send you a proof image of the artwork for your approval. Upon your approval, I will create a custom listing specifically for you. You purchase that item, and I will your custom Challah board and ship it to you or the recipient you choose.

Your Challah board will be finished with a beeswax/oil penetrating finish that brings out the depth of the grain. The finish is safe for food and is easily cared for. If you wish, I will apply a stain. If this is for display, I can apply a polyurethane satin gloss finish rather than the wax. I have no information about the specific food safety of the plastic inlay. It is the material often used to make paperweights and trophies. The California Proposition 65 warning applies.

The image is not just burned on. I engrave the image deeply into the surface and then fill the image with a catalyzed clear plastic resin containing the pigment color of your choice. I then polish both sides to a 10000-grit finish. When you touch the wood it feels rich and alive. The resin process creates 3D swirls and adds optical texture in the inlay. The photos show some examples.

Why does this matter? Because over years of use, the board will be scratched.  If you use a knife, cuts will inevitably dig into the board. With a burned-on pattern, sanding out the scratches also removes the image. With my boards, the inlay goes deep. Years after I'm gone, anyone with sandpaper and elbow grease can sand out the scratch and restore the board to near-original condition.

Why else does it matter?  A burned-on design can only have one color -- the color of charred wood.  This process gives you great flexibility, and with food-safe mica pigments, you get a depth and flow not possible with charcoal.

It takes some time to make each board. I can usually ship within 1 to 2 weeks after we have agreed on the artwork.

What can I make for you?

I would be pleased to answer your question and help develop your project.