Why end grain on cutting boards?

[FarRed]

I was watching a Wood Whisperer podcast on making a purpleheart/maple cutting board, and it prompted the question of why do so many cutting boards use the butcher block end grain design. It seems that with end grain soaking up everything, this would NOT be a project to use end grain.

[Rick LoDico]

Wood has natural bacteria fighting properties and the end grain is much easier on your Henckles.

[Pete Bennett]

The main reason for this is the same as for a butcher's block. End grain may well soak up juices as you say but it also 'soaks' up the cutting action of the knives etc. used on it. If you use planks laid lengthways you will slice into the wood and introduce slithers of wood into your food. Also it will very soon look a ragged mess as you increasingly hack it up. A butcher's block, or a well made end grain cutting board will last for years and although they do gradually end up dished and scalloped they will far outlast any cutting board made from flat laid planks.

[atomicmike]

You can think of it like a bundle of straws... If you lay the bundle of straws flat, as the wood fibers would be in a face-grain cutting board, your knife will be slicing through the straws (fibers). Not only are you slowly damaging the cutting board, but you're also creating more work for your knife. This will mean there's a little more resistance on the knife blade when you cut, and also that the knife will dull a little faster. With an end-grain cutting board, it's like the bundle of straws is standing up straight. When your knife runs across the surface, there's a good chance that the blade will just slip between the straws (fibers) without doing any damage. That means less wear on the knife and board, and less resistance for your cutting.

Many experienced kitchen knife users will talk about the "speed" of a cutting surface. This is directly related to the amount of resistance the board offers. With end grain hardwood, you have a very "fast" surface, which makes cutting both easier and safer. With softer surfaces like plastics (and some say bamboo), there's more resistance, so the board cuts "slower." There's also a better chance (though fairly minimal) that a knife on a "slow" board will grab in some way that you don't want and give you a nasty surprise.

- Mike

[kesac]

I was watching a Wood Whisperer podcast on making a purpleheart/maple cutting board, and it prompted the question of why do so many cutting boards use the butcher block end grain design. It seems that with end grain soaking up everything, this would NOT be a project to use end grain.

In Pendleton SC, I saw two butcher blocks, the newest which was made in 1824, using the glue they had available in those days. Both are still useable today, inspite of being used in a commercial meat market, for 100+ years in a store that suffered all the heat and humidity changes you could ever imagine. Whoever made those, sold me on that's the best way to do it.

[Beechwood Chip]

This discussion pops up periodically. There were lots of good posts in this thread.