Making an end grain cutting board

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Villa Park, CA
I've been doing a lot of cooking lately and want to make a couple of end grain cutting boards. Seems like a simple project but I have some questions for those who've already been down that road.

1. What's the best wood to make a cutting board out of? Maple?

2. After you glue up all the pieces, how do you flatten the cutting board? Since it's end grain, running it through the planer might not work well. Do you sand or use a hand plane? Or what?

Mike
 
I'm no expert, but I've made a few of them (and love them).

I've made mine out of Maple and Cherry. My next one will be all Maple.

For flattening, some guys have used planers, but I've never tried that.

I use my little performax drum sander with aggressive grits to flatten, and then a ROS to sand it up to 220. Yes, 220 is overkill, but I like the initial sheen and feel it gives it.

That wears off after time, but a replenishing with a mixture of mineral oil and parrafin wax brings it back.

Oh, and I will soak it good with mineral oil at first, and then I make a mixture of parrafin wax and oil, just a bit of the wax, to use for future maintenance.
 
Maple and cherry are my two favorites for end grain cutting boards. I agree with you on the planing (although some guys have done it successfully), and since I don't have a drum sander, I've just used a belt sander followed by an ROS to flatten it. I've also used a router bridge to get to a flat starting point, then finished with lighter belt and ROS sanding.

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I used a belt sander when I first started. Hogged it down close to where I wanted it, then cleaned up with a ROS. Now i used the drum sander, lots easier.

If I didn't have the drum, I would use what Vaughn shows. Works great from what I hear.
 
That router set up is sweet!

Although I have yet to make an end grain cutting board, Stanley used to make (now Lie Neilsen and Veritas) make a low angle jack plane. The Stanley version was named the "butcher block" plane because it was designed for levelling off end grain cutting boards.
 
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I have used Maple, Cherry,Walnut, Jatoba,Blood wood with good results. Any close grain hardwood will work well. I just belt sand and then use random orbit sander up to 400 grit, then finish with mineral oil/bees wax blend until the board won't take any more oil, then buff. I would definitely vote for the wide belt sander, that would be the way to go.
 
Thanks for the suggestions and ideas. Vaughn, that router set up is a really good idea. I may try that.

One question, though. Don't you have to get one side flat before doing the other side? How do you address that issue? Just shim the irregular side before you do the first routing?

Mike
 
Mike, shims would work fine. When I made the one in the picture I posted, it started out as a single thick billet that I resawed in half to make two cutting boards. That left me a pretty good flat surface to start from.

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The other handy trick I discovered was to use wedges to keep the cutting board from sliding around in the frame that the router bridge rides on. You can see a couple of the wedges in the first photo I showed. There were a total of four holding the piece in place.
 

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whenever I log onto this place, I see a cutting board like that and I realize just how uncreative I really am.
Its all the little things Vaughn. I dont think you experienced woodworkers understand the kind of stuff the beginners or wannabes pull out of some of these threads.
 
Allen, I'd say we're even. I get a little intimidated seeing someone build furniture like you. (Just so you know, those cutting boards were probably the toughest flatwork project I've ever done. I'd like to make some more, but I'm afraid of screwing up and wasting a lot of dollars worth of material.) ;)
 
its not so much the woodworking, I dont think its difficult, its just the amount of steps and the enormous creativity you put into a board.
I love your stuff, you site has some mad pieces on it.
 
I use my planer... you do lose a bit on the very end pieces... I usually glue on a waste 2x4 section on the ends for just that reason. Take Very light cuts on the planer... think... wildest grain you ever saw on curly maple 'light cuts'.... and it isn't too bad. I've only 'exploded' one blank. Shut the shop down at that point (for the weekend)... figured I'd used up my luck allotment at that point.
 
I have had good luck with the planer. The trick is light cuts and an edge backer board glued on for planing than ripped off when truing the board up for square :thumb:
yha what Ned said
 
Mike,
These are lots of fun to make. Use any contrasting hardwoods and go to your hearts delight. Make a lot of these with the Black Walnut, Oak, Cherry, Blood wood, Paduka. Use the mineral oil for finish and love the results. I just use a drum sander to get to finish, then finish with my orbital sander at 220 grit.
I have also used almost the same pattern as Vaughn's board in just creating quilt blocks that the wife sews. Mine are just a little harder
David
 
I'm a bit fond of Purpleheart in the mix...maple and walnut. The router bed is how we finished redwood tabletops like my coffe table...maybe a pic in a few days. It really is the best way to minimize dust and get an exact surface. A bit slower, but based on your equipment at hand, it's a great solution. Our (Burl Brothers) tops were usually 3.5" cut and milled to 3.25" after drying We cut most of the redwood from an apple orchard in Corralitos, Ca with an Alaskan Sawmill on a 6' bar w/ a Sthil 090 head. To be clear!!!! My BIL Steve Seigel was 1/2 of Burl Brothers...not me. I just helped in the shop, and am very happy to have a table from him(them)!
 
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