Cutting board fail at 3 months

[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.

[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

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[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/a...yurethane_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.