Cutting Boards

[=Mark]

This may sound complicated, but I would suggest buying a wooden cutting board that is 15 by 20 inches, and 1 1/2 inches thick.

[Toliver]

It's too bad you don't know anyone with a decent woodshop. You could slice the board horizontally and create two less-thick cutting boards from the one big honkin' board.

[Niall]

If you know anyone with a decent woodshop you could just get them to make a board to your specs...

[megaira]

Keep the cutting board.

Give me your kitchen.

[CRUZMISL]

Well, I'm going to send it back tomorrow. I ordered a new board from Ozark West. The owner said the quality of his boards is unmatched because Boos has an assembly line approach due to the sheer volume that company has to produce. My new one is custom made 16x20" and will be half as thick at 2 inches. The center will be maple with a black walnut surround. Here is a picture of one. I Was thinking of going cherry surround instead of walnut so there wouldn't be so much contrast but I'm still undecided. The board pictured is cherry/walnut surround.

PS thanks for the compliments on my kitchen. Very kind.

Edited November 20, 2003 by CRUZMISL (log)

[budrichard]

What you really need to do is to install the Boos End Grain countertops as I have. The counter will then not be as high(actually the 4" thick Boos will result in about 2.5" of lift) as what you are working with because your Boos must sit on top of your regular counters. -Dick

[EdS]

All this discussion about large cutting boards leads me to the question: How does one clean them if they are larger than the largest compartment in your sink?

Do you hold the board upright in the sink and wash it that way? Or do you wash the board while it's on the countertop, like with a sponge? I have an 18"x24"x2.25" Boos board and I've been using the former method because it doesn't fit completely in my 16"x20" sink. I'm thinking I bought too large of a board. I didn't think about having to clean it when I bought it! Any suggestions? This is something to think about before buying a massive cutting board.

[bilrus]

Or do you wash the board while it's on the countertop, like with a sponge?

THat's what I do.

My board sits right next to my sink, first I use a dough cutter/board scraper to scrpae scarps into the sink. Then I use soapy water to clean it down. Then I use the board scaper again to squeegee any remaining water, etc off of the board.

Whenever I am cutting meat I use those disposable Saran Wrap cutting board covers, so it stays pretty clean this way.

Then every so often I use vinegar to clean and oil it up.

[budrichard]

After cleaning you should use Boos Mystery Oil or a food grade mineral oil to treat the wood to avoid cracking in the future. With the countertops, we go through a lot of it! We have one counter for vegatables/fruit and one for meat/fish and cut right on the wood. No problems if cleaned properly and religeously.-Dick

[Squeat Mungry]

I kind of just made up my method for cleaning my boards, so maybe someone will tell me if I'm doing something egregiously wrong. After use, I spray down with a bleach solution, then scrub with a plastic scrubby thing and wipe off. Sometimes I repeat this if I'm feeling iffy about the board.

Then once a week, or so, I wipe down with mineral oil.

Cheers,

Squeat

[WHT]

IS this too much for a counter application or is it how it's supposed to be? Seems big but maybe this is normal and I'm not used to it. I'd rather exchange it before I cut on it. If I cut on it I'm sure it's mine to keep. Any advice.

It looks more like a butchers chopping block than a cutting board. You might want to try some of the restaurant supply places. They have different sizes and sometimes in colors to match the kitchen.

[AzRaeL]

Well, I'm going to send it back tomorrow. I ordered a new board from Ozark West. The owner said the quality of his boards is unmatched because Boos has an assembly line approach due to the sheer volume that company has to produce. My new one is custom made 16x20" and will be half as thick at 2 inches. The center will be maple with a black walnut surround. Here is a picture of one. I Was thinking of going cherry surround instead of walnut so there wouldn't be so much contrast but I'm still undecided. The board pictured is cherry/walnut surround.

PS thanks for the compliments on my kitchen. Very kind.

gorgeous cutting board but could you actually bring yourself to mark it when you use it with a knife? OUCH

[Mudpuppie]

I'm making a cutting board in a woodworking class, but don't know what kind of wood is best to buy. Instead of asking the wood people, I've decided to ask the food people.

Class is tonight. Thanks for the help!

[Cynthia G]

My brother made me a wonderful one from maple. It's still beautiful and in use 15 years later. I've never had a problem with it dulling knives either (some of my friends seem to have a problem with that).

[winesonoma]

End grain hard rock maple. Good luck, I'm a woodworker (30 yrs) and building one of these will drive you crazy. make sure all your cuts are perfectly square. Keep us posted.

[Mudpuppie]

End grain hard rock maple. Good luck, I'm a woodworker (30 yrs) and building one of these will drive you crazy. make sure all your cuts are perfectly square. Keep us posted.

Uh-oh. Now you tell me....

[hwilson41]

Mudpuppie;

The end grain hard maple (same thing as sugar maple) makes a great cutting board, but there are easier ways to go, particularly if you're relatively new to woodworking. Try to find quarter sawn or rift sawn hard maple. It that's available, you should have a minimum number of glue joints, easily done on a jointer, and because of the way the wood is sawn, there won't be any tendency for the wood to cup or curl when it gets wet. Hope this helps.

THW

[Mudpuppie]

Mudpuppie;

The end grain hard maple (same thing as sugar maple) makes a great cutting board, but there are easier ways to go, particularly if you're relatively new to woodworking. Try to find quarter sawn or rift sawn hard maple. It that's available, you should have a minimum number of glue joints, easily done on a jointer, and because of the way the wood is sawn, there won't be any tendency for the wood to cup or curl when it gets wet. Hope this helps.

THW

It certainly does. Thanks much.

[pjs]

Lots of good advice has been given so far. Maple is the gold-standard for cutting boards. I'll just add that when doing your lay-up alternate the ring orientation as seen in the end grain. In other words, one piece with the rings facing down, next piece with the rings facing up, etc. Makes for a more stable board. Have fun and don't try to get it perfect. Perfection is always one project away.

PJ

[AzRaeL]

i use cheap wood, when it's warped or i get tired of it, i throw it away and get a new one. :)

[bloviatrix]

I have a wood cutting board that I've abused horribly over the years. I've decided that I should really treat it better and that means using mineral oil. Have I done irreperable damage to it? Is it to late to start proper treatment? And what is the best way to oil the board?

Thanks.

[curlywurlyfi]

I was told by the person I bought my last chopping board from that after washing it should be wiped over with vegetable or other flavourless oil (not olive oil - too sticky, apparently). I also from time to time fill the washing up bowl with a couple of litres of cheap veg oil and sit the board (plus any wooden spoons, spatulas, etc that I have lying about) in a bath overnight to really let the oil penetrate.

but I wouldn't worry too much about having abused your chopping board. Scars are part of its history! Think of it as being on its way to being one of those wonderful butcher's blocks, that are hollowed to a curve through so many years of use.

[HKDave]

I wouldn't recommend veg oil....

As long as you can sand or plane it smooth again, and it's not badly cracked, you probably haven't destroyed it. To get it back into shape:

If needed, smooth it using sandpaper or a planer. You can fill small cracks with exterior (waterproof) wood filler, but if there are large cracks, or cracks in the middle of the board, it's new board time. Cracks trap food and breed bacteria, and too much wood filler isn't good for your knife.

Sterilize it using hot water and soap or cleanser, or a paste of baking soda and water, or lemon and salt, or vinegar - there are plenty of methods but most should work OK because wood boards are actually more sterile than plastic. Rinse whatever you use off with water, and let the board totally dry out - probably overnight.

Oil it with edible mineral oil (in the US, the oil will say "U.S.P." on the bottle, get it at any drugstore). The reason for using mineral oil is that it won't go rancid. Wipe it on with a cloth, with the grain, until you've wetted out the surface. The oil is to a) keep the wood from drying out, and b) to keep water from penetrating the grain. Leave the oil to sit for a while, then wipe off any extra with a clean cloth. There shouldn't be oil left on the surface, you want it to sink into the wood. I suggest let the board sit overnight before using it.

Edit: I need to learn how to spell 'knife'....

Edited June 8, 2004 by HKDave (log)

[Moopheus]

I've been using this "fair oil" on the butcher-block top of my kitchen island, and it works great, easy to apply and dries quickly. Dave is right; if the wood isn't too badly damaged it can be brought back, and a good board is probably worth the effort. You may need to reapply oil a few times over the first few weeks if the wood has become very dry.

[phaelon56]

Do not use vegetable oil... please! At some point vegetable oil can and most likely will get rancid. Mineral oil is inert and the correct choice. I used mineral oilf for years on my board and never do more than wipe with hot water and occasionally scrub with the grain with a plastic scrub pad. I now have a six foot long peninsula that I refinished (four courses of sanding starting with a 100 grit and ending with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper). Based o suggestions in this forum I have been using John Boos Mystery Oil, a cutting board oil similar to the "fair oil" referenced earlier in this thread. The specialty board oils will have some other things in them such as liquid paraffin and boiled linseed oil. I think mineral oil is just fine for a cutting board that is used only for cutting. When that same surface will also serve as a countertop etc the specialty oils yield a somewhat harder or drier finish and have a benefit.