# Choosing lumber size for end grain cutting board



## IdeasYouSpark (Apr 12, 2020)

I am currently in the process of choosing hardwood for my first end grain cutting board with the finished dimensions of 12×18 and 1 3/4" thick. I've watched many videos on the topic including The Wood Whisper who recommends 8/4 lumber, but I've also seen countless woodworkers use scrap materials of all dimensions. So when ordering, should I choose 8/4, 6/4 or even as low as 4/4? I would greatly appreciate any comments and critique folks are willing to give.


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## Zort (Jan 15, 2019)

I used 6/4 that I milled to 1.25.

I only wanted my board 1.25 thick and I wanted "checker board cubes" made of maple and cherry


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

I make cutting boards out of scraps. But I can mill my pieces to fit if you cannot joint,plane,rip then buy what makes sense to you.
I think a end grain board of that size should finish out at least 2 inches thick.
To help with warping 
Good Luck


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## WalkerR (Feb 8, 2017)

If you are using the end grain, then the thickness of the board is going to end up being the width of the strips you see on the top of you cutting board. It's completely up to your opinion of what looks good. I've used as narrow as 5/8" (after planing). Most of the time I like 1" thick. For me, that means buying 5/4 rough and planing to size.

Aj2 makes a point, we don't know what tools you have. If you need to buy already dimensioned wood, keep in mind that 6/4 nominal is likely to be 1 1/8" thick once worked.


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## IdeasYouSpark (Apr 12, 2020)

Hi guys! Thank you for your input. As for tools at my disposal… if you ask my other half, I have every saw known to man. But seriously; I have a Rigid jobsite table saw, miter saw, two orbital sanders, belt sander, Makita trim router, six clamps (working on getting more) and much more. Unfortunately my shop has not reached a milling stage tool-wise yet. Hoping to get a hold of a planer in the near future. I've been working with wood and DIY home improvement projects for several years now. But this will only be my second time working with hardwoods. My first was just recently and my own design which was a case for my sister's stained glass panel to be displayed and lighted.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I've got a friend with a cabinet shop. He gives as much of his cut offs as I can handle. It's all 4/4 stock. I've made over 3 dozen end grain cutting board and they all turned out amazing. Your only limited by your imagination.


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## IdeasYouSpark (Apr 12, 2020)

Good to know BurlyBob! I have a hardwood lumber company down the road a bit from me. I've heard tell that lumber companies can sometimes offer shorts. But haven't gotten around to stopping in yet.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

As for stock dimensions, really anything will work. The issue is that with thinner stock there is much more gluing involved. These boards are a great way to use up scraps to get a "random" board pattern, but if you want a more regular pattern you will need to have all your stock the same dimensions. With the larger stock, paying attention to grain direction is always a good idea. Try to keep all the grain going in the same direction on the final product, far lower internal expansion stresses (cracking) to deal with.


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