End Grain Movement

[Ryan Tea]

Hello, I am doing one of the largest end grain projects I have ever done and slightly concerned with the wood movement. I have read numerous previous posts, but I did not see any real definitive answers.

I started with 8/4 Walnut. The end result is about 1 3/4" thick and 3.5" wide blocks (one strip 1.75" to offset the checker when I flip them). I will be doing two separate glue ups so I can get each panel through my planer when I do the faces. I will be doing my second end grain cuts at either 2" or 2.5" inches for my final thickness.

My question is:

- How important are the grain patterns when doing such a large and thick end grain piece? 8/4 Walnut isn't cheap so I want to make sure...haha

- Meaning growth rings up, down, up, down....up, up, up...down, down, down....etc? See pics below

Thanks!

IMG_4649.jpgIMG_4650.jpgIMG_4651.jpgIMG_4652.jpgIMG_4653.jpg

[Patrick Kane]

They are definitely finicky in larger dimensions. I think thickness is more crucial than growth ring orientation. With the orientation of end grain, the piece can take on or give off moisture very quickly(relative to normal face grain surfaces). Wood moves the majority of its moisture through the end grain. Thicker leads to better stabilizing, in my opinion. Not to mention end grain isnt the strongest glueup from a structural standpoint. Ive done several large end grain pieces. Ive made them 6-7" thick, and ive done thinner. The one where i had a major issue was 1.75-2" thick and 40" by 72" long. End grain walnut. The contractor left it on concrete like a freaking idiot. It soaked up moisture over night in the garage and bowed 1.5" in the middle. It was such a mess, but i ended up getting it down to .25" bow by introducing moisture on the opposite face over numerous sessions. The other builds were much thicker and handled with more care by the end-user. To date, they havent had any issues, and some are going on 7-8 years old now.

Whats the total dimension of the piece? Anything over 3-4' is when I take extra precautions with end grain. Mostly in the form of thickness. As far as growth ring, I always try to alternate whenever possible.

[Ryan Tea]

Patrick, thank you very much for sharing your experiences. I should have listed it in the beginning, but the overall size isn't going to be that big. I am looking at 24-28" long by 18" wide and 2-2.5" thick. This is going to be an end grain cutting board for cooking. Thanks.

[Patrick Kane]

Oh geez, dude. Yeah, you have nothing to worry about.

[jeff norris 2011]

Should not have any issues