If I'm going through the effort to make a cutting board, it's going to be an end grain board. So yes, it's worth it for me to cut it apart and glue it back together, but I'm not gluing it in the same orientation.

 

If I m going through the effort to make a cutting board, it s going to be an end grain board.
- jonah

Yep, end grain is the best cutting board out there

 

end grains is a big reason to rip down. End grains can make a cutting board an heirloom instead of a 4-5 year item.

 

I was planning to make these edge-grain rather than end-grain, mostly because I have heard that an improperly-cared-for end grain board can self-destruct pretty easily. Especially if, say, it is left wet or with a pool of water on it for a few hours. Also, one of these boards needs to be exceptionally large -30"x36".

But even for the end grain boards - why do we rip everything down into blocks rather than just gluing together wide slices from a single clear board? Why don't you see end grain boards made from wide pieces? If they are all cut from the same board, they should all move similarly with exposure to water, right? Then there are also fewer glue joints to potentially fail.

 

Most people don't rip into blocks for end grain boards. They do something similar to Marc Spagnuolo's video where they glue up an edge grain setup, cut it into strips, and glue those together facing up to get end grain.

 

Ok. Right. But that's my question. That edge grain setup that they then slice pieces off of and flip - why can't that just be a single flat, clear board that is sliced and flipped, rather than a panel glued up from thinner strips and then sliced again? Is it just for that checkerboard look? Or is it for structural reasons also? I want to do a simple hard maple board, not a fancy walnut-purpleheart-cherry-padauk thing, so the checkerboard doesn't matter to me. I just want a solid cutting board that won't warp or split.

 

If you want it to stay together forever-

There is an original butcher block island on the USS Yorktown just like this

 

This is about long grain cutting boards, not end grain cutting boards.
The reason they are ripped into strips (instead of using wide boards) is to minimize aberrant movement. It's a similar concept to plywood where thinner wood and changes in grain direction minimize the amount of movement. It also allows you to turn wood and glue it so the edges are quartersawn. It also can look better.

 

To make as you would make, usually using old wood is better to last much longer. The problem is already getting fragile but using old wood is better because there is rarely old wood.

Situs Judi Bola
Agen Judi Bola
BandarQ

Why do you have links to a web page in a foreign land that no one can read or wants to.Are you looking for clicks or trying to infect us with your scally wags?

A simple Hardmaple end grain cutting board is very use of your time.Ive made many don't be afraid to thinn down your tite bond 3.Youll get smaller glue lines.
Get fresh glue and a scrap of wood with notches to spread glue on both surfaces evenly.
Good luck.

 

Jeremymcon,

My guess is that ripping a wider board to a narrower board results in narrower boards that more closely approximate quarter sawn lumber. Quarter sawn lumber tends to be a bit more predictable and uniform in its movement. I would expect that orienting the narrower boards for a face to face glue-up so that the annular growth rings are perpendicular to the cutting board's faces would somewhat uniformly direct most expansion and contraction of the board toward its edges and even-out individual boards' face to face (up and downward) movement. The end result could be to reduce the tendency to of the cutting board to warp or cup.

I am not sure how well edge gluing wide boards that were milled and purchased as quarter sawn lumber would hold up. That answer could depend on the radius of the annular growth rings, that is, the diameter of the log from which the lumber was cut and the thickness of the individual boards.

There could be several explanations for the occasional glue-line failures you have observed. Waterproof or water resistant glue may not have been used. The individuals boards may not have been milled properly and the joints did not close up well when the clamps went on. If too many individual boards were glued-up at one time, the open time of the glue could have been exceeded and thus weakened the joint. While I am not sure, it could be that a well-made cutting board subjected to the harsh environment of a dishwasher could promote glue-line failure. Poor maintenance of the cutting boards could also be a contributing factor, especially when combined with any of these other factors.

For what it is worth, my thoughts about battens is that they are unnecessary, and even if useful, adversely affect the function and cleaning of the cutting board. I personally doubt that battens thinner than the cutting board would be a match for the cupping or warping forces of the wood. Water could find its way under the battens and be slow to dry. The prolonged moist environment could promote growth of microorganisms, contribute to cupping, and reduce the life of the cutting board. Keeping crud build-up out of the corners where the battens meet the face of the cutting board would be difficult to avoid.

 

I made my in-laws an end grain cutting board about nine years ago, and they use it literally every day. It was made with Titebond III and aside from needing more finish, it looks great. No failure of the glue joints whatever.

 

Why don't you see end grain boards made from wide pieces?

Sometimes you do but generally most of us make cutting boards from our scraps. Once you do a lot of wood working you will acquire a lot of pieces of wood that are too small to use for much else. Speaking for myself, once my scrap pile gets too large I start making cutting boards.

 

I went through an exercise in building a CB with all the features to make it last.
Basically you want all the wood to expand/contract in unison. That means (in the extreme), using the same species and wood all from the same tree. Mechanical joinery is a big plus as well as using the proper adhesives.