Cutting board wood?

[Bruce Page]

For those in the know, is walnut too soft for a bread cutting board?

[daryl moses]

IMO it's not. I've made them out of Walnut and they held up fine. My favorite is Maple, followed by Hickory.
I've also used alternating strips of Walnut and Maple.

[Steve Peterson]

Maple, walnut, and cherry appear to be the primary domestic woods used in cutting boards. It should be fine.

Steve

[Bruce Page]

That's what I thought. Thanks!

[Andrew J. Coholic]

I make a fair number of boards yearly. I always use a mix of hard maple, cherry and walnut. Walnut and cherry are definitely softer but with normal use (its not a chopping block, but a cutting board) will stand up fine for years.

IMO a nice walnut board always looks like a million bucks.

[Andy Giddings]

Bruce, you might want to go to this guy's website as he has a wealth of info on the different woods and their properties for cutting board use. He also has numerous plans and videos for making different patterned boards http://mtmwood.com/en/?route=product/product&path=92_93&product_id=915 The link I've provided requires registration to download the PDF but its free to register and download

[Jim Becker]

It's not too soft at all, Bruce. That said, for the actual cutting area, I still prefer something like maple because it's less porous. I've used black walnut (off our property) for decorative trim on cutting boards, but not in the "business area" of the object. But that's a personal preference.

[Mike Cutler]

Bruce
It should be a very nice cutting board.
The only knock against walnut is it's known toxicity, but it's a cutting board for goodness sake, you're not going to eat it! ;)

[Mike Cutler]

It's not too soft at all, Bruce. That said, for the actual cutting area, I still prefer something like maple because it's less porous. I've used black walnut (off our property) for decorative trim on cutting boards, but not in the "business area" of the object. But that's a personal preference.

Jim
That increase in porosity can be a benefit. Bacteria is 90+% water. Capillary action and the porous nature of wood, too a point, can make a wooden board actually more sanitary than a board made from HDPE by absorbing the water and killing the bacteria.
Still though, we all want them to look nice when we're done. Lets all admit that.;)

[Danny Hamsley]

The juglone, the chemical in walnut that has a herbicidal effect on plants (but I would not all it "toxic"), is found in the leaves and roots, not in the wood.

[Rich Riddle]

I find maple good for cutting yet people like the looks of cherry and walnut. Some folks seem to use cutting boards more for decoration.

[Bruce Page]

I have some nice walnut that came off my deceased FIL's property in Arkansas. I thought it'd make nice gifts for LOML's sisters.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

Big companies such as Boos make boards in all sorts of woods, including walnut. I generally give my customers who get a custom kitchen from us one or two boards to help save bo0th their new counter tops and their knives as well. Nothing is as nice to cut on like a good, wooden board. And sure, why not make them look nice too? No need to be fancy.

My trademark board is either a 17" round, or square, with a sloped top. Nothing beats it for carving meat like a juicy roast or a chicken, etc. I also love making end grain boards in walnut (generally from off cuts from furniture jobs). Oiled up and then waxed, they look so nice. And stand up for years. For small bread boards and cheese boards, pretty much any wood will do. I use walnut and cherry shorts (lifts of 4 to 5' lengths) to save $$. No point buying long lengths at a premium and cutting into short lengths.

I just brought in 265 bfm of 12/4 walnut, in 10' lengths to make a 48" by 9' table with a slab base as well. I already know that the ends of the planks will be turned into more end grain black walnut cutting boards... :) Better than getting thrown into the waste bins destined for someone's fire place.

Here are some of my boards... you can see the walnut, with cherry and maple.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/ajcoholic/ajcoholic008/IMG_1015_zpsmslpisuy.jpg (http://s83.photobucket.com/user/ajcoholic/media/ajcoholic008/IMG_1015_zpsmslpisuy.jpg.html)

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/ajcoholic/ajcoholic008/IMG_1026_zpsttgfc0yp.jpg (http://s83.photobucket.com/user/ajcoholic/media/ajcoholic008/IMG_1026_zpsttgfc0yp.jpg.html)

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/ajcoholic/ajcoholic008/IMG_1028_zpskwqtfyz1.jpg (http://s83.photobucket.com/user/ajcoholic/media/ajcoholic008/IMG_1028_zpskwqtfyz1.jpg.html)


My own board (one of two in my kitchen), which has been in daily use for several years.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j307/ajcoholic/ajcoholic010/image11_zpsp23ot6tr.jpg (http://s83.photobucket.com/user/ajcoholic/media/ajcoholic010/image11_zpsp23ot6tr.jpg.html)

[Chris Padilla]

I use balsa...doesn't seem to last very long so I wouldn't recommend it.

[Bruce Page]

I use balsa...doesn't seem to last very long so I wouldn't recommend it.
But at least you won't break your back carrying it around. :p

[Bruce Page]

Andrew, those are nice. Which CNC do you have?

[Andrew J. Coholic]

Andrew, those are nice. Which CNC do you have?

I have a Shopbot Buddy, with a 48" by 48" cutting area. 4 HP HSD spindle, and a 10HP regen blower with universal vacuum hold down. I modified my machine, it now has a T slot aluminum deck. I use it more for furniture parts (like chair seats, backs, table legs, newel posts etc) but also do a decent amount of plywood cutting (anything thats not square or rectangular).

We used to make these boards on a shop made router jig. And (round ones) on the wood lathe with an off set fixture. Tedious and dangerous (Ive had them break off the lathe on me). CNC makes this easy... I actually am waiting for a custom 3/4' shank, 2" diameter router bit with carbide insert cutters to arrive soon from Royce/Ayr... - specifically for cutting the deck on my sloped boards. Im currently using a brazed carbide bowl/tray bit. Every minute I can save in machine time, and sanding time - is money in my pocket :) I figure it will cut my machine time in half to just a few minutes per board.

Cutting boards isnt my "business"... but as a general woodworking shop, I make a lot over the year for people who just ask us for them. Great way to use up off cuts!

As an aside, I find the Boos block creme (beeswax and mineral oil) a really nice product and usually sell one tube with each board. And always tell them two things... (1) please, dont put your boards in the dish washer (its happened before..) and (2) rub a bit of oil on them every few months. It really does prolong them. My mother has a baord I made her when I was around 10 yrs old... I just turned 46 last weekend. Its maple and pau ferro, I still remember making it. Oiled with Crisco :)

[Andrew Hughes]

Those sloped top boards are nice I've made a couple myself.Using a router and platform it very time consuming.
I was calling them the pocket board.
What have you named yours?
You do some work Andrew

Aj

[Bruce Page]

Andrew, do you fixture to generate the slope or are you using Z moves?
Anytime I have tried to generate a slope on a flat surface using Z moves I get a terrible surface finish.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

Andrew, do you fixture to generate the slope or are you using Z moves?
Anytime I have tried to generate a slope on a flat surface using Z moves I get a terrible surface finish.

I used to carve them with a 3D program, flat on the bed, using a 5/8" carbide spiral ball end bit. Worked well, but slow ( 25 minutes per) and more sanding to do.

Now I use an angled fixture and a 1.25" diameter, radiused edge bit ( commonly sold as a tray or bowl bit). Takes about 7 minutes for a board. Better surface finish. With the new bit I'm hoping to cut that time in half. With even better surface finish and less sanding time.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

Those sloped top boards are nice I've made a couple myself.Using a router and platform it very time consuming.
I was calling them the pocket board.
What have you named yours?
You do some work Andrew

Aj

Time consuming indeed! CNC makes it so much easier.

I just call them sloped carving boards. People who cook
usually know immediately what they are made like that for.

[Chris Padilla]

Bruce,

Go to YouTube and type in MTMWood. Then sit back and be amazed.