Ruby D. Len has been making Corian cutting boards for about 14 or 15 years.

The Corian boards and boards of similar material inhibit bacterial growth, she said, "no matter if there are cuts or scratches, it’s nonporous, therefore it’s sanitary, hygienic, stain-resistant and odor-free."

The board she has been using for 15 years is used as a sample for customers to see at craft fairs and the like.

It all started with a demonstration at the Food and New Product Show.

"I saw this German saw, a scroll saw, and, not that I knew how to do anything with it, I was so impressed by it, watching the guy," she said.

"I wanted the saw."

Her husband, Norman, took his leave to walk around the expo and came back "and I’m still there," she said. He walked around for a while again, returned, and "I’m still there," she said to a giggling columnist.

"You know what, I bought the saw," she told Norman, to which he observed that none of her crafting hobbies involved such a tool.

"That’s how I got started," she said.

It’s a whole-family business, with Norman, son Jason and daughter Noreen all helping out in various ways.

Norman is a nearly irresistible salesman, for instance, talking at approaching customers until they stop to listen further, as he did at the recent Made in Hawaii Festival.

When she first bought the saw, Ruby Len did a little woodworking, making key chains, puzzles and other items until she decided to make cutting boards. However, she didn’t want to make them out of wood.

Her concept was confirmed during a trip to Las Vegas when she saw cutting boards made of Corian, a common material for kitchen countertops.

Her Corian cutting boards come in common shapes, such as squares, rectangles and ovals.

Quarter-inch-thick Corian can be hard to come by, so she also uses HI-MACS, which is easier to find, but is a half-inch thick and heavier. However, "it comes in prettier colors," she said.

Her animal shapes in HI-MACS include whales, honu (sea turtles), cats and chickens, while fruit shapes include apples and pineapples.

She also makes elevated sushi boards in various colors.

Her prices range from $15 to $120, depending on the material and size of the board.

"I think this is the 15th year I’ve been doing cutting boards," Len said, though she was a crafter of all sorts during her 30 years as a public school teacher.

She has made ornaments, notebook covers and various types of handcrafted items, "but every two years you have to come up with something different because you almost have the same customers," she said.

With the cutting boards, she feels she got lucky, as her repeat customers will buy different sizes as gifts or for themselves, and they’ll tell friends about them, she said. "We’ve been very fortunate."

The only competition she knows of isn’t really competition, as the cutting boards sold by Mililani and Farrington High Schools are sold as fundraising items.

She’s observed some construction companies making Corian cutting boards, but it’s not a steady or huge business for them.

The only retailer that sells Len’s cutting boards is This Is It Too, a bagel shop and deli at 1001 Bishop St.

"I have a nice selection of animal (shapes) and rectangles," said owner Mona Gelson. The shop’s cutting board choices range from $30 to $40, Gelson said.

Otherwise, they’re sold by Ruby herself, or at one of many craft fairs she attends throughout the year, or, in August, at the Made in Hawaii Festival.

“Buy Local” runs on Aloha Fridays. Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com, or on Twitter as @erikaengle.