End grain cutting board Warpage?

Explain warped. Are the joints separating? Or is the whole cutting board surface twisting?

Dalec

We made 5 of those boards for Christmas, the same exact thing happened to ours, I just flipped them concave side down and waited for them to straighten.
I only had to slightly plane one of them, they seemed alive!!!
After we finished with Salad Bowl they sat for about a week and didn’t rewarp, haven’t heard from the recipients but I guess there alright.
hope it works the same for you.

-- MARK IN BOB, So. CAL

It is an issue of the different types of wood expanding at different rates due to moisture difference in the those woods?

Dalec

Dalec, the joints weren’t separating, the whole board started to curl up. Thanks Mark, It was a mystery to me why this was happening. the wood was well acclimated, I thought that maybe I had’nt left it in the clamps long enough. I did the same thing as you and decided to proceed with finishing the board. Glad to know I was’nt the only one that this had happened to. Thanks for the imput.

-- stevie rae

Stevie,

How thick is your cutting board? I am thinking maybe if it is on the thinner side that it may not be as stable??

Dalec

run it thru your drum sander … a little bit on each side until both sides clean up

-- ..... art for lifes sake ... danwalters@lumberjocks.com

Dan,

Got stuck looking at why the board warped and not at a solutions. Thanks for bringing it back to focus.

Dalec

Dalec the board was 1”+1/4. Clamped it again with cawls and it flattened out . Just hoping it stays that way. I went on TWW’s forum and aparrantly this has happened to quite a few people.

-- stevie rae

Stevierae,

Sure would be nice to understand what caused all those cutting boards to warp.

Hope you were able to fix the warpage problem.

Dalec

Were the boards glued up (placed) with one side flat on a bench top? Wood glue has a lot of water in it which needs to escape through the wood. If the board was flat on a table or bench the water would leave the exposed side a LOT faster than the side down against the bench / table top. The same end grain that makes the board easy on knives allows water to evaporate very very quickly. If I remember correctly Matt recommended storing the boards on edge which would prevent uneven drying and the resulting warping. The board should go flat, or nearly so, after the moisture content has gone back to equilibrium.

-- Che.

Che has what is probably the correct answer. He has explained it perfectly well.

-- Just another woodworker

Che’s explanation makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

Dalec

I have had this problem with a few of the cutting boards I have made, none of them endgrain. If the board is layed flat on a counter it will warp no matter what glue, finish, wood type you use. Wood will always continue to absorb moisture and expand and contract. The side laying flat on the counter will not have the same exposure to the atmosphere and will casue the board to cup or rack. I tried to combat this by installing wood bungs as feet but the boards just slid on the counter, and then I couldnt run it through the sander without chiseling off the feet. I just tell people I give them to to try and store the board on its side when not in use.

-- Women love me.....trees fear me

Thank you guys. Alot of good info.

-- stevie rae