Making an End-grain Cutting Board - I Made It at Techshop

Update: Workshop

Tools used

• Table saw
• Compound miter saw
• Power jointer
• Power planer
• Table router

• Pipe clamps
• C-clamps OR F-clamps
• Ink-roller / Brayer (for applying glue)
• Duct tape OR packing tape
• Small scrap lumber
• Paper towels or clean rags

• Power sander and/or sandpaper

• Pencil
• Tape measurer
• Combination square
• Calipers

Materials (cost ~$25 - $30 per cutting board)

• Hardwood - Rough cut maple, cherry and walnut* - 1.5" thick (aka 6/4 thick)
• Wood glue - Titebond III (FDA approved for food contact)
• Finish option 1: Varnish - Emmet's Good Stuff (FDA approved food safe)
• Finish option 2: Mineral oil and natural wax (beeswax and carnuba wax are popular)

Software (Free)

• CBDesigner - A great (free!) program for designing cutting boards, discussed more later

1. End grain plays nice with knives  - Any cutting board will eventually dull your knives, but in end grain the wood fibers are arranged like a stack of straws - instead of pressing against a hard surface, the sharp knife edge slips between the fibers (second picture).
2. End grain is scratch resistant - The same quality that makes these boards gentler on knives also makes them scratch resistant. After making a cut, when the knife is lifted, the wood fibers spring back into place, leaving fainter scratches compared to face grain and edge grain cutting boards.
3. End grain is tough - If you select nice hard woods, like maple or walnut, and you take care of the board, your cutting board should well outlive you. Even after heavy usage and many scratches, a little sanding and refinishing will make them look good as new.

Pattern

Freestyle Design

Lumber choice

Thickness

Cutting with the miter saw

1. Check the length of your kept piece. Once you are satisfied with the length, place / clamp a stop-block at the edge to measure all other pieces to the same length. If using a shared saw like at Techshop, double check that the miter angle is set to 90 degrees, and the bevel angle is set to 0 degrees.
2. Place your hand on the kept-side of the wood, pressing it against the rear fence and the stop block. This supports the kept piece and makes a clean cut. Do not hold the off-cut side of the wood, which can lead to messy cuts and kickback by trapping the kept piece between the blade and stop block.
3. Fully extend the saw blade and turn it on, wait for it to come to full speed before lowering it into the wood, push forward through the cut.
4. When finished, wait until the blade stops before lifting the saw. Lifting while the blade is still spinning can create a messy edge

To joint the boards

1. Check the condition of the wood - place it on a clean, flat surface and see if the faces are cupped or twisted. Choose the flattest side and place it face-down on the jointer, with the grain facing forward toward the cutter.
2. Feed the board through the jointer, taking thin cuts (less than 1/16"). Keep your hands away from the blades at all times - using grip pads like those pictured not only keeps you safe, it ensures even, consistent pressure throughout the cut.
3. Repeat as necessary until the board is flat and smooth. Only one face needs to be jointed, the other face will be cleaned with the planer.
4. Check the edges of the wood, see if the board is bowed right or left. Again, choose the flattest edge and place it down on the planer bed.
5. Feed the board edge through the jointer, making the same thin cuts. Repeat until one face is straight and smooth. The opposite edge should be cleaned up on the table saw - unless both edges are already perfectly parallel, jointing both edges will only compound existing imperfections.

To square the edges

1. Check if the edges of the board are parallel, using a combination square. My maple was nearly perfect, while my cherry and oak were both tapered.
2. Place the jointed edge of the board against the table saw fence, with the narrowest end facing toward the blade. Fit the narrow end of the board between the blade and fence, then lock the fence in place
3. Push the board through the table saw, shaving off the unjointed edge of the board. You should now have a square board.

Plane to thickness

1. Check the un-jointed face of the board. If it is cupped or bowed, you will need to take multiple, shallow passes through the planer. Measure the thickness of the board and set the planer depth of cut to the same thickness, or just below it. Set the depth for shallow passes (1/16" or less) to ensure a clean cut.
2. Place the jointed face down against the planer bed, with the grain facing forward towards the cutter.
3. Feed the board into the planer.  Let the power-rollers pull the board through the cut - don't get your fingers anywhere near the entrance of the planer.
4. Use the same depth setting to plane all boards that will be used at the same time, to ensure consistency
5. Repeat until you reach the desired thickness (the top "thickness setting in CB Designer) or until both faces of the boards are flat and square, and all boards of of equal thickness.

To rip strips

1. Set the fence the desired width away from the edge of the blade, so that the strip being cut runs between the blade and fence.
2. Place the board down on the saw bed (Optional: use a feather-board for extra support - place the feather board IN FRONT OF the saw blade, not next to the blade.
3. Feed the board through the saw blade. For added safety, especially when working with narrow strips, use a push-stick to push the end of the board past the saw blade. Repeat until all strips are cut.

Tools:

• Titebond III - Waterproof, FDA approved for food contact, and has a longer drying time than other glues, which give more time to fit pieces together and make adjustments.
• Ink roller - Bought from a local art store, an ink roller is better than a brush for this job because it spreads glue quickly and evenly, leaving more time to assemble the pieces before the glue starts to dry.
• 2-3 Pipe clamps or parallel clamps - Other clamps may work, but pipe clamps are good because they apply even pressure and they lift the piece up off the work table.
• 2-3 'cauls' - Pieces of scrap wood that can be clamped vertically against the glue-up to prevent them from buckling under the pressure from the pipe clamps. The cauls should be just shorter than the total width of the cutting board.
• Duct tape, packing tape or wax - Coat the cauls with tape or wax, both of which are glue-proof and stop the cauls from sticking to the wood.
• 4-6 F-style or C-style clamps - These clamps hold the cauls vertically against the work.
• Damp rags - Used for wiping away runaway glue and keeping the roller damp after use. Alternatively, after use the roller can be put in a bucket of water.
• Putty knife - for scraping away squeezed out glue

To glue up strips:

1. Lay out all of the strips, edge down, and double check they are in the correct pattern. If using CB Designer, this is the first image labeled "Edge-grain Cutting Board."
2. Once you are sure everything is correct, turn each piece over, face-down, except the first piece and push them all together.
3. Squeeze glue out over the face-down pieces, then use the roller to spread the glue evenly across all the pieces. (steps 2-3 pictured)
4. Set the roller aside, wrapped in a damp rag or bucket of water.
5. Take the un-glued piece and place it into two pipe clamps. Now do the same with the first glued piece, pressing it against the first piece. Repeat until all the pieces are inside the clamp jaws.
6. Slowly close the clamp jaws into the pieces. Don't apply full pressure, just use enough pressure to hold the pieces in place. Use the cauls to align the ends of the strips and hold them even (step 6, pictured).
7. Place the cauls on top of the cutting board, just above the pipe clamps. Use the F-clamps or C-clamps to hold hold down the cauls. Put the top jaw of the clamp onto the caul and the bottom jaw under the pipe clamp.
8. Now apply full pressure to the pipe clamps. The pieces may want to twist out of alignment or buckle under the clamping pressure - nudge them back into place while the glue is still wet (steps 8-9, pictured).
9. Optional: If working with long pieces, you may want to use a third pipe clamp laid on top of the cutting board to ensure even pressure across the whole length of the board.

Check the board

Fixing problems

Problem 1 - Ends uneven

Problem 2 - Light glue residue

Problem 3 - Buckled pieces or heavy glue residue

To cut on the table saw

1. If you have one, put a crosscut blade on the saw - this will give very smooth sides to the cut. Next, setup a cross-cut sled  using a stop block set away from the blade the width of the cut you need to make. Make a test cut on scrap wood if necessary.
2. Gently place the board against the stop block, then firmly hold the board DOWN against the sled. Push the sled through the saw. Repeat until the end. Check width as you go - all pieces should be the same width, if there is any variation stop and fix your setup - any variation between the pieces is fixable, but it can be a major pain after glue-up.
3. The final strip may be too small to cut safely with the crosscut sled. Either find a hands-free way to hold down the final piece, or remove the sled and cut the final piece using the fence and a push stick. Measure the distance between the fence and blade using one of the already cut pieces. See second picture for extra-safe alternative.

• Some of my pieces got burned by the table saw - cherry is especially easy to burn. Don't worry too much about this, the burn marks will come out later when sanding the finished cutting board.

Cutting on the miter saw

• The miter saw makes quick and clean cuts and is a good alternative to a table saw. However I have an important safety note for anyone considering this route. (See the final picture)

• Since the piece being cut is so small, there is no easy way to hold it steady while making the cut - if using a stop block this can create a dangerous situation where the cut piece get trapped between the blade and stop block. In my case this caused one of my cuts to explode into several pieces which flew around the room. Luckily none of them hit me or anyone else.

• This can be avoided by using a pencil mark or soft stop block to measure the cut pieces, or making some kind of jig to hold the small pieces steady as they are cut.

Glue-up process

1. Lay out all the strips in front of you with the end grain facing up. If necessary for your design flip pieces to arrange them. This is also a good time to play around with the end grain patterns to see if there are any interesting ways to arrange the pieces. See the second picture below for an example.
2. Set one piece to the side, end grain still up, then turn over all the other pieces on their sides. Press all the turned pieces together and get ready to glue them. Make sure your glue, roller and clamps are all ready to go.
3. Squeeze glue across all the turned pieces, then use the roller to spread out the glue evenly. If there are any bare spots add a little more glue - these joints need to be completely covered with glue.
4. Put the first unglued piece inside the clamps, then add the first glued piece and press it against the piece in the clamps. Add all the pieces until the board is complete. Set the ink roller aside in a bucket of water or damp rag.
5. Gently close the jaws on the pipe clamps, not to full pressure, just enough to hold the pieces in place.
6. Use the taped cauls to align the edges, then put the cauls on the board above the pipe clamps. Use C-clamps or F-clamps with the top jaws on the cauls and bottom jaws on the pipe clamps.
7. Now add more pressure to the pipe clamps, watching the pieces for any shifting or buckling. If you are making a complex pattern, make sure all the lines and contrasting color wood still line up correctly, unclamp and make changes if necessary.
8. Once all the clamps are tight, and the board looks flat and square, take a break

To make your board even more functional you can cut out handles, a juice groove, and round-over the sharp edges. I prefer to use a table router for these cuts, but a handheld router or even a CNC machine would be good alternatives. In addition to routed handles, on some of my boards I decided to use kitchen cabinet handles attached to the cutting board with epoxy.

There is a video of my process at the end of this step.

EDIT JAN 2015: The table router method shown for the juice groove works, but it's hard to get aligned correctly. If you have access to one, a CNC is the easiest way by far to cut a juice groove. For those without access to a CNC machine, a hand router with edge guide as shown in my referenced podcast from The Wood Whisperer is another great way to get it done. If you proceed with a router table based juice groove, make sure to perfect your technique and settings on scrap wood BEFORE carving your beautiful cutting board.

Before you start cutting the final piece, it's very important to make sure you have selected the right router bit and set it up correctly - I strongly suggest making test cuts on a piece of scrap wood before cutting the actual project

Handles on a table router

1. Set up the table router with a rabbeting bit or straight bit and a fence centered over the bit. If using a rabbeting bit, the guide bearing will decide the depth of cut. If using a straight bit, decide the desired depth of your handles and set the fence that distance behind the router bit.
2. Place a strip of tape on the fence above the router bit .Take a piece of wood and touch it against the left and right side of the bit - make a mark on the tape where the edge of the wood meets the bit. Marking the tape like this will let you see where you are cutting even when the bit itself is covered by wood. For extra guidance you can set up stop blocks at the beginning and end of the cut, like in my picture.
3. Now take your cutting board and decide where you want to cut the handles. Take a pencil and mark the left and right edges of the handles on top of the cutting board.
4. Turn the router on, place the cutting board in front of the router and line up the left mark on your cutting board with the left mark on the tape above the router bit.
5. Push the cutting board into the router bit until it contacts the fence. Then move the cutting board to the left until the right mark on the cutting board meets the right mark on the tape above the router bit. Pull the cutting board away, you should have a perfectly routed handle.
6. Repeat with other sides as necessary.

Juice groove on the router table

1. Change the router bit to a box core bit
2. Routing the juice groove follows the same process as the handles, except that the cut begins in the center of the wood.
3. Again, mark the left and right sides of the router bit on the fence above the bit.
4. Again, mark the edges of the juice groove on the board (or use stop blocks). I wanted mine at 1/2 inch inside the top face, so I marked 1/2 inch away from each corner. Use stop blocks for extra guidance, if desired.
5. Set the router fence 1/2 inch away from the back of the router bit (or however far in you want the juice groove), and do some test cuts on scrap wood to decide how deep you want the groove to be.
6. Turn on the router, and line up the left mark on your cutting board with the left mark on the tabe above the router bit.
7. Carefully lower the cutting board onto the router bit, keep control of the board, don't let the router bit move around.
8. Quickly move the project left until the right marks on both the cutting board and tape align. Lift up the cutting board.
9. Repeat as necessary to all sides.

The first time I did this, I burned my wood quite badly at the beginning and end of the cuts, but it got easier with practice. It's important to stay in control of the cut at all times, but the quicker you make the cut the less burning occurs. Another good reason to practice with scrap wood. To clean up the burn marks I used a sharp chisel to pare away the darkest parts, then hand sanded the groove smooth.

Round the edges

• For the top edges I used a 1/4 inch round-over bit with a guide bearing, running all four edges along the bearing edge
• For the bottom edges I used a 1/8 inch round-over bit with a guide bearing, running all edges along the bearing edge. To reach the inside edges of the routed handles I used sandpaper to make the 1/8 inch round-over.

Video

Table router alternative

To cut handles or a juice groove using a handheld router, use a straight bit with an edge guide to cut the handles, and the same box core bit with a pattern made from scrap wood. I have included a still-capture from The Wood Whisperer video of Mark cutting handles using an edge guide.

Yet another option would be using a CNC machine. In addition to cutting perfectly sized handles and grooves, you could cut ornate shapes and other embellishments.

To apply mineral oil (and wax)

1. Give the surface a final sanding with fine sandpaper - 220 grit or higher. Then thoroughly clean away all sanding dust.
2. Flood the surface of the board with food grade mineral oil - pour it on and spread it around evenly with a rag.
3. The first coat of oil should quickly soak into the board. If you make a thin board some may even come out the other side. Let it sit for a few minutes then wipe away the extra oil.
4. Leave the board to rest overnight, then repeat the flooding process. Do this until the board stops absorbing oil.
5. (Optional): After applying 1-2 coats of pure mineral oil, you can further waterproof the board by adding wax to the oil. You can make your own oil/wax mixture or use commercial premixed products such as Howards Butcher Block Conditioner, which I used.
   • To make your own oil/wax finish heat up a mixture of 75% mineral oil and 25% wax over low heat or using a double boiler. Microwaves do not work very well on wax.
   • Apply the oil/wax mixture the same as the pure mineral oil, flooding the surface of the board then letting it rest for a day. Repeat until you are satisfied with the wax finish on the board.
6. When the board will no longer take any oil or wax, buff it clean with a clean rag. You are done!

To apply varnish

1. Give the surface a final sanding with fine sandpaper - 220 grit or higher. Then thoroughly clean away all sanding dust
2. Use a mixture of 50% food safe varnish (aka salad bowl finish) and 50% mineral spirits (NOT mineral oil)
3. Wipe the varnish/spirit mixture onto the cutting board with a rag. Keep applying the varnish until the cutting board stops soaking it up. If you turn the board over, some may even come out the other side of the wood.
4. Let the board rest 8 hours or more, then re-apply the varnish, using long even strokes
5. Let the board rest another 8 hours or more, give it a light sanding with 400 grit sandpaper (or grade 0000 steel wool) then apply a final coat, again using long even strokes 
6. Let the varnish cure, give it a final fine sanding, then wash off any dust. Your cutting board is finished!

• It's important to remember, unlike varnishing a piece of furniture, you don't want to build up a layer of varnish on top of the cutting board. That's why the varnish is thinned with mineral spirits, so it soaks deep into the wood and  avoids forming a film.

Future care

• To care for a cutting board finished with mineral oil, it's recommended to re-oil the board once a month under normal use. Wash the board with soap and water, but don't let it sit in a wet sink or put it in the dishwasher.
• It's not necessary to regularly condition a varnished cutting board, but when knife marks start to show on the cutting board surface you can seal them with a coat of mineral oil - only use as needed. Wash with soap and water, but don't let it sit in a wet sink or put it in the dishwasher.

The controversy

• Which material is safer to eat from?
• Which material keeps the wood more sanitary

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