Cutting Board Question

[protectedvoid]

Quick question regarding a cutting board. I had some leftover pieces of curly / birdseye maple and Jotoba (Brazilian cherry), so I decided to make a long grain cutting board. It's all 6/4 stock. I've started doing the lamination using Titebond II, alternating the direction of the grain (as best I can, anyway), and I've watched Marc's video on the end grain cutting board -- mostly for the finishing aspect. What I'd like to know is, what should I use to fill the grain of the Jotoba -- or CAN anything be used to fill the grain of the Jotoba?

[jgfore]

Good Question. I am making a cutting board now, and the black walnut has some small cracks in it that will need a little filling as well. When I am finished I will send it through my planer to get rid of most of them, but it I try to get rid of them all, I will be left with a pretty piece of veneer instead of a cutting board. I will be watching this topic to see what it recommended.

Thanks for the question.

Jeff

[protectedvoid]

Good Question. I am making a cutting board now, and the black walnut has some small cracks in it that will need a little filling as well. When I am finished I will send it through my planer to get rid of most of them, but it I try to get rid of them all, I will be left with a pretty piece of veneer instead of a cutting board. I will be watching this topic to see what it recommended.

Thanks for the question.

Jeff

No problem. Wonder if I'll have any takers.

[Bombarde16]

Lots of things can be used to fill grain, but do you really want to? (Perhaps better to ask, Is this going to be used or hung on the wall for decoration?) With a face grain cutting board, the knives are eventually going to start slashing out chips (precisely why end grain is preferred) and chunks of your pore filler will come with it.

Whatever you choose, be sure it's something you're happy to have in your food.

[protectedvoid]

Lots of things can be used to fill grain, but do you really want to? (Perhaps better to ask, Is this going to be used or hung on the wall for decoration?) With a face grain cutting board, the knives are eventually going to start slashing out chips (precisely why end grain is preferred) and chunks of your pore filler will come with it.

Whatever you choose, be sure it's something you're happy to have in your food.

It will be used, but only occasionally, and only for vegetables. As I mentioned, this is mainly to use up otherwise useless scraps of curly and birdseye maple and jotoba. Also, the jotoba accents are rift-sawn, which exposes very durable and dimensionally stable grain. So, I figure with Christmas coming...why not.

I will say that while the process of creating my own cutting board(s) is new to me, I do have quite a bit of experience with knives, particularly professional cutlery in the kitchen. It has been my experience that most home cooks do not keep their knives near sharp enough, often enough, to do more than scratch the surface of face grain, let alone start seriously chipping the board. Also, face grain or edge grain cutting boards are more common and often cheaper than end grain cutting boards because they are easier to manufacture, so I wouldn't say this is "uncharted" territory. They also tend to be less kind to cutlery, dulling the blades much more frequently than end grain. One of the benefits of end grain is that, because the fibers are essentially facing straight up, sharp blades tend to slice "between" them, much in the way a ruler on edge would slide into carpet fibers or the way a knife might slide through a stiff nylon brush. Because the edge of the blade actually slides between the fibers of the grain, the chopping motion actually does less damage to the knife edge, helping it to stay sharper, longer.

But as I said, it has been my experience that most kitchens simply lack cutlery this sharp. It's one reason why, when I go to cook for someone, I ALWAYS take my own knives.

[Justin57]

Quick question regarding a cutting board. I had some leftover pieces of curly / birdseye maple and Jotoba (Brazilian cherry), so I decided to make a long grain cutting board. It's all 6/4 stock. I've started doing the lamination using Titebond II, alternating the direction of the grain (as best I can, anyway), and I've watched Marc's video on the end grain cutting board -- mostly for the finishing aspect. What I'd like to know is, what should I use to fill the grain of the Jotoba -- or CAN anything be used to fill the grain of the Jotoba?

Personally, when I have leftovers and want to use them for a long grain cutting board, I will route a shallow groove around the outside and tell people it's a carving board. To answer your question re: grain filler, I would let the finish fill in the pores. This takes patience (i.e. several THIN coats), but is worth it. Just keep in mind that you're only sealing the wood and not trying to build up a finish, so wipe back every coat about 5 minutes after applying

[protectedvoid]

Personally, when I have leftovers and want to use them for a long grain cutting board, I will route a shallow groove around the outside and tell people it's a carving board. To answer your question re: grain filler, I would let the finish fill in the pores. This takes patience (i.e. several THIN coats), but is worth it. Just keep in mind that you're only sealing the wood and not trying to build up a finish, so wipe back every coat about 5 minutes after applying

That's more or less the way I figured I'd have to do it, using the finish to seal the pores. The open grain on the Jotoba isn't really as large as say, Oak, but I'd prefer not to give food particles any extra places to linger. Most of these scraps are cutoffs, so they're only about 2.5" wide and about 10'" long.

[iSawitFirst]

You're right to worry about bacteria finding safe haven in an open grain wood. Usually those types of wood aren't used for that reason.

I agree to stay away from fillers. I also question how effectively a food grade finish will fill the pores. Perhaps a test a piece will give you some answers.

[PurpLev]

the real answer is - I wouldn't use open pores wood for cutting board.

BUT, if you must -I would try salad-bowl-finish which unlike minural-oil does create film. multiple coats of salad-bowl-finish should hopefully create a barrier for bacteria not to go in. although you may need quite a bit of coating since the open pores will just suck all the finish in until saturated.

[protectedvoid]

You're right to worry about bacteria finding safe haven in an open grain wood. Usually those types of wood aren't used for that reason.

I agree to stay away from fillers. I also question how effectively a food grade finish will fill the pores. Perhaps a test a piece will give you some answers.

Well, I've got plenty of spare pieces of jotoba to use as a sample, that much is for sure. I more or less figured I would likely not be able to use a pore filler, but since I've not built "food safe" projects before, I felt the question to be worthy of asking. I was kinda hoping that Marc might also chime in with his thoughts. A smaller piece would certainly allow me to test the "build-up" capability of the food-grade finish, to be sure.

the real answer is - I wouldn't use open pores wood for cutting board.

BUT, if you must -I would try salad-bowl-finish which unlike minural-oil does create film. multiple coats of salad-bowl-finish should hopefully create a barrier for bacteria not to go in. although you may need quite a bit of coating since the open pores will just suck all the finish in until saturated.

I don't *have* to use it...but I really like the contrast and texture of the jotoba. It's rift-sawn, and therefore presents some pretty interesting edge-grain patterns. I think I'll try your suggestion on a scrap piece and see just how many coats it takes to create a suitably thick finish to seal those pores. Of course, there's always the option of using sea salt and vinegar (both of which are natural cleansers and germ killers). That will just be *harsh* on the finish.