LumberJocks

Is the maple from home depot hard enough for a cutting board?

  • View all advertisers
  • Advertise with us

« back to Woodworking Skill Share forum

Forum topic by EricW posted 894 days ago 3108 views 0 times favorited 6 replies Add to Favorites Watch
View EricW's profile

EricW

86 posts in 1321 days


894 days ago

Topic tags/keywords: maple cutting board

I am going to be making a 3 inch think endgrain cutting board out of maple for a friend of mine. My budget is not large, and home depot is just down the road. Is the maple bought at home depot the correct type?

I have heard there is soft and hard maples.. but i certainly cannot tell the difference? Does anyone know?

Thanks!
-Eric




6 replies so far

View SwedishIron's profile

SwedishIron

142 posts in 1446 days


#1 posted 894 days ago

I believe the borg stores only sell soft maple.. but don’t worry about that.. soft maple is plenty hard enough for a cutting board.

-- Scott, Colorado

View BTKS's profile

BTKS

1742 posts in 1269 days


#2 posted 894 days ago

Do some shopping around and look for a local sawyer. Many of them not only saw but do some drying as well. I’m a little torn on the benefits of kiln drying, especially for something that is most likely going to be treated in oil anyway. I think you’ll like the price and selection the local mills can give you. Best sources of info might me a local cabinet shop or yellow pages. Some of the guys who work millwork area in HD might know of some locals too. Hope this helps. BTKS

-- "Man's ingenuity has outrun his intelligence" (Joseph Wood Krutch)

View childress's profile

childress

832 posts in 1347 days


#3 posted 894 days ago

Yeah, home depot’s prices per board foot are about 3 times that of what I pay at the lumber yard. I would check around like BTKS said.

-- Childress Woodworks

View jockmike2's profile

jockmike2

10641 posts in 2051 days


#4 posted 893 days ago

If HD or Menards is the only place you can buy maple, it’s fine for a cutting board or anything. I’ve used it to make a chair. It’s plenty hard. I’ve even used it on the lathe to make the front legs.

-- (You just have to please the man in the Mirror) Mike from Michigan -

View Rick  Dennington's profile

Rick Dennington

2712 posts in 999 days


#5 posted 893 days ago

Greetings Eric: As stated above by the others, soft maple is fine to use. It is tight-grained, and if mixed with walnut or purpleheart, it makes a beautiful cutting board. The wood really pops when you put the oil to it. I made about 4, mixed and matched the wood, and they’re great. Hard maple is sometimes hard to come by.

-- " I went fishing yesterday...all I got was a sunburn....!!!

View EricW's profile

EricW

86 posts in 1321 days


#6 posted 893 days ago

thanks a lot guys!

Have your say...

You must be signed in to reply.

DISCLAIMER: Any posts on LJ are posted by individuals acting in their own right and do not necessarily reflect the views of LJ. LJ will not be held liable for the actions of any user.

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

HomeRefurbers.com

Latest Projects | Latest Blog Entries | Latest Forum Topics

GardenTenders.com :: gardening showcase