Rubber feet on a cutting board

[keith micinski]

So I was watching the newest episode of The Wood Whisperer yesterday and decided to build one of his cutting boards. His split because water got trapped under it and it made me think, Why can't I put small rubber feet on the bottom of the board at the corners to keep it up off the counter and let it dry out evenly. The only thing I can come up with is that it might warp in the middle since it isn't being supported but I could always just put a rubber foot in the middle also. What do you guys think?

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Rubber feet on the corners are fine. IMHO one in the center will have no effect on warping.

[David Helm]

Get the self sticking plastic buttons. I've been using them for years. They only lift the board about 1/8 inch and, if the board has some weight, they don't slide around (I can't believe I'm actually giving you some advice, you saw stealer you)!!!

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

to keep it up off the counter and let it dry out evenly.

Fine idea but I rather suspect that humidity trapped under it will still cause warping - though maybe less of it.

I made a hot plate board some years ago from maple and mahog. It was long half inch strips with short 3" strips of mahog at the ends and in the middle.
Pretty I thought. Lots of open space between the wood strips
It traps and takes on moisture and warps anyway.


One thing about end grain boards I have always wondered at is durability.
The old school butcher's blocks were feet thick and bolted together. Modern end grain blocks are not so thick nor bolted together and of course being end grain are presenting the most inopportune side (end grain) to all the humidity. I've never made one, but I've wondered at this.

[doug faist]

I've gotta agree with the other folks here. Short plastic or rubber feet (might are always about 3/16" high) will virtually eliminate slipping and moisture absorption. I've used these on end grain boards for nearly 10 years and the boards are still going strong.

If you're new to end grain boards I would strongly suggest that some sort of finish be used to seal the end grain on both sides of the board. I use Waterlox, two coats, and it works well. An occasional rubdown with mineral oil keeps them looking good and shedding water.

Have fun with your project. :D

Doug

[Van Huskey]

Many chefs use a non-slip pad under cutting boards like a piece of rubber shelf liner. I always use one and part of my post cutting ritual is to take care of my knives (like anyone with a decent knife should) and I just take care of the board at the same time, clean and wipe it down. I store my cutting boards on edge but if you leave them out water migration from the counter shouldn't be a big issue if you attach some feet, there shouldn't be any water left on the underside of the board from cutting if you take proper care of it.

[Rob Steffeck]

Hmmm....looks vaguely familiar:

157422

I built these in 2008 and I put the little rubber stick-on feet on each corner. So far, I haven't seen nor heard of any problems. Durability has been good as well.

[keith micinski]

I am going to go with the little rubber feet then. I am using the General finishes Salad Bowl finish thinned out with 50 percent mineral spirits like Mark uses in the Video. That picture already has one coat on it. I am going to put one more on it then sand it with 400 grit and apply a final coat.

[David Helm]

My cutting board is quite large 24 X 24 and stays at its position. I do clean up under it regularly, but it has been in place for 5+ years and has never warped. One should always take care of knives and boards when used. Those of us who consider ourselves excellent cooks and woodworkers too are sure to do this.

[Don Dorn]

I've made 7 or 8 over the years with oldest being about 6 years old. I screwed good rubber feet to each corner and to my knowledge, they are all holding up well.

[Dan Hahr]

I use the rubber ones about an inch in diameter that have a metal washer embedded in them to hold the screw tightly.

They look professional and will not fall off if the adhesive refuses to bond to the oil or wax.

Dan

[mreza Salav]

I always put rubber feet on all boards I have made (easy to take them up and they don't slip on the counters):
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[Josiah Bartlett]

I usually finish my boards with mineral oil, and find that eventually it dissolves the adhesive on the self stick rubber feet. The screw on ones are fine though. The other alternative is a small wooden plug or dowel.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

My wife has a solid surface countertop material cutting board she loves. It has vinyl rubber-like pads on each corner. Without them, that thing will slide off the counter top. I found replacement clear vinyl pads at my local Ace hardware. They aren't expensive.

[Brian D Anderson]

I started adding wooden and rubber feet to my cutting boards. I basically took a 1¾"x1¾" piece of stock, rounded over all four edges . . . then I just take ¼" slices off.

I just go with gluing them to the board. I thought about putting a screw in there, but they seemed to hold fairly well. Then I put the round anti skid sticky pads that you can get at any hardware store.

I liked the added height to be able to get your finders underneath.

-Brian

[Eric DeSilva]

I'll go the other way. I don't like rubber feet, because I occasionally flip my board over. I don't see a problem with using them if you don't do that. At the same time, I do use a small bit of rubber (open weave stuff used under carpets) to keep the board from sliding around on the marble countertop that would also perform the same function, without the downside of being permanently affixed.

[Dave Sweeney]

Another vote for those little rubber feet that get screwed to the bottom of the board. I use the ¾" sized ones from Lee Valley and put 3 each across the front and back edges of the cutting boards.

[Lee Koepke]

I havent put any feet on any of my cutting boards that I have made, but I have only been doing them for a couple of years

[Ben Franz]

I have a large Boos block (24 x 18 x 2 1/4) and I tried using rubber shelf liner to hold it from slipping. Not only did it not work, the moisture collected under the board and caused staining. The board is too heavy to lift every time to clean so I put rubber feet on the bottom with a dot of silicon adhesive. Every few months I reverse sides, making sure to scrape all the old adhesive off. The board is edge grain maple and has held up to anything I've done including hacking up bones with a cleaver (nice image, huh!).

[Mark Patoka]

I've tried the stick on rubber dot feet but they tend to fall off fairly quickly due to the mineral oil. I've used the screw on type for larger boards.

I really like the GripperFeet or GripperWood rubber feet on the Acacia cutting boards available at Bed, Bath & Beyond and other place. Does anyone know if those are commercially available or if there is a suitable substitute?

[Howard Acheson]

Cutting boards should be dried standing on edge. That said, I put rubber feet on a number of my boards. They work find both in keeping the board from moving around as I use it and to keep it from wobbling. They also allow air get under the board reducing the possibility of warping.

[Mike Green]

I built 10 cutting boards as Christmas presents last year. I went back and forth about feet and decided not to add them. I thought it would be nice to be able to use either side of the board. I did give the recipients a note about how to care for the board, in which I told them to store it on edge until completely dry.

[Lee Schierer]

Self sticking feet tend to come off. You can go to a door supply house that sells metal doors and buy the little rubber bumpers that get pushed into the door frame on metal framed doors to keep the door from banging when shut. Drill a hole for the retaining tip to go into and press them in place. They stay in place longer than the sticky pads.

[Ken Platt]

I found these at Rockler:

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5822&filter=stem%20bumpers

As others posted, I was afraid stick-on feet would come off.

Ken

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

(24 x 18 x 2 1/4) [..] edge grain maple and has held up to anything I've done including hacking up bones with a cleaver (nice image, huh!).

A real cleaver like 1/4" thick and real heavy bones like cow ribs ?
That'd be a lot of force.

[keith micinski]

Unfortunately I had to get the cutting board to my brother so I went with stick on rubber feet even though I was starting to wonder how well the feet would stick on. The good thing is he keeps his board in the same spot unless he is cleaning it so it won't get moved much. A side benefit of the feet was that his top was unlevel and I was able to sand the fee to make it fit perfect.

[Bob Wingard]

I have a slightly different twist on this .. .. here's what I've done in the past.

With a Forstner bit, I drill a shallow recess in each corner. Apply a glob of good silicone adhesive/caulk into the hole and immediate area. Lay down a sheet of waxed paper. Lay out several sets of "spacers" .. washers/nickels/quarters .. depends on how "thick" I want the feet to be. Set the board on the waxed paper such that the spacers hold the board up, off of the paper a bit. Let it cure. Using a punch or sharpened piece of tubing, press and twist over the glob, cutting loose all but the nice, round plug. Peel away the excess, and you're done.

Sounds like a lot of work, but I used to live WAY out in the country, and it was a long way to the nearest store, so I came up with this out of necessity, and have used it ever since. Very cheap .. very effective .. AND .. you get to use up all that old caulk sitting around, curing in the tubes.

[Jeff Mohr]

I found a guy who was selling bulk rubber bumpers. They are really nice with recessed screw holes and are about 1/2 inch or so. Work perfectly. Before that I used to use the sticky bumpers and had a few people complain they did in fact come of....the screw ones...haven't heard a peep.