Butcher Block - who else makes good ones ?

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toyopl

toyopl

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The best board I've ever used is a walnut board from MTM Wood.
 
The thing about the top three companies cutting boards is all the all the blocks are aligned both vertically and horizontally in a checkerboard. This can, might, maybe be a weak link in their construction. If you look at the BoardSmith boards, each row of blocks are offset from the row adjacent to it. David does this because he believes it adds strength to the overall construction. Also note that the BoardSmith uses larger block which also makes the board stronger and it minimizes glue joints.

I looked through all four company's sites and it seems to me that the BoardSmith is no more expense than any of the others and his workmanship is beyond repute.
 
99Limited said:
The thing about the top three companies cutting boards is all the all the blocks are aligned both vertically and horizontally in a checkerboard. This can, might, maybe be a weak link in their construction. If you look at the BoardSmith boards, each row of blocks are offset from the row adjacent to it. David does this because he believes it adds strength to the overall construction. Also note that the BoardSmith uses larger block which also makes the board stronger and it minimizes glue joints.

I looked through all four company's sites and it seems to me that the BoardSmith is no more expense than any of the others and his workmanship is beyond repute.
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Looking for 24x18x2 in Walnut

Boardsmith website his price is $385 http://theboardsmith.com/product/magnum-2x1824-walnut/
Lone Star website his price is $210 http://www.lonestarartisans.com/build-your-own-custom-cutting-board/
Molls Carpentry his price is $275 http://www.mollscarpentry.com/store/Walnut.htm

This is almost double the price, I wish I could get Boardsmith butcher block but he's just out of my price range, Molls seems to be right in the middle of two other guys.
 
Love my Boardsmith. Highly recommended.
 
If you're not absolutely, positively, dead set on walnut and are looking to stay in the mid $200 price range, I'd suggest you take a long hard look at a BoardSmith Magnum 432 in hard maple. I've had mine for about two years now, and I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

I can't comment on the other makers you listed, but David's workmanship is impeccable.
 
toyopl said:
Looking for 24x18x2 in Walnut

Boardsmith website his price is $385 http://theboardsmith.com/product/magnum-2x1824-walnut/
Lone Star website his price is $210 http://www.lonestarartisans.com/build-your-own-custom-cutting-board/
Molls Carpentry his price is $275 http://www.mollscarpentry.com/store/Walnut.htm

This is almost double the price, I wish I could get Boardsmith butcher block but he's just out of my price range, Molls seems to be right in the middle of two other guys.
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My bad, I missed the part where you were looking at walnut. I was comparing maple boards in the Carolina Slab size. Anyway, looks like you've made your choice. Now go pull that trigger.
 
Toyopl

Before ordering a BoardSmith, let me share with you my very recent experience; just received a 2"x18"x24" Maple/Walnut from them, 4 days ago.

THE GOOD:
1. BoardSmith is highly recommended on net.
2. Board arrived very nicely packaged.

THE LESS THAN MOST EXCELLENT:
1. Not all wood types were available as advertised; wanted Mahogany/Walnut... but I settled for a Maple/Walnut. I'm a nice person.
2. When the board arrived, it showed a non-consistent building block pattern; lower and upper are different in blocks position and bonding line pattern. From distance it looks OK, but when in use looks funny. Have exchanged a few emails with Dave regrading the aesthetics of his board. Dave's explanation was based on "structural requirements". I happen to be a mechanical engineer, and his explanation was mostly "fluff". My guess... it was just a cost issue.
3. Board warped after the first wash, never used. .25 inch on one side, .30 inch on the other. Sent pics to Dave, and below is his explanation/solution:

"In the past 10 years of building cutting boards, I have seen water damage like you showed in your photos. The only way to avoid that is to make sure the board is completely dry before placing it on a counter top. The only solution my customers have recommended is to allow the board to dry on an end or edge before placing it back on the counter. It is because of this possibility I stress using the feet so the board doesn’t sandwich moisture between the board and counter. It doesn’t take much to warp a board, as you have found out and moisture will cause a board to bend and warp. The good news is that once the excess moisture evaporates, the board will return to a normally flat condition."

4. I have no intention to deal with a special drying requirements cutting board (supposedly a premium board); BoardSmith refused to either replace the defective board, or to accept it as a return. I decided to lot the credit card people deal with this.

It could be bad luck... but, even with a bad cutting board, I would've have expected true customer service from BoardSmith.
BTW, my current cheap 2" wood cutting board has been in service some 15 years (I don't even remember where I bought it, do not know who made it)... and it never warped, under any circumstances.

Hope you have better luck,

****************
toyopl said:
I'm starting to get my wife acquainted with the pricing of Walnut butcher block so she can get me one for Christmas :)

I'm checking who makes what and at what price, and so far I found these guys that came recommended, could you add anyone else to the list ?
BoardSmith is of course first on the list but I think he's out of my price range.

http://www.lonestarartisans.com
https://cuttingboardgallery.com
http://www.mollscarpentry.com
http://theboardsmith.com
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I have two of these, and I really like them. I put them on guitar amp cabinet feet.
 
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Cautin With Boardsmith

Allowing the board to completely dry before placing on counter top, as well as allowing it to dry completely while on an edge or end isn't a special drying requirement. It's a standard care procedure for all wooden cutting boards. There is even a wikihow related to wooden cutting board cleaning that states this.
 
Any pics of the pattern issue? A description of how the board was washed would be helpful as well.

We have 3 BoardSmith boards out on the counter, and 2 of them are used daily. We wipe them down in-place. I reapply mineral oil when the surface starts to whiten. One of the boards is almost 5 years old not. We have not had any issues with any of the 3 boards other than the wood surround on a foot of one board cracked in two, and Dave provided me with a replacement foot. My mom and my niece also have BoardSmith boards that are 2 years old. They do not take care of them the way most on this forum care for wood cutting boards, but neither of their boards have had any issues.

Not arguing with the dissatisfied post above, but asking for a little more info and providing another data point.
 
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These are the same 3 pics sent to Dave. Have added a new one, showing the building-block pattern; top and bottom of the board.

As the board just arrived, I scrubbed it under cold water with dish washing soap... the rinsed it, again with cold water. Entire process did not last more than 1 min.
Afterwards, I had it rest on one side for at least two hours.
As I was taking the new pic, I noticed that the warp is less dramatic (somehow relaxed)... but still there. It is reasonable to expect a board that does not warp at all, during use and/or during cleaning.

Thx, and pls let me know if the pics are no accessible.



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WildBoar said:
Any pics of the pattern issue? A description of how the board was washed would be helpful as well.

We have 3 BoardSmith boards out on the counter, and 2 of them are used daily. We wipe them down in-place. I reapply mineral oil when the surface starts to whiten. One of the boards is almost 5 years old not. We have not had any issues with any of the 3 boards other than the wood surround on a foot of one board cracked in two, and Dave provided me with a replacement foot. My mom and my niece also have BoardSmith boards that are 2 years old. They do not take care of them the way most on this forum care for wood cutting boards, but neither of their boards have had any issues.

Not arguing with the dissatisfied post above, but asking for a little more info and providing another data point.
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I'd let it dry and slap some board butter (1:4ish ratio of beeswax to mineral oil) on it. I apply every 2 months or so on my end grain and haven't had any problems with warping.
 
the warp is definitely something I have not seen before when the board was quickly washed and not soaked or put in the sink with water running over it for a bit. Even weirder is Dave soaks the boards in mineral oil after he finished making them, so it's not like they typically arrive really dry. It's like your board got very dried out for some reason, and then when you washed it it pulled in a bit of water. Was it delayed during the shipping phase for a while? Maybe it sat somewhere and dried out a bit. Have you tried repeated applications of mineral oil to see if it pulls in a bit and straightens out more?

The pattern issue is perfectly normal, though. Each row has to be staggered 1/2 block frmo the one above. The double line of maple through the middle resulted in the walnut pattern being 1/2 block over on the bottom half vs the top. I'm pretty sure he discusses the need to stagger each row on his web site. Rest assured that was not a 'cost cutting measure', unless you mean he should have added another row of maple and made the board deeper than what was ordered.

The wood material change is definitely an issue as well. I know Dave's mahogony supply was very unreliable, and he's posted a couple times about no longer being able to get good enough material to use. I would have expected him to alert you to the need to switch to something else (i.e., maple, cherry) before he started fabricating the board, and I assume there would have also been a price reduction for the maple.
 
I abuse my cutting boards and have not experienced any issues with my BoardSmith. Sorry to hear you are unsatisfied.
 
Some vendors have to realize that unless you can spend millions in PR/Ads customer service goes a long way. Really successful companies have realized that both are important. Sad :(
 
as for your complaint about the board/pattern. gotta agree with Boardsmith, that band of darker wood needer to be staggered like it is (different than other bands) or the joints would have match with the lighter wood right above it. if thats the complaint to Dave, which from your post i think it is.

from what i understand, Boardsmith soaks their boards in mineral oil for like 12 hours so it shouldnt be dry and be able to handle some water. Did you leave the board in a sink or something? something allowed a bunch of water to get in the board and warp it. if it was left on a wet countertop that would do it. I usually put my board on top of the oven after cleaning, right on top of the burners so there is plenty of air flow below it. It has warped in the past, easily fixed, but now that its soaked in mineral oil and i put it on the stove never an issue again.
 
To add, he sends feet for his boards for a reason and I'm guessing that board sat on a wet countertop.
 
This is not a quest: I was looking for another premium board maker, and since I stumbled onto this thread, I only wanted to share my experience with the BoardSmith.

Since "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", I personally just don't agree with the bonding lines pattern; there are several easy ways to 100% match top/bottom patterns.
Regarding the warp, I had no idea that a BoardSmith needs so much "attention"... legitimate, or otherwise. If I would've known, I would've never order it, and in the worse case keep my old cheapo (ugly looking now) board that doesn't care how I wash/dry it.

However, regardless of the BoardSmith's quality/condition, I expected honest customer service. In my case "the customer is not always right"... again, a first for me but definitely not the end of the world.

Wanna thank y'all for your comments and suggestions; the BoardSmith and the thread were indeed an iteresting learning experience.
 
I don't know if this has anything to do with the warping, but ... I wonder if it's the fact that there are two different woods being used. One is more prone to environmental changes than the other and is reacting to it at a different rate than the other which is causing the warping.

It's kinda like those thermostats that use a flat coil with one metal sandwiched between another. The change in temperature causes the coil to curl/uncurl because the two metals react differently to temperature change. Just a thought. :my2cents:
 
Honestly, I doubt it. There are lots of walnut/ maple boards out there with no such issue. Never had any warping with the W/M board that I have, and it is our biggest board.
 
I appreciate you posting. As this is the second story I have heard about bs this week, I think it's helped me decide how and where to spend my money.

I don't tend to believe everything I read or hear, but two similar customer service stories are enough to give me pause.
 
Gourmet said:
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If you leave it sitting how it is, it will take a longer time to flatten back out.
When a piece of wood curls upward that is because the moisture evaporated out of the topside faster than the underside.
With wood the dry portion shrinks and the wet portion expands.
Flipping it over will allow the moisture to evaporate from the underside.
The reason for standing on edge is so both sides can dry evenly.
These are just the basic mechanics of any wood that can absorb moisture.

After the board has dried on both sides and settled back to flat I would be sure to oil it well and apply some board butter.
Kind of like taking care of a pair of leather shoes. A little basic care and it can last for generations.

One last comment.
If you choose not to keep the board oiled you can do what I have been doing with a board of mine.
Mine is a flat sawn single piece of wood that is almost guaranteed to warp.
But......before I use mine I wet both sides evenly. This expands the wood and keeps food out of the pores.
After use I scrub it with a scotchbrite pad and soapy water then rinse both sides again to get rid of soap residue.
Then I stand it on edge to let it dry.
More than 2 years later it is still flat.
Not because it was a great piece of wood, but because of understanding how wood reacts to water and avoiding conditions that can cause problems.
 
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