Big cutting board. 24 X 48

[William C Rogers]

My brother wants me to make him a very large cutting board 24 X 48. I have never made one this large. It will be used for fish cleaning in Florida. Questions: Titebond 3 or 30 minute epoxy? Should I run dowels inside? Plan is to do end grain or would side grain be better. Any other suggestions welcome.

[Roy Harding]

Wow. I make a lot of cutting boards (end grain and face grain) - but what you're describing is more of a butcher's block than a cutting board.

That said - aside from size, it's the same animal. I always use a Titebond 3 equivalent, and have never had a failure (for over 30 years that some of my boards have been in use). On the OTHER hand, will this be kept outdoors, and exposed to the weather?

[Andrew Hughes]

I would make it long grain 2 inches thick. If you were to go end grain I would be looking at 2 1/2 thick or more.
Thats a big one and since it's going to see water it needs the extra thickness.
Tight bond 3 is fine as long as your joints are tight.And not trying to close big gaps with big clamps.

[William C Rogers]

The board will be stored indoors and I told him to wipe it down with mineral oil after each cleaning.

[Roy Harding]

The board will be stored indoors and I told him to wipe it down with mineral oil after each cleaning.
Then you should be fine with Tight Bond 3.

Andrew has shared good advice regarding thickness (although for end grain, I'd go with 3" or more - but that's a mere quibble)

[Wayne Lomman]

William, I most definitely would not recommend Titebond 3 for this job, especially if using a dense timber. Epoxy is the best way to go, and slower curing ones are better than fast ones. You won't need dowels either.

End grain is good, but for this size Roy is on the money - at least 3" and preferably 4" thick. Cheers

[Nick Nelson]

24x48 - 4" thick?
I guess that's the good thing about fishing is it's rarely done alone. He's going to need a friend to help him carry the board.

[john bateman]

I would buy one of these and give him half of it:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50267978/

[Prashun Patel]

I'm not sure I'd want to be cleaning fish on a wood board. More functional would be a large plastic cutting board. But to each his own...

I use Titebond III and have not had issues on cutting boards.

I would not do an end-grain board. Too much effort. Do and edge-grain board with a dense wood like maple. Build handles for easy cleaning, and elevate it on rubber feet to allow air flow underneath.

I wouldn't worry about dowels. The face-face glue joints will be plenty strong. You'll basically be making a mini workbench top.

[Chris Fournier]

Plastic resin glue has been my choice over the years (PPR is the powdered stuff, easier to use for occasional users I guess). Unless there is a lot of chopping going on edge grain would be just fine. Plastic would be my first choice in this application.

[Bob Falk]

[QUOTE=Prashun Patel;2582243]I'm not sure I'd want to be cleaning fish on a wood board. More functional would be a large plastic cutting board. But to each his own...

Research studies have shown that the extractives in wood kill bacteria and as a result wood cutting boards are more food safe than plastic, which tends to harbor bacteria in knife nicks.

[larry senen]

My lumber and panel suppier carries a comercialy made butcher block in just that size

[Robby Tacheny]

I'd go for plastic too. I like wood cutting boards, but if it were me the weight of a board that big and upkeep would most likely cause me to stop using after not too long unless I didn't have to move it very far to use it. One mistake and your cutting board is toast. Leave a plastic one out overnight, no issue. The rain will just help clean it. ;)

48x19 Cutting Board (http://www.webstaurantstore.com/true-810839-equivalent-48-x-19-cutting-board/200810839.html?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GoogleShopping&gclid=Cj0KEQjwnv27BRCmuZqMg_Ddmt0BEiQAgeY1l06yfmkG EdNWuTunJxEfP0aatIBt46ljRY3uE0q9hlgaAsUK8P8HAQ) = $90

Robby

[Adam Herman]

I would buy one of these and give him half of it:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50267978/

fyi: I would never put partical on a cutting board.
The countertop has a 9/64" top layer of solid oak, over particleboard.

[Bill Orbine]

It has been said that wood cutting boards is safer than plastic because the properties of wood itself is better to kill bacteria. And that plastic boards contains nothing so therefore it needs to be sanitized often. Just saying.....

As for gluing up large cutting boards, you need time. What ever you use, make sure you have enough time to lay out adhesive and clamp together. Use a slow setting adhesive ....OR.... do the glue up in different sections..... Such as make two halves and glue together as one later.

[Wade Lippman]

Slow cure epoxy. It will take you a while to glue up and I doubt you can do it in the time TBIII would take to dry. Also, epoxy requires much less clamping pressure and is more tolerant of small errors.

Consider using biscuits; not so much for strength (I might not even take the time to glue them in) but purely for speed of alignment. Getting something that big reasonably even will be a real chore that biscuits will make so much easier.

[Steve Wilde]

fyi: I would never put partical on a cutting board.
The countertop has a 9/64" top layer of solid oak, over particleboard.
Adam, those are actually full thickness wood, I bought three of those and use them as my countertops in my wood shop.

[John C Bush]

If he needs a cutting board that big for cleaning fish--I want t know where he's fishing!!

[Rick Johnston]

No what the OP asked.., but there are online places that will make almost any size, thickness and color cutting boards. I have 2 that are 36/18 from them. Any edge and other feature can be routed in too.

[Rich Engelhardt]

The board will be stored indoors and I told him to wipe it down with mineral oil after each cleaning.
The board is going to reek with fish smell.
The fish oil from cleaning the fish will not allow any other treatment of the wood to take place.

Personally, I'd never use anything more permanent than a piece of a 2x12 and toss it after if got too skanky.

[Adam Herman]

Adam, those are actually full thickness wood, I bought three of those and use them as my countertops in my wood shop.

not according the the Ikea specs. Maybe they recently changed them.

[Dan Hahr]

You probably won't want to make it quite as nice as one you would use on your kitchen counter, but definitely use edge or face grain and don't worry about using TBIII. One to one and a half inch will be fine for thickness. Tell him to keep it out of the sun. Wash it after using it and it will never "reek" of fish. I'd make it out of mahogany and let it weather naturally. But not in the sun! Put some holes in the corner to hang it so it dries completely. Nothing wrong with wood for fish boards. If you leave rotting fish on it just bleach it a bit. And yes, I've built them, and yes, we have a lot of fish that will hang over a 48" board.

Dan

[William C Rogers]

You probably won't want to make it quite as nice as one you would use on your kitchen counter, but definitely use edge or face grain and don't worry about using TBIII. One to one and a half inch will be fine for thickness. Tell him to keep it out of the sun. Wash it after using it and it will never "reek" of fish. I'd make it out of mahogany and let it weather naturally. But not in the sun! Put some holes in the corner to hang it so it dries completely. Nothing wrong with wood for fish boards. If you leave rotting fish on it just bleach it a bit. And yes, I've built them, and yes, we have a lot of fish that will hang over a 48" board.

Dan

I have hard maple, but not Mahogany. I could make 1+ inch, but not 1 1/2 side grain. 1 1/2+ with edge grain. I was thinking end grain as I could saturate it all the way through with mineral oil/bees wax. Any specific reason not to do end grain? I'm going to put stainless handles on it for hanging/transport. It will be stored indoors (out building). Normal procedures are to bleach before and after use.

[Roy Harding]

I have hard maple, but not Mahogany. I could make 1+ inch, but not 1 1/2 side grain. 1 1/2+ with edge grain. I was thinking end grain as I could saturate it all the way through with mineral oil/bees wax. Any specific reason not to do end grain? I'm going to put stainless handles on it for hanging/transport. It will be stored indoors (out building). Normal procedures are to bleach before and after use.

If you're going to bleach before and after use - don't use wood - ESPECIALLY end grain. If you're using bleach, go with a poly cutting board - they're not terribly expensive, here's an example http://www.globalindustrial.ca/p/foodservice/handling/cutting-boards/replacement-poly-table-top-48x24-2 .

If you are going with wood, sanitize it with lemon juice (or vinegar or any other edible acid) and salt.

[William C Rogers]

If you're going to bleach before and after use - don't use wood - ESPECIALLY end grain. If you're using bleach, go with a poly cutting board - they're not terribly expensive, here's an example http://www.globalindustrial.ca/p/foodservice/handling/cutting-boards/replacement-poly-table-top-48x24-2 .

If you are going with wood, sanitize it with lemon juice (or vinegar or any other edible acid) and salt.

Do not want a poly cutting board. Some charters use them, but many don't. They all use bleach for sanitizing.

Why not use bleach. Many on line site recommendsusing diluted bleach for sanitizing. Vinegar and Lemmon juice are not as effective as bleach. Board will be wiped with mineral oil and bees wax when dry each use.

[Roy Harding]

Do not want a poly cutting board. Some charters use them, but many don't. They all use bleach for sanitizing.

Why not use bleach. Many on line site recommendsusing diluted bleach for sanitizing. Vinegar and Lemmon juice are not as effective as bleach. Board will be wiped with mineral oil and bees wax when dry each use.

I've always found that the bleach leaves a bad taste on the wooden cutting boards, especially end grains ones - even when diluted to 2 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water. Perhaps it's me, and I wasn't rinsing properly - perhaps I could taste it because I was the one who cleaned it and expected to taste it. Obviously your experience (and perhaps thoroughness) has been different.

I'll be interested to see what you build - please post a photo when you're done.

[Chris Padilla]

FYI, "bleach" is basically hypochloric acid and the source of chlorine. In other words: bleach = chlorine. People use "bleach" in their swimming pools all the time.

So when talking about using "bleach", one should be aware that concentration of chlorine can vary. Most household bleach used for washing clothes is 6.25% but some can be higher and some can be much lower. Further, old bleach can be less than when it was fresh. Just an FYI. :)

[Roy Harding]

FYI, "bleach" is basically hypochloric acid and the source of chlorine. In other words: bleach = chlorine. People use "bleach" in their swimming pools all the time.

So when talking about using "bleach", one should be aware that concentration of chlorine can vary. Most household bleach used for washing clothes is 6.25% but some can be higher and some can be much lower. Further, old bleach can be less than when it was fresh. Just an FYI. :)

I'm aware of the chemical properties of chlorine bleach, but thanks. As I stated, I found that using it left a foul taste on my boards - despite dilution ratios and rinsing.

[Dan Hahr]

I have hard maple, but not Mahogany. I could make 1+ inch, but not 1 1/2 side grain. 1 1/2+ with edge grain. I was thinking end grain as I could saturate it all the way through with mineral oil/bees wax. Any specific reason not to do end grain? I'm going to put stainless handles on it for hanging/transport. It will be stored indoors (out building). Normal procedures are to bleach before and after use.

End grain will be a ton of work to get perfectly flat and even. But more importantly, it will be much weaker across the length and width in a board that size. Now if you make it 4+ inches thick, it will probably be fine. Think how easily a thin slice off the end of a board splits or checks.

Bleach is fine on wood, just dilute it properly and let it air dry well. I would not use bleach before putting meat on it. Actually, I rarely bleach my boards unless they get moldy from improper care. (hey, it happens) I would worry much more about salmonella from chicken than anything from fish. They are slimy, but not with anything that won't rinse off with water. You really can't clean fish without getting fish slime on the fish...and a dry board should be clean enough after a quick spray of water.

Dan

[Prashun Patel]

I would be wary of an end-grain cutting board that large. I dropped an end-grain cutting board and it broke - not on the glue lines, but in the wood. I suspect it's because it's really just a big short-grain situation.

Also, as stated, end-grain boards are very time consuming to flatten properly.

IMHO, the only reason to do end-grain is because it can be more resistant to scratches... AT FIRST. I think the warnings about this, though, are overblown. When I see the heavily used cutting boards and cooking spoons I made for my friends years after they've used them, they ALL (end or edge) look beaten up - beautifully beaten up. They all get scratches and fuzzy with time and require proper maintenance.

[William C Rogers]

End grain will be a ton of work to get perfectly flat and even. But more importantly, it will be much weaker across the length and width in a board that size. Now if you make it 4+ inches thick, it will probably be fine. Think how easily a thin slice off the end of a board splits or checks.

Bleach is fine on wood, just dilute it properly and let it air dry well. I would not use bleach before putting meat on it. Actually, I rarely bleach my boards unless they get moldy from improper care. (hey, it happens) I would worry much more about salmonella from chicken than anything from fish. They are slimy, but not with anything that won't rinse off with water. You really can't clean fish without getting fish slime on the fish...and a dry board should be clean enough after a quick spray of water.

Dan

Thanks Dan. I have decided to make edge grain, ~1 1/2" thick. Leaning toward TBIII vs. epoxy. End grain would be too thick and heavy. My brother is the fisherman ( I'm just the tag along ) and I checked with him and he just uses the bleach after he is done, not before. He goes fishing 4-6 times a year. He does not charter, just friends. Here is a picture of the cleaning station, which now has a poly board that needs replacing with some of the last catch hung up. We caught limit on red snapper, but no grouper this time.

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One be friend had never caught a shark and we got this bull. If he had been a Mako he would have been on the table. We released him, about 225lbs.

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[Dan Hahr]

We just hosted some friends from Indiana. Unfortunately, the fishing was bad (except for my son!) and we caught only small kings and bonita. Luckily, my son Caleb caught this cobia on a butterfly jig. A big board is very handy when cleaning big offshore fish.

340592

Good luck on the board! I'm sure it will come out great.
Dan

[mreza Salav]

I've used TB-III on cutting boards always and have two that failed (they were not put in the dish washer and cared for properly, one being used in our own house). I don't trust TB-III anymore....