Woodworking Talk banner

maple cutting board,, has to be end grain?

7K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  GeorgeC 
#1 ·
I am planning on making a cutting board, I have a load of nice maple 5/8 to 3/4 inch thick so not much end grain,, do cutting boards need to be end grain for any particular reason?

or should I be ok making it the by doublin or triple the thickness, just straight graining it? also I need to oil it down with what type of oil/finish, I know it needs to be food grade, thansk pat
 
#2 ·
End grain is better, because it doesn't show the knife marks as easily. Think about woodgrain as straws, or a paint brush. Slicing across a paint brush would cut the bristles, while cutting from the tip toward the handle, the bristles would tend to separate, not cut.
That said, I made my mom a maple cutting board about 12x16 when I was in 7th grade at age 12. I simply cut strips 1" wide and stood them on edge and glued the pieces with Elmers white glue. (suggest titebond II, or III) Then I made the second mistake of edgebanding it with a 3/4 strip of walnut around the outside. Well, long and short of it, she loved it, and kept it well oiled, and it is still in one piece today. She washed it almost daily and hung it on the small eyehooks I put in for her. I'm 56 now. Make it the way you want, you can always make another one someday.

(If you don't know, it is not recommended to glue end grain to long grain unless the wood is less than 6" wide as wood changes in width, but not much in length)
 
#3 ·
I just walked out to the kitchen to look at a cutting board that came out of the high school wood shop over 20 years ago. It's made of 1" x1 1/2" x 16" strips glued on the 1 1/2" sides and is about 12" wide. Looks like poplar with walnut on the end strips. Some of the glue joints are starting to show gaps but I still use it and it's on it's second set of rubber feet. No end grain involved and the top isn't showing too much wear. Your maple should be plenty hard without using the end grain.

I think the wood shop teacher at the time made it for us as a present. I later ended up being the wood shop teacher. I had the students do a holiday project for their moms that was a decorative cutting board with similar construction to the one above. The kids would glue the strips up, cut them in the shape of a teddy bear on the band saw, then burn round eyes with with a hot piece of 1" round steel heated up with a propane torch. The moms loved them. How many actually saw cutting use, I don't know as we routered a slot in the back for wall hanging.

Bill
 
#4 ·
I just walked out to the kitchen to look at a cutting board that came out of the high school wood shop over 20 years ago. It's made of 1" x1 1/2" x 16" strips glued on the 1 1/2" sides and is about 12" wide. Looks like poplar with walnut on the end strips. Some of the glue joints are starting to show gaps but I still use it and it's on it's second set of rubber feet. No end grain involved and the top isn't showing too much wear. Your maple should be plenty hard without using the end grain.

I think the wood shop teacher at the time made it for us as a present. I later ended up being the wood shop teacher. I had the students do a holiday project for their moms that was a decorative cutting board with similar construction to the one above. The kids would glue the strips up, cut them in the shape of a teddy bear on the band saw, then burn round eyes with with a hot piece of 1" round steel heated up with a propane torch. The moms loved them. How many actually saw cutting use, I don't know as we routered a slot in the back for wall hanging.

Bill
Interesting, I taught Industrial technology (wodworking/cabinet making) for a couple of decades, until budget cuts hit, and our whole dept. got cut. I taught math for awhile, and am currently teaching Home/Hospital, now that is interesting. BTW my name is also Bill.:smile:
 
#5 ·
thanks guys I appreciate it, it actually doesnt have to be anything pretty, I am just going to use it in teh barn to cut up the deer, we are getting tired of using a piece of cardboard,any wood, etc,, and the guys are heckling me about liking woodworking and not having something goo dto butcher with,, so I am shamed into going into the shop and building:eek::no:,, hahalike I really need or want and excuse,,thanks again,pat
 
#6 ·
End Grain cutting boards are interesting, and have the advantage of not slicing the fibers when you cut across the grain... I went with the grain on the one I made (16.5" x 23.5"), and am very pleased with it. A similar, but smaller one, is still in use after having been made in Jr. High Woodshop, well when they had Jr. High Woodshop...
 
#7 ·
Like everyone else has said, end grain is better, but long grain works good too, especially for occasional use like you have indicated.

I just made 9 end grain cutting boards for christmas presents. I used regular old mineral oil. I heated up the oil and added a bit of parafin wax to help seal the wood. Good luck, Mike
 
#9 ·
I ran into my buddy today who had made the 20+ year old cutting board I mentioned above. He told me about a trick he did to it that I didn't know about.

He'd drill holes through his bigger cutting boards, cross-ways. Then he'd counterbore the holes and put threaded rod through them and tighten nuts on each end. Then he'd glue the end strips on to hide the nuts.

I guess that's why that board is still together after all these years!

Bill
 
#13 ·
Old Skhool and others:

I too taught IA for a decade. It is interesting to hear how people talk about their little projects from Jr. High and Sr. High AI classes. Just think, all of the the generations who will not have those projects or memories because the programs have been dropped to fund other programs. In the name of political correctness, I will not name any of them because they each have their place in the hearts of someone.

Dan
 
#15 ·
I am planning on making a cutting board, I have a load of nice maple 5/8 to 3/4 inch thick so not much end grain,, do cutting boards need to be end grain for any particular reason?

or should I be ok making it the by doublin or triple the thickness, just straight graining it? also I need to oil it down with what type of oil/finish, I know it needs to be food grade, thansk pat
Are you making this cutting board for looks or to use, or a combination of both?

Making it of end grain is certainly not a requirement. How many cutting boards made end grain do you see in retail stores? The reason for end grain is primarily looks, not practicality.

George
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top