Cutting board fail at 3 months

[Roger Marty]

End-grain cutting board I made in December. About 1 3/8" thick.

I suspect I didn't use enough Titebond III? When I glued it up, I was worried that I wasn't getting enough squeeze out.

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[Mel Fulks]

Looks like the wood broke and the glue is still holding. I think everyone has a moment when they realize that the glue is not the whole story. You will get some good help here.

[Mark Bolton]

I know many will disagree but if you make cutting boards over time and keep some for yourself and use them actively, you will soon find that TBIII is not as bulletproof as people think. It is very thin, has issues with creep, and is very prone to failure. We have torture tested TBIII in cutting boards, exterior tool handles that live 24-7/365 outdoors, exterior glue ups of many kinds. It fails nearly 100% of the time.

I agree with Mel that around the walnut it looks like the wood may have failed but the adjacent sides look like a glue line failure.

End grain tops and boards are tough. Most in the commercial world would not be using PVA.

[Matt Day]

That’s an odd spot for a failure. Usually it’s at the edge of a joint. But if moisture found its way in there that’d explain it.

Mark - what glue would you recommend?

[Roger Marty]

That’s an odd spot for a failure. Usually it’s at the edge of a joint. But if moisture found its way in there that’d explain it.

Mark - what glue would you recommend?

I think moisture got in there. The rest of the board shows small cracks at the glue line. So I suspect I didn't use enough glue to "seal" the glue line.

Indeed, what glue should I use on my next one?

[Art Mann]

Excessive clamping pressure can sometimes squeeze away too much glue and this type failure can result. I can't say that is what caused the problem in this case. I can say that I have used Titebond III in applications like Adirondack chairs that sit out in the weather for years and my failure rate is zero percent. I have seen glue creep but that is an advantage when you have pieces being glued together in different grain directions where expansion/contraction will cause separation and failure. If you are in doubt, use epoxy.

[Mark Bolton]

That’s an odd spot for a failure. Usually it’s at the edge of a joint. But if moisture found its way in there that’d explain it.

Mark - what glue would you recommend?

You know that any cutting board thread that involves finishes or adhesives usually turns into a royal **** storm (the bleeped word is not poop but the more pertinent version of the word). We only use PU or Epoxy now. I can tell you first hand, for us, that TBIII creeps horribly which speaks to glue line movement. For me personally its the worst glue on the planet though I know many use it by default for all their work and have great success but its never been the case for us. Ive long believed that many think if original is good, 1 has got to be better, 2 ever better, and 3 is the mac daddy. It doesnt help that the bottles have "ultimate" on them. We buy TB Super and Original and use it for everything. But counter tops, cutting boards, end grain work, wet locations, or exterior, is all PU or epoxy.

Perfect example. We make boards to give away to customers at the end of the year and always make a few for ourselves and friends. Our personal boards with TBIII? They are still alive, have splits at the ends, clearly show plenty of creep, enough that you can feel it easily with your fingers or fingernails. That said, we treat our cutting boards like they are something we cherish. We use them daily. Lightly wipe them down with warm soapy water. Always stand them on edge with one end up on the lip of the sink so only two points of contact and the edge on the counter isnt in the puddle of water that drips off. Now on the other hand we have cutting boards at SO's mom's house. This is the torture test. Boards are viciously soaked and scrubbed with scalding hot soapy water dozens of times a day whether a bread crumb sat on the board or you butchered a hog on the board. Its something akin to a torture test in an R&D facility. Exact same boards, exact same material, and they fail consistently with TBIII in the torture test.

Couple years ago for the heck of it I made several cant hook handles for the sawmill out of Hickory. Laminated 3 4/4 boards into 3x3 blanks and turned handles on the lathe. I would never laminate an outdoor tool handle but this was a good chance for a TBIII torture test. Three handles with TBIII, two with PU, and two with epoxy. Turned, sanded, heavily oiled for three coats. All live outside in the weather all seasons. All three TBIII handles failed within the year. The PU handles show some slight glue line. Epoxy, none.

We dont use TBII or III for anything though they would be perfectly fine (overkill) for interior work.

This is just our experience. Use what ever you find works best for you. TBIII is nearly double the price of original or super so we just dont keep it in the shop.

[Mark Bolton]

Excessive clamping pressure can sometimes squeeze away too much glue and this type failure can result. I can't say that is what caused the problem in this case. I can say that I have used Titebond III in applications like Adirondack chairs that sit out in the weather for years and my failure rate is zero percent. I have seen glue creep but that is an advantage when you have pieces being glued together in different grain directions where expansion/contraction will cause separation and failure.


Art,
That topic has been hotly debated for years on hobby and commercial forums. I always default to an article that was in FWW years and years ago that showed the math with regards to clamping force required on long grain glue joints and the consensus of the article was that virtually no average shop, even using I Bar clamps spaced 6" apart could ever possibly apply #1 adequate clamping pressure, or #2 no where near enough clamping pressure to every in any way squeeze the PVA out of the joint and "starve the joint". A starved joint is a joint that didnt have enough glue in the first place. If your using epoxy, for sure you can over clamp. But there is no way you can apply too much pressure to a PVA joint using any clamps commonly found in a home or even your average commercial shop. We are talking long grain here now.

There are numerous accounts on the web of people testing this theory. A lightly clamped joint will split on the glueline with a chisel and a mallet. Moderately clamped will show some wood fiber failure. And a joint that is clamped with every ounce of force that can possibly applied will fail outbound of the glue line.

Its worth a few hours in the shop to try it out.

[Mark Bolton]

For reference here is a great thread from another forum. If you read through the replies there are a few tests of glue line failure. One using 40,000lbs of clamping force and then splitting the joint the following day.

http://www.woodweb.com/forum_fdse_files/cabinetmaking/807783.html

There is no amount of clamping force that is too much with PVA, and I would say PU. Epoxy yes.

[Barry McFadden]

Looks like it failed at the glue joint to me.I have made many cutting boards over the years and use Gorilla Glue (the brown stuff not the white)... It's 100% waterproof. I know with cutting boards you are supposed to give them a coating of food safe finish every couple of months or so to keep them sealed but I have ones I use that I have never re-coated in 5 years and have never had a joint come apart.

[Mel Fulks]

The tech reps at Titebond say they have never seen a PVA failure due to "glue starved joint from over clamping"

[mreza Salav]

I am with Mark. I have had similar thing happen to me with Titebond III more than once and I don't trust it as much as other people do. The only glue failure I have had in all my woodworking were all with this glue (varioius stages); never with Titebond I or epoxy.

[Brad Shipton]

Here is an interesting read where I think Gene (aka wood doctor) has explained the cause of your problems. http://www.woodweb.com/forum_fdse_files/cabinetmaking/773233.html

Go search the woodweb for using David Sochar's (in Mark B's link) name and you will find a wealth of discussions on TBIII. Not my fav.

Titebond recommends somewhere between 100 - 200psi bond pressure. Nobody ever achieves that except for factories in very specific applications, nor do we need to for most woodwork applications. If we assume the piece is 1.375"x16" the clamping force would need to have exceeded something like 2,200 - 4,400lb total. I too doubt that excess clamping was the problem.

[Matt Day]

what is PU?

[Andrew Joiner]

Now on the other hand we have cutting boards at SO's mom's house. This is the torture test. Boards are viciously soaked and scrubbed with scalding hot soapy water dozens of times a day whether a bread crumb sat on the board or you butchered a hog on the board. Its something akin to a torture test in an R&D facility. Exact same boards, exact same material, and they fail consistently with TBIII in the torture test.


My mother in law viciously soaked things too! Thanks Mark. I love test results that make me laugh.

[Mark Bolton]

what is PU?


Poly Urethane. Gorilla Glue is one.

[Edwin Santos]

Couple years ago for the heck of it I made several cant hook handles for the sawmill out of Hickory. Laminated 3 4/4 boards into 3x3 blanks and turned handles on the lathe. I would never laminate an outdoor tool handle but this was a good chance for a TBIII torture test. Three handles with TBIII, two with PU, and two with epoxy. Turned, sanded, heavily oiled for three coats. All live outside in the weather all seasons. All three TBIII handles failed within the year. The PU handles show some slight glue line. Epoxy, none.



Mark,
That cant hook test seems to tell the tale. You've reminded me about a recent article in FWW where the author, a furniture maker, makes the case for people to reconsider the common biases against PU glue. Do you have any tips you could share on how you deal with the foamy squeeze out, and how you handle clean up in general when using PU glue or epoxy?
Edwin

[Joe Jensen]

You need to read the book "Understanding Wood". The lighter grain wood pieces are wide and wood warped exactly where the book would show it it will. Wood moves with changes in humidity. All wood moves, because it moves like 3X more parallel to the end grain than perpendicular to the end grain. With a part that's wide like that the differential movement caused it to warp and that made the glue fail. Most issues people here have with warping and glue failure would have been avoided if they understood and accounted for wood movement. To put it in perspective, I live in the desert where it's pretty dry all year. Humidity goes from maybe 6% most of the year to maybe 60% outside in the rainy season. I built a 37" wide kitchen table years ago with flat sawn red oak. It will move in width over 1/4" over the course of a year. I built it to accommodate that movement. 25 years later it's still fine and I expect it will be fine for many more years. I also built night stands and a dresser out of Quarter sawn sapele. It's quite stable. The side are glued up pieces of solid Sapele that fasten to the upper and lower frames in sliding dovetails. this is because when I calculated the wood movement I could see as much as 1/8" movement from very dry to humid. I didn't want the furniture to tear itself apart over time so I designed it so that whenever I fasten parts together where the grain will change directions, I did it in a way to enable the wood to breath. Funny, you hear marketing a lot on furniture polish that will "FEED" the wood which is silly. However we should all be designing furniture that enables wood to move.

[glenn bradley]

TB-III at 3-1/2 years of near-daily (yes seriously) use. Just sayin' . . .

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Re-oiled with mineral oil whenever it appears dry (about every two months). Resurfaced by me a couple of times (scrub the surface and let dry, a run or two through the drum sander at 220, re-oil and return). The way my SIL entertains . . . by all rights, this board should be dead :D

[Mark Bolton]

Joe and Glenn,
I read Hoadleys book as the bible. The unfortunate fact you have to realize is that the consumer (maybe your customer or not) doesnt read, nor care, about the principles in that book. And no amount of preparation and wood choice, and grain orientation, and education of your customer, is going to offset the abuse and neglect that the "big box" consumer is going to inflict on your preciously chosen piece.

It is of no surprise to me That glenn's board still looks good. Anyone who would take the pains to fabricate a board, with inlay, for their own use, is going to use good material, best practices, focus on joinery, AND take care of their board. The boards I mention in my torture test, TO THIS DAY, HAVE NEVER BEEN RE-OILED. They left our shop with a coat of 1:6 mineral oil and bees wax. They have never been touched since. I will guarantee you that the people who buy the millions of cutting boards that are churned out of garage shops daily NEVER re-oil them.

Hoadleys book has nothing to do with my tool handle test. It was a test of glue line failure due to hard use and some would say gross neglect. None the less we have people "thinking" that TBIII is a bullet proof exterior glue. It is not.

Me telling my customers who want a solid wood counter top, regardless of how much I tell them its a bad idea, are never going read, and adhere to, he sound principles in Hoadleys book. Its why we have contracts and disclaimers.

What you need to do is glue up a board with TBIII and put it through its paces like it will see when its sold at a shop or a craft fair. Then test one with PU, then one with Epoxy.

How each of us treats our own work is irrelevant.

[johnny means]

No glue would have held that joint shut. You can plainly see that the boards used would have cupped in that exact manner. The only thing they a different adhesive would have changed is the nature of the failure.

[Mark Bolton]

Mark,
Do you have any tips you could share on how you deal with the foamy squeeze out, and how you handle clean up in general when using PU glue or epoxy?
Edwin


There are people here far more knowledgeable than me . My only advice would be oversized component based construction. Where you build sub assemblies which are slightly oversized and then will be dimensioned to final size reducing the amount of glue ups/assemblies that will have to be cleaned up manually. A cutting board is easy, glue it up with edgeged rough sawn blanks, scrape the foam/squeazout from one face, plane, flip plane, and done. More complex assemblies there is going to be some inconvenient manual work to deal with it. I dont use tape or anything else unless its absolutely a bear to cleanup (an inside corner would be reasonable to tape).

I think a hard part in the hobby world (of course where I started) is the Norm notion of bringing things to final size and then painstakingly gluing them up to allow for hand tool and hand machine cleanup. His model was to make things possible with modest tools (his shop in the end was far from modest) Its much easier to clean up your edges, glue your work up with dead rough faces, then plane or bring the sub assemblies down to thickness. Even if your limited with a 12" planer and your making a 40" wide table top. If your material allows make sub assemblies at 12" wide and run them through the planer, then glue to 4 subs to each other with dowels (dead clean face alignment) and hand surface 4 joints instead of the whole top.

Things like that. We have to do stuff like that every day because we dont have a 52" sander.

[Brad Shipton]

Glenn's is a great example of quality, but I am not sure it is a fair comparison to an end grain glueup. Everyone loves the end grain look, but how many painstakingly go thru their stock like Joe suggests for an end grain project where you are dealing with maybe 100 or more little pieces? I sure would not have wanted to be the guy that had to re-build that 5" end grain counter top in the thread Mark posted.

[Mark Bolton]

I sure would not have wanted to be the guy that had to re-build that 5" end grain counter top in the thread Mark posted.

I hurt over that one for days and it wasnt even my job. The material cost alone.... gosh. Major major bummer.

[mreza Salav]

I have made a number of cutting boards, and we use 3 of them in our own house (all endgrain). None is soaked in water. None goes to dishwasher. Once salad is cut I rinse the surface and wipe/dry with a paper towel. I oil them once every month or two. So, its fair to say we don't abuse any of our cutting boards. Two have failed in the same manner. Were built at different times using different batch of TB III.

[Mark Bolton]

I dont think TBIII is the culprit other than the marketing and the adoption of it as "the standard" in the hobby and craft world but that extends straight on through even into the post I linked to.

For me personally. Its not anywere near the best glue. But TB super and TB original have served me without fail.

Any glue that allows movement is going to bite you in the A** eventually. Because the movement is going to be more than your customer is willing to accept, or more than the glue line can handle, and then you will have a costly failure.

[Brian Holcombe]

IMO. It’s too thin, end grain cutting boards should be thicker.

[Roger Marty]

No glue would have held that joint shut. You can plainly see that the boards used would have cupped in that exact manner. The only thing they a different adhesive would have changed is the nature of the failure.

Because the pieces were 1.5-2" wide instead of 1" wide?

[Andrew Hughes]

To me it looks like the op glued up end grain to long grain. But in looking at the photo from my phone so it hard to tell..

[Roger Marty]

No, that's not the case. It's all end grain facing up

[Joe Jensen]

Joe and Glenn,
my tool handle test. It was a test of glue line failure due to hard use and some would say gross neglect. None the less we have people "thinking" that TBIII is a bullet proof exterior glue. It is not.

I hate TBIII. I use TB1 or Elmers yellow for furniture and I use epoxy for anything that will see moisture. Thanks for sharing your test.

[andy bessette]

I use WEST epoxy.

[Bill Orbine]

Did the cutting board end up soaking in sink a while or place in dishwasher? Or....did the fabricator of the cutting board observe proper temperatures when doing the glue assembly? Either shop, lumber or glue could have been too cold....I noticed assembly was in December. Was this adhesive fresh and stored properly?

While I'm not a fan of TightBond III, I'm thinking some other unfavorable condition(s) lead to premature failure of the joint. It seems several other joints in the picture provided by OP is not looking too good.

[Phil Mueller]

Regarding a few posts on care, I have a number of end grain cutting boards around the country with relatives and friends. None of them oil the things, let alone keep them dry. Whenever I happen to be visiting, I oil their boards. I have good friends who love to cook and when we’re invited over, I take the board home with me to recondition and return. When I see some of them after 6 months or a year, I’m amazed they haven’t blown apart. FYI, I used Titebond II, and to date, even with abuse, none have separated.

I might add, that when I gifted the boards, I included a brief “how to care for” instruction sheet and a bottle of cutting board oil. Usually, the bottle hasn’t been touched :confused:

[Art Mann]

Well, I can't say that I have personally experienced the problem of too much clamping pressure. Its just that I have read a lot of accounts of failures that look like that and are attributed to too much clamping. I don't need to experiment. I will just take your word for it that it isn't true.


For reference here is a great thread from another forum. If you read through the replies there are a few tests of glue line failure. One using 40,000lbs of clamping force and then splitting the joint the following day.

http://www.woodweb.com/forum_fdse_files/cabinetmaking/807783.html

There is no amount of clamping force that is too much with PVA, and I would say PU. Epoxy yes.

[mreza Salav]

finally, I see there are others like me that don't like and don't trust TB III. I use their TB I without any failure and use west system for anything else that is critical and needs waterproofing.

[Al Launier]

In reference to comments above I do agree that end grain boards can be produced with very desirable designs, but so also can those with edge grain as demonstrated by Glenn's board. However, from my practical perspective I'd sooner make boards with edge grain, not only because they are far less labor intensive, tend to draw in more moisture, and I feel they are more durable standing up against the cutting edge of knives.

As for glue, I've not tried PU glue or epoxy for boards, actually I hadn't even considered PU glue. I've used TB III for just about everything, including boards, and have not experienced these failures.

Here is an older, but informative article about PU glue https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/the_truth_about_polyurethane_glue

[Andrew Joiner]

To the OP. If you think you didn't apply enough glue, do a torture test and see for yourself. It can be fun.
The guy I apprenticed under 48 years ago tested white glue in the shower for a long time with no failure. I believed him, but did my own test and and got more results.
Now I'm a regular tester. My materials my glue my conditions and temperatures. I keep records of the results.

Thank you Mark for posting your actual experiences.

[Mark Bolton]

I'd sooner make boards with edge grain, not only because they are far less labor intensive, tend to draw in more moisture, and I feel they are more durable standing up against the cutting edge of knives.

Thats interesting because the conventional thoughts behind end grain is the opposite. That end grain has the boards in a bundle of straws orientation with the straws standing up on end which allows a knife edge to penetrate but not sever the long fibers. Often times people feel end grain boards are somewhat self-healing.

I too hardly ever make end grain boards or tops for the reason you mention. They are a monstrous amount of work and can be riddled with problems down the road if a board or two, or piece or two, dont behave well in the crowd.

I have old long grain boards that clearly show knife marks that an end grain board would never show but I think the end grain board issue stems back to times when butchers and cooks were breaking down large animal parts, de-boning, and so on, with heavy cleavers and knives. That situation would not bode well for a long grain board. However in todays world the end grain boards seem to be more about beauty and aesthetics. They are definitely beautiful.

I dont think I know anyone that even owns, much less uses, a heavy meat cleaver on a regular basis. A chefs knife is about the biggest thing that would likely come in contact with any board we've made. If someone asked for a butchering block I would go out i the woods and cut them a large white oak round. Square it up, and put some legs on it lol.

[Roger Marty]

A couple more pictures of the same board. There is separation on several of the glue lines, but there is also a piece of walnut that cracked *not* on the glue line. I'm perplexed! This is an ~8x8" board so making it thicker than 1.5" seems awkward.

I'm making another one soon. Epoxy?

[Mark Bolton]

Walnut is a pretty porous wood and in my experience will take a glue joint much better than many other woods. To me I wouldnt be surprised at all to see the Walnut fail past the glue line while the adjacent wood failed at the glue line.

The end shot of your board looks like any heavily used long grain board we have ever made with TBIII. It looks literally like any TBIII glue line failure I have ever seen. Im not trying to bash TBIII, but as I said in my original post, I just dont think its as bullet proof as people want to think.

Thankfully we live in the Walmart generation where people are just accustomed to things failing and falling apart and having to re-purchase. We go to a craft show every year where a guy has a booth with literally hundreds and hundreds of cutting boards that I can only assume are all made with TBIII. I doubt he ever gets a return or call back. They just get tossed, or given to the neighbor to rip and re-glue, etc..

[Mark Bolton]

I'm making another one soon. Epoxy?

Make two. One epoxy and one PU. And torture test the hell out of them. Its actually kind of fun and you gain direct knowledge as opposed to tradition, speculation, etc..

[Barry McFadden]

Make two. One epoxy and one PU. And torture test the hell out of them. Its actually kind of fun and you gain direct knowledge as opposed to tradition, speculation, etc..

OR.......just use the brown Gorilla Glue.....problem solved!!

[Art Mann]

I have sold several custom inlaid cutting boards like the ones in the pictures below and I don't know of a single owner who has ever gotten one wet.

[john bateman]

No one has mentioned it, but maybe the joinery was just not good enough. If you are trying to fill gaps with glue, then you really won't get a good enough bond for something that will get wet.
In the initial pic some of the unbroken glue lines don't look that great.

[tom lucas]

No one has mentioned it, but maybe the joinery was just not good enough. If you are trying to fill gaps with glue, then you really won't get a good enough bond for something that will get wet.
In the initial pic some of the unbroken glue lines don't look that great.

That is what I was thinking too. Either not cleanly joined, or insufficient glue, or both. I've only made a few end grain boards with TBIII, but none have failed. I did join them carefully and always apply too much glue.

And end grain cutting boards, when made properly, will outperform face grain. Face grain will eventually cut/chip out, shows cut marks proudly, and dulls knives. End grain is self-healing and will not dull a knife. End grains CBs are a PITA to make if you don't have a surface sander.

[Brad Shipton]

I have to get my hands on one of those contracts Art makes you sign when you buy a board off him. :D

[Brian Holcombe]

End grain is harder on a knife but makes a longer lasting cutting board. As example: Sushi boards (yanagi-ba are typically made very very sharp) are always made from long grain in Cypress or cedar and resurfaced when needed. I have a softwood endgrain cutting board for years now and like it best as a moderate between the two extremes.

Hardwood is considered more if a luxury here, but not a better choice (imo).

The chef matters as well, some don’t know how to keep a knife sharp when cutting, but generally softwoods with a planed surface are easiest on blades.

[Edwin Santos]

Hi,
I have yet to make an actual cutting board as such, but what you see in the photos might be considered a close cousin. This is what they call a Tagliere in Italy, basically a wood serving board for antipasti, charcuterie, cheeses, crostini. I wish I had a picture of it all loaded because they make a great impression in the center of a table surrounded by friends with glasses of wine where everyone can help themselves to salami, prosciutto etc. Sometimes in Italy Tagliere boards are rustic looking with bark still attached but I was going for a more stylish look.

I used TBIII which is not to argue with those who criticize it in this thread. Since this is more of a serving board, it doesn't see hard knife chopping, and because it's mine, I would never ever submerge it in water. At most it gets rinsed briefly and dried immediately. However, the inlay is all thin strips in a bent lamination, and the TBIII seemed to work very well for that. Because of the application, I didn't even consider end grain. I think doing so would have just added a ton of grief.

I believe the finish makes a difference for protecting cutting and serving boards. IMO mineral oil rinses right off and you're back to bare wood, so what I used here was Tried and True Original Wood Finish which takes some patience but polymerizes into a protective layer, at least better than mineral oil does.

I utilized dowels in the joinery, but the only reason for that was to help me keep the brick running bond pattern from creeping and the dowels were located to secure the offset during glue-up. That said, when I was sawing it apart and re-joining it for the inlays, I think I was daydreaming about drinking a glass of wine with Penelope Cruz and my alignment crept a little.

So how do you store a 32" long mini surfboard? Keyhole slot in the back, hang it on the wall in the pantry. Looks kind of cool hanging there. After the comments in this thread, if I make another I might use PU adhesive but I'm also going to keep an eye on this one to see if the joints fail.
Edwin

381618381619381620381622

[Mark Bolton]

Absolutely beautiful piece of work. Really really nice.

[Al Launier]

In reference to comments above I do agree that end grain boards can be produced with very desirable designs, but so also can those with edge grain as demonstrated by Glenn's board. However, from my practical perspective I'd sooner make boards with edge grain, not only because they are far less labor intensive, tend to draw in more moisture, and I feel they are more durable standing up against the cutting edge of knives.

As for glue, I've not tried PU glue or epoxy for boards, actually I hadn't even considered PU glue. I've used TB III for just about everything, including boards, and have not experienced these failures.

Here is an older, but informative article about PU glue https://www.popularwoodworking.com/article/the_truth_about_polyurethane_glue

Correction: I misspoke. I didn't mean to say edge grain draws in more moisture, I believe it actually draws in less moisture.

[Al Launier]

Thats interesting because the conventional thoughts behind end grain is the opposite. That end grain has the boards in a bundle of straws orientation with the straws standing up on end which allows a knife edge to penetrate but not sever the long fibers. Often times people feel end grain boards are somewhat self-healing.

I too hardly ever make end grain boards or tops for the reason you mention. They are a monstrous amount of work and can be riddled with problems down the road if a board or two, or piece or two, don't behave well in the crowd.

I have old long grain boards that clearly show knife marks that an end grain board would never show but I think the end grain board issue stems back to times when butchers and cooks were breaking down large animal parts, de-boning, and so on, with heavy cleavers and knives. That situation would not bode well for a long grain board. However in todays world the end grain boards seem to be more about beauty and aesthetics. They are definitely beautiful.

I dont think I know anyone that even owns, much less uses, a heavy meat cleaver on a regular basis. A chefs knife is about the biggest thing that would likely come in contact with any board we've made. If someone asked for a butchering block I would go out i the woods and cut them a large white oak round. Square it up, and put some legs on it lol.

Thank you for pointing that out!
I agree totally. I misspoke about edge grain drawing in more moisture, it draws in less, significantly less, hardly much at all. This is especially true with end grain of red oak!
I have a habit of revising/rearranging text when I write & occasionally find errors that I should have caught before submitting them.

[Al Launier]

Edwin, your work is very impressive!
I've tried something like that only once (cheese cutting board) and it was challenge for me. Any tutorial references you could offer?

[Nick Decker]

Edwin, that is a beautiful board.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I think moisture got in there. The rest of the board shows small cracks at the glue line. So I suspect I didn't use enough glue to "seal" the glue line.

Indeed, what glue should I use on my next one?Was at The show in Chantilly this weekend. Alex Snodgrass makes 3-D cutting boards,and recommends AGAINST using Tite Bond III. He says use type II instead. A quick tip I picked up for you band saw box makers. Before using CA glue, spread some Tite Bond II on your fingers, and rub together for a few seconds. Then use Ca, and if it sticks to anything, it will be glue that peals right off.