Wood Cutting Boards and Chopping Blocks: The Topic

[Paul Bacino]

We had to cut down a walnut tree,  i salvaged a 8" thick by 14 " circular pc and wonder how i can do it?

 

i'm thinking of drying outside , then remove the bark

 

Thoughts  and TIA

 

Doc B

 

[rotuts]

@Paul Bacino

 

very interesting.

 

there is a chance the segment will crack .

 

there are ways around this , 

 

https://owic.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/pubs/peg.pdf

 

etc.

 

you then have to decide for your self if PEG treated wood is safe to use for a cutting board.

 

Id use PEG , then dry , then ' profesionally ' slice into 2   4 " rounds.

 

then sand , etc until stable.   you can then treat the surfaces w an oil that polymerizes.

 

P.S. leave the bark on .   it may decided to come off later , or not, depending on the time of the season

 

the wood was cut.  it should stay on as you cut the wood recently , while the tree was growing.

 

if you take it off , you cant put it back on .  if it comes off later on its own , is a different matter.

 

I have a cherry bookmatched cutting board I made ' by hand '  from cherry wood rescued

 

from my wood pile .  its so beautiful , I just hung it up to admire it rather than use it.

 

after sanding and finishing  ( no PEG , as it came from a cure log )  its a joy to see.

 

Ill post a pic here as soon as I find it , as things are jumbled up here due to some over the winter

 

remodleing.

 

 

Edited Thursday at 04:23 PM by rotuts (log)

[AlaMoi]

many folk who mill their own lumber count one year per inch of thickness for wood to fully "season" - got time?

 

disks/pucks/slices/(many names) are especially prone to splitting.

depending on what the end use may be, splits may / may not be critical.  i.e. splits in a trivet are not a problem; splits in a cutting board are . . . 

 

I'd suggest a search 'how to dry tree slices' - there are many opinions - the woodworking type sites are more apt to have first person experience that a bloke who just makes youtube videos for the clicks . . .

[rotuts]

P.E.G.

 

Ive made no videos .

Edited Thursday at 07:36 PM by rotuts (log)

[Tropicalsenior]

It might be worthwhile to see if anybody in your area has a wood kiln. Check with Master carpenters and lumber yards in your area.

[rotuts]

@Tropicalsenior

 

kiln is an idea , just a low heated way of drying plank wood .   

 

that's thick enough to not split.

 

this would crack in a kiln just the same as it wood air dried , but w a higher chance .

 

P.S. : kiln dried wood is also dried to a lower moisture level than ' room temp '

 

especially in humid areas.

Edited Thursday at 08:45 PM by rotuts (log)

[Maison Rustique]

@blue_dolphin Thanks! I hadn't thought of Wayfair either. I've never shopped them, but I am pretty sure I got a discount card in the mail from them at the new place. I'll look to see if I kept it when I get over there today.

 

 

[Rickbern]

On 7/28/2025 at 12:24 PM, Maison Rustique said:

I am looking for a small rolling kitchen island for the new house in order to expand my storage/prep space. It needs to be small and fairly inexpensive. I find no stores in the area that have more than one style in the store to see, so I need to order online. I am going to show my ignorance here. I kept rejecting many that looked good because it said the cutting board top was rubber wood. I thought they meant it was some sort of manufactured fake wood-look thing. I finally Googled it and discovered that it actually is wood and is supposed to be sustainable, etc.

 

My question is, do any of you have experience with a rubber wood cutting board? I don't want to buy it thinking I can use it as a cutting board, only to find that it isn't really a good choice for that purpose.

This one doesn’t roll but it’s pretty sturdy. Also available in a four foot size

 

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vadholma-kitchen-island-black-oak-40366115/

[Paul Bacino]

On 7/31/2025 at 12:22 PM, AlaMoi said:

many folk who mill their own lumber count one year per inch of thickness for wood to fully "season" - got time?

 

disks/pucks/slices/(many names) are especially prone to splitting.

depending on what the end use may be, splits may / may not be critical.  i.e. splits in a trivet are not a problem; splits in a cutting board are . . . 

 

I'd suggest a search 'how to dry tree slices' - there are many opinions - the woodworking type sites are more apt to have first person experience that a bloke who just makes youtube videos for the clicks . . .

This is seasoned walnut....that i have...really no evidence of wood splitting

 

[Paul Bacino]

Cleaver options!!

 

[AlaMoi]

yup, never happens.

[AlaMoi]

We had to cut down a walnut tree,  i salvaged a 8" thick by 14 " circular pc and wonder how i can do it?
i'm thinking of drying outside , then remove the bark
Thoughts  and TIA 
========================
This is seasoned walnut....that i have...really no evidence of wood splitting 

so why are you asking us?