Cutting Boards – Do They Need Feet?

[Bill Adamsen]

The loml asked if I could make a few cutting boards for gifts she could distribute to her (our) relatives. I had a few hard maple boards I needed to get rid of so I used those to make a few basically identical end-grain cutting boards. I used TBIII and basically jointed and planed the material and then lightly scuffed with 120 grit and a block before the first glueup. Then ran through the wide belt for the second glue-up and cutoff 1-1/2" strips which I hand sanded again to make sure there glue sides were clean. Glued, clamped, good squeeze out, everything looks great. Ran through the wide belt and then the orbital to remove scratch marks. I let them air cure for a week and then finish sanded. They've remained flat and smooth so I assume any moisture introduced by the TBIII is gone. To me they look like great chefs cutting boards. And they are reversible. But ... I can't help but think that no matter what finish I put on them, if they are left sitting in water on a counter or in the sink, they are going to explode.

Do any of you put feet on your boards to elevate the board bottom and minimize that problem? One drawback is that they would no longer be reversible. The other issue is that being end-grain ... structurally the center would be very weak.

Picture shows the board underneath some baguettes I baked last night for a daughter's team party. Believe it or not she actually asked especially for these baguettes. That made me feel pretty good.

[Jim Becker]

I do not have feet on my cutting board (it's not reversible, either because it has an edge that catches the side of the island to keep it from slipping around) and yes, it's not completely flat at this point. It doesn't actually bother me. I suspect your end-grain cutting boards will be a heck of a lot more stable that mine which is edge/face grain. Reversability is a nice quality, so for that reason alone, I wouldn't include "feet" on your boards.

[lowell holmes]

That is a nice looking board. I'd say you got it right.

[Peter Christensen]

I haven't put feet on mine but you could make a frame the cutting board can sit on that would lift it a bit and still able to flip the board or take it to the sink for a wipe down. The frame can have non-skid feet so it stays put on the counter.

What kind of cutting are you doing that would break a cutting board? You slamming sides of beef on them? :)

By the way the bread looks delicious!

[john bateman]

My wife frequently spills liquids around her cutting boards, so I glue on rubberized cork discs as feet. You can find them on ebay approx. 1/4" thick and 1" diameter.
Even though her boards won't "explode" they would get pretty grimy if left flat on the counter.

[David Bassett]

... Do any of you put feet on your boards to elevate the board bottom and minimize that problem? One drawback is that they would no longer be reversible. The other issue is that being end-grain ... structurally the center would be very weak. ...

I remember a posting by Dave, the original owner of BoardSmith, saying all their boards came with feet because it avoided the returns caused by damage from sitting in water. (John, the current BoardSmith owner, seems to have feet on all of their current boards.)

Of course, YMMV. (How "teachable" are your wife's intended gift recipients?)

[Marty Tippin]

I always put feet on mine to keep the bottom from getting wet and (sometimes) to hide the imperfections of a not-perfectly-flat cutting board. My cutting boards are non-reversible and have hand holds routed into the lower edges on each side.

I use feet like these https://www.homedepot.com/p/Shepherd-1-in-Heavy-Duty-Anti-Skid-Surface-Pads-4-per-Pack-9644/100390160

[Bill Adamsen]

Thanks guys. I had never seen the boardsmith site but in fact "butcher block" (end grain) is the board I've made. I had considered - like Marty suggests - routing in a board-end finger grab hold. But then figured I'd already put enough time into these as gifts and that was just an opportunity to make a mistake. So many good ideas. I like the cork discs on the bottom, I like the rubber feet, the frame ... I also like the idea of just throwing them in a box with a shipping label for their destination.

[Marty Tippin]

Bill, you didn't say whether the cutting boards are still bare wood or if you applied any kind of finish to them.

If you haven't applied a finish, I'd strongly advise, at minimum, soaking the boards with pure mineral oil - the endgrain will soak up a *lot* of oil before becoming saturated - then wipe off the excess.

A better way would be to first soak with mineral oil, then make up a mixture of beeswax and mineral oil (maybe 4 parts mineral oil to 1 part beeswax) and apply that, while still warm, to the entire cutting board. Let it cool and soak in as much as it will, then wipe off the excess and buff with a dry dish towel. You'll go a long way toward keeping water on the outside of the board where it belongs. And the boards will look 1000% nicer than just plain wood. If you don't have any beeswax on hand or available easily, you can buy (very overpriced) "butcher block conditioner" that is pretty much the same stuff. When you give the boards as gifts, include a note advising the recipient to get some of the conditioner and apply it every few months.

[Pat Barry]

It's almost sure thing that a cutting board may warp a bit so the feet help with that. After a couple years flip it over with feet on the other side.

[Jim Morgan]

All of the gluing surface in an end-grain cutting board is long-grain to long-grain, so not sure why you think that "structurally the center would be very weak". Perhaps what you could do would be to offer your recipients a choice. Include a set of feet and a note explaining your concern and give them a choice - either install the feet or apply mineral oil/beeswax to seal both sides of the cutting board. They are the ones who will be using them, so why not let them decide?

[Bill Adamsen]

All of the gluing surface in an end-grain cutting board is long-grain to long-grain, so not sure why you think that "structurally the center would be very weak"
Your confidence is greater than mine. It is not so much the glue as the fibers of the wood. It is very difficult to break a piece of wood lengthwise, yet easy to break the cutoff end of a piece of a wide piece of wood.

[Bill Adamsen]

By the way the bread looks delicious!
Thanks Peter ... the inside (the "crumb" – true test of a bread) came out nicely as well.

[William A Johnston]

Bill,

I've always put small clear peel and stick rubber feet on the ones I've made. You have too wait a week or two to let the mineral oil seep out but it keeps mine from moving around and gives about a 3/16 inch air gap between the counter and the board. Plus you could always peel them off and flip the board and put some new ones on the board.

Bill

[Jim Morgan]

Your confidence is greater than mine. It is not so much the glue as the fibers of the wood. It is very difficult to break a piece of wood lengthwise, yet easy to break the cutoff end of a piece of a wide piece of wood.

Well, that depends on how long and how thick the cutoff end might be. If it is 1" long by 3/4" thick, well, sure. If it is 16" long by 1.5" thick (more like the dimensions of your cutting board, I'd guess), not so much. If you clamped one edge and whacked the other with a heavy hammer, you might be able to break it, but under everyday conditions in a kitchen, nothing comparable is likely to happen.

[glenn bradley]

On my boards the juice groove side is for meats and the smooth side is for veggies. No feet.

[Andrew Hughes]

No feed on the boards I make. I'm thinking it's good to have both sides to use,I finished two end grain boards in beech 2 inches thick no way in hell anyone going to break them. Last year I used Hardmaple I like working with beech better.

[Phil Mueller]

I don’t put feet on my end grain cutting boards (I just like to be able to use both sides). As suggested above, I condition mine well and every few months. When I give them out as gifts, I include a brief “care and maintenance” note and a bottle of butcher block conditioner.

[Ron Citerone]

I make mine 2" thick and put nonmarring rubber feet with stainless screws. I like the idea of the board not sitting in liquids that are on the counter. It does make thm one sided though.

[Mike Cutler]

I don't put feet on mine, but I can see the added benefit.
The boards I've made for home use are about 6/4 bubinga. Warping hasn't been an issue, but it's also just my wife and I at home.
I think putting the feet in the box was a great idea. The user can determine if they want feet or not.

Yeah, that was some some nice looking bread!

[Ian Scofield]

I usually put feet on mine, one on each corner. However I made a large cutting board for my family, and was worried about the middle being unsupported and eventually sagging or cracking. So I put one right in the center, it has stayed dead flat for a couple years now.

[Bill Adamsen]

All great ideas ... the LOML says on reflection the boards I made are too large (length x width) so I now have an opportunity to make them the right size and make the adjustments to the design necessary. My fault for not having a written (and signed) specification. No worries.

[Brian Tymchak]

Just a thought off the top of the head - how about a non-skid rubber mesh under the board while in use? That would keep the 2-sided functionality, provide a non-skid board, and I'm assuming would be thick enough to keep the board out of any puddles on the counter. I've seen a mesh like that although I did not come up with anything this morning with a quick google.

[Ted Calver]

^^^ I like Brian's idea. Saw some decorative silicone mats at Bed Bath and Beyond yesterday and just now made the connection to cutting boards.

[Peter Christensen]

Those silicone mats, unless quite thick with an open weave, will wick moisture under the cutting board, won't they?

It must be me but I rarely get water under the cutting board and if I do, it gets wiped up when the food prep is done and the board gets a wipe too. Because I only put a 1/8" radius on the corners I can stand the board up on the edge for a while to let both sides dry off.

[Ted Calver]

The mats I saw had large open weave. I'll buy one and give it a try.

[Maria Alvarado]

Nice board (and bread)! An alternative is removable feet. There is a product called Chobs that is a set of silicone feet that are on clips, so they spring attach to the four corners. I've seen them at Woodcraft, no doubt you can find them online. You could include them and let the recipient decide? Covers your bases. I have not used them myself, so I can't say whether they work well, just another option.

[Rick Alexander]

I use plastic cutting boards a lot in my side catering business. It's just standard fare for me to just put a bar mop towel under the cutting board to keep it from moving around and to soak up any liquid that rolls off. Why not just suggest the user do that when using it so it stays reversible. I think end grain reversible would last a LONG time - obviously 2x's longer if you just do that. A towel will also work better than 4 little cork circles to keep it still anyway especially when the liquid starts to fly. Also helps if the table or the cutting board is not perfectly flat using a towel.

[Al Launier]

No feet on my boards, but when necessary my wife uses a nonslip table mat.

[Roger Bull]

I also put feet on mine. Clear silicone with stainless screws. Feet help remove the chances of splitting after sitting on water on a countertop. Of course that makes them single sided. I tell recipients to return for resurfacing anytime there is too much wear on the cutting surface.

[Bill Adamsen]

New recipients were found for the boards I'd previously made. I added some feet in the package (with stainless screws) since I couldn't bring myself to drill holesin the bottoms.

I made a few smaller boards to satisfy the spouse and the folks she had in mind for the smaller boards. Very different style. Used bb ends to keep flat and used the mortiser to cut square peg holes. End holes are elongated for expansion/contraction. Was able to recycle some scrap and they came out fine.

[Keith Pleas]

...so I used those to make a few basically identical end-grain cutting boards...Picture shows the board underneath some baguettes I baked last night for a daughter's team party.
Beautiful image and baguettes - but I'm not seeing the "end-grain" in the picture. What am I missing?