# End grain cutting board with feet



## giser3546 (May 15, 2014)

Will soon be breaking in my new planer with an end grain cutting board. I've never made one but have researched the hell out of it and I'm familiar with the basic design of it. My confusion lies in a few specifics. First I have only seen a few that have been elevated. I plan to put a two or three inch foot in each corner and the first thing that occurs to me is putting pressure in the middle would be applying force that seems like it would pull those grains apart and make it split. Is there a suggested thickness to ensure this will hold up over time? I am also looking for suggestions as far as wood species. I have plenty of Red Oak, although I'm not sure it would work best. I also have some cherry that I have been saving for something, but have also been looking for an excuse to work with something new. I usually try to stick with local wood (central Alabama) since I buy rough sawn stock mostly from local mills who use tree knocked down by weather or development.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Running an end grain cutting board through a planer is a no go









http://lumberjocks.com/topics/57492


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## giser3546 (May 15, 2014)

Yea I was fully aware of that… the planer will only be use along the grain to flatten before gluing them up. I'm sure that scared the crap out of you when it happened.


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## CFrye (May 13, 2013)

Waho beat me to it, with a very appropriate picture! 
As to the feet, 2-3" wide? tall? That just sounds like a break waiting to happen. I've abused a lot of cutting boards and have yet to have a flat one not crack. Also, I've read that oak is too open grained for cutting boards. 
Looking forward to the more learned to answer.


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## BinghamtonEd (Nov 30, 2011)

I've used little rubber feet from woodcraft on my cutting boards, but not end-grain. What if you were to do something like that, but put them in a grid pattern on the underside to disperse the pressure and provide support?


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## giser3546 (May 15, 2014)

I was thinking a full height of 2 or 3 inches… with maybe a 1/2" to 1" of empty space below the actual board.


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## UncannyValleyWoods (Apr 18, 2013)

As far as thickness goes…I'm a big fan of 1.5 to 1.75 inches thick. It makes for a beefy board, but you'll want that for sure…especially if you plan on elevating it.

Skip the red oak, but stick with some cherry if you like. You say you are from central AL (lived in b'ham and H'ville for a long time) ...you should be able to get your hands on some Walnut. Look around for it and grab as much as you can. Walnut is great for cutting boards. Typically, the best combo is walnut and hard maple.

Good luck! If you have any other questions, please send them along.


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## giser3546 (May 15, 2014)

I have also seem some more industrially produce end grain cutting boards with a band of metal around the outside. I have thought about getting a thin stainless steel band and wrapping it tightly around the outside held in place with some rivets. Has anyone done or heard of this? Would it cause issues with shrinkage or expansion or would it help with that?


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## Kroden (Apr 23, 2012)

Somebody posted some pictures a while ago of a board that he put a frame around and it split from contracting. I'd guess that wouldn't be a problem with a metal band since it wouldn't be fastened to the board. Expansion though… not sure.

What do you plan on doing to this board where the stress is a concern?

I have a smallish (10×17x1.5) board I use at home with rubber feet on 4 corners. I'm just cutting bread/veggies on it though, not whacking anything with a cleaver.

You could always let it sit flat and just route the edge to give the illusion of a raised board.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Red oak has a lot of really large pores, I'd be leery of including it in a cutting board.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

> Running an end grain cutting board through a planer is a no go
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Now you tell me! I got really lucky about a month ago….


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## UncannyValleyWoods (Apr 18, 2013)

> I have also seem some more industrially produce end grain cutting boards with a band of metal around the outside. I have thought about getting a thin stainless steel band and wrapping it tightly around the outside held in place with some rivets. Has anyone done or heard of this? Would it cause issues with shrinkage or expansion or would it help with that?
> 
> - giser3546


Not a good idea. It looks cool, but it won't last long. Though, I have inlaid some thin strips of copper and that turned out nicely.


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## giser3546 (May 15, 2014)

I thought so… I have ideas on how to make my work stand out but not for the sake of quality.


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