How fine to sand before gluing a cutting board?

[Wade Lippman]

My strips have to be exactly 0.75" wide (or multiples thereof) and I figure it is easiest to get there with a drum sander and 80 grit paper.
Will the glue adhere better if I go to finer sandpaper for the last pass or two?

[Steve Wilde]

I don't sand them, I just cut the strips on the TS and glue them up.

[Barry McFadden]

I cut my strips on the bandsaw then run them through the planer to get the required dimension..no sanding

[Bruce Page]

To answer your question, no, the glue will adhere better with the rougher surface. The finer you sand a surface the more burnished or sealed it becomes.

[Wade Lippman]

To answer your question, no, the glue will adhere better with the rougher surface. The finer you sand a surface the more burnished or sealed it becomes.
That is what I was hoping for when I posted, but afterwards I googled and found:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/best-wood-glue-surface-smooth-or-rough

The strips are 2" thick and have to be sized to a couple thousandths or it won't work. I am sure I can't do that on a TS and doubt I can on a planer; so I am using a drum sander.

[Bruce Page]

Interesting article. It is contrary to what I was taught in HS wood shop a long time ago. If you read the comments there is not 100% agreement.

[J.R. Rutter]

I spoke with Bob at Franklin when I was setting up my RF clamp. He was very helpful. I would imagine that it is important to use sharp abrasives so that the surface doesn't heat up too much and burnish/oxidize.

[Prashun Patel]

On the couple few cutting boards I've made, I didn't sand. My experience suggests that on surfaces with good, flat, sufficient mating surface, minor suboptimalities like surface roughness won't matter.

The bigger risk, IMHO is getting them out of square or flat when sanding, and improper orientation. Failing these things is what has lead to gaps and warps - um I mean for OTHER people; never on my own ;).

[Art Mann]

You are dealing with such a huge glue up surface area that it isn't going to make any difference either way unless you somehow round or slightly bevel the edges. I have built a lot of cutting boards and I always just run the pieces through my planer to get them the same thickness and then glue and clamp. No problems whatsoever.

[Ellery Becnel]

I use the bandsaw, because it has less kerf removal. Then I plane the strips until saw marks are cleaned up. Then I check each mating surface for contact. I use my V-drum sander to sand any surface that does not have full contact.
I use 80 grit. The V-drum sander allows me to only sand the areas that are high. When I am satisfied with the contact, I proceed with the glue up. I agree that a super slick burnished surface might not offer a desired glue joint. The
main concern is not to stress the joints during glue up. Clamps are for holding stock in place, not forcing the joints together. It is trial and error, all of the suggestions mentioned make perfect sense. You have to decide on which
method works for you. When you have multiple joints, good square stock is a must. It will assure a consistent, precise, quality product that will stand out and last a lifetime. I like making end grain cutting boards. It enables you to
look inside the wood, not just the surface. Have fun, and post your results.
This is the method that I use. It works for me. I have used a router sled, before I was able to get a planer. It worked well, just time consuming. As time went on I looked for ways to improve my technique and not compromise the
quality of my work.

Ellery Becnel