One of the alternatives we offer to our “end grain” cutting boards is a slightly less expensive but equally durable “edge grain” board. As the term indicates, these boards use a different portion of the wood (edge) for your cutting surface. Although these boards do not possess the same qualities of end grain they do offer some distinct advantages. First you get a far different grain pattern from the edge of a piece of wood than you do from the end. (Below notice end grain top left, edge grain middle and lower left) Second, because less of the wood “fibers” are exposed, edge grain boards tend to hold their color longer than end grain. This can be particularly rewarding when...
After making dozens of end grain cutting boards over the past couple years I wanted to share a bit about which woods I consider the best (and most available) for constructing boards. We’ve said, time and again, that end grain is the premium construction method for cutting boards because of it’s antibacterial properties and kindness to our knife edges. A crucial basis for determining the wood we use is in it’s hardness. I’ve found the best online source for wood characteristics, including hardness is: http://www.wood-database.com/ When looking through the database, try to select wood in the hardness range of 850 - 1700; You also want to look for a hardwood with a relatively tight grain pattern, free of knots and other blemishes. The most common...
Have you ever wondered what to do with all those leftovers? I apologize up front to all the “foodies” out there but I’m actually referring to wood. Whether a seasoned carpenter or a woodworking hobbier we all end up with extra pieces from various projects which usually end up collecting in the “just in case” pile, or eventually find their way to the trash. I hate to waste things, especially interesting pieces of wood that I’ve taken the time to cut, plane, and glue after matching up contrasting colors and grain patterns. I’ve discovered that there is another option, and after talking to a fellow woodworker this weekend, I realized I’m not alone. By taking the various leftovers from my end...
For the last week or so the Carpenter has been busy “spring cleaning” and reorganizing his shop. Seems anytime we’re really busy ,even our best efforts fall short in keeping things neat and organized…….lots of sawing, planing, sanding, turning, and gluing has taken place and the evidence was all over the place:) Micah had little interest in helping.... he preferred to lay in the accumulated sawdust outside the shop. The good news is that the “mess” was a result of a number of new products added to our line………. So we thought we’d share them with you here. We added Penblocks at the recommendation of a friend who is a pen lover. She clued us in on how true...
We finish our cutting boards in one of two ways; using food grade mineral oil is our most common finish however on occasion we will finish a board with Salad Bowl Finish (aka SBF). Before explaining the differences in the finish we’d first like to identify the similarities: Both finishes are food safe Both finishes will protect the wood surface without detracting from the natural healing and anti-bacterial properties of end grain boards. Both finishes are applied over several days with multiple coats Both surfaces will in fact require periodic maintenance Now the differences. Mineral oil is applied to saturate the wood from one side through the board to the other whereas SBF provides a harder layer of finish that doesn't penetrate...
