John BOOS blocks

About 1-1/2 years ago I bought a john boos block 24"×18"× 2-1/4" edge grain (hard rock maple)
I knew I was going to put it through hell !. I rarely eat out and do all the cooking at home . I expected it to last 6 months -1 year. It has exceeded all my expectations. never in my wildest dreams did I think ANY chopping block /cutting board could withstand such abuse. I did the math this chopping block has sustained 1million + blows with a razor sharp SUIEN Chinese cleaver . chopping block is still in great condition .will probably end up passing it down to my son in 10 years from now. This is and edge grain block, I imagine there end grain blocks are amazing .

....HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, GET ONE (or more )

I have a 18x18x2.25 edge grain with juice groove on one side. It's well built, but I've had a couple lemons from Boos. First was an end grain maple block with a large glue gap in the middle, and the second was an edge grain block that wasn't planed properly, and had rough edges and bark in a glue joint. It almost looked like a different species of wood, and that one had been quarter-sawn.

I'm not trying to be negative or over zealous (even if I wasn't a knife nut I'd have flagged these problems), but it's worth noting that even with the heritage associated with JB there can be issues.

aboynamedsuita said:

I have a 18x18x2.25 edge grain with juice groove on one side. It's well built, but I've had a couple lemons from Boos. First was an end grain maple block with a large glue gap in the middle, and the second was an edge grain block that wasn't planed properly, and had rough edges and bark in a glue joint. It almost looked like a different species of wood, and that one had been quarter-sawn.

I'm not trying to be negative or over zealous (even if I wasn't a knife nut I'd have flagged these problems), but it's worth noting that even with the heritage associated with JB there can be issues.

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If there were issues, they could have been easily returned for ones without issue.... I know JB boards are always sold on eBay as seconds for really cheap.

aboynamedsuita said:

I have a 18x18x2.25 edge grain with juice groove on one side. It's well built, but I've had a couple lemons from Boos. First was an end grain maple block with a large glue gap in the middle, and the second was an edge grain block that wasn't planed properly, and had rough edges and bark in a glue joint. It almost looked like a different species of wood, and that one had been quarter-sawn.

I'm not trying to be negative or over zealous (even if I wasn't a knife nut I'd have flagged these problems), but it's worth noting that even with the heritage associated with JB there can be issues.

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I paid $109 for mine and its quality is excellent (imo), maybe I just got a good one.
If it breaks into pieces today I still think I got my money's worth. most boos blocks cost hundreds
more ,so if there's a problem it hurts.
I failed to mention earlier I use board scraper daily and usp mineral oil 1-2 times per week. maybe that helped with longevity. my next purchase will probably be boos block end grain 24×24×4
"chinese chopping block" $310 msrp, $240 my price form local restaurant supply . should I buy something else instead?

You can get end grain 24x18x2 boards in the $150 range.
http://topchopbutcherblock.com/cherry-butcher-block/
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Walnu...-Grain-18-X-22-With-Sap-Pattern-/232360925025

I use primarily gyuto and chinese cleavers like the Suien and they barely show any use with good oiling and occasionally sandpaper/micromesh on the surface

Edge grain vs end grain? How do you decide which one to get?

BOOS makes all my prep tables and custom cabinets, good stuff for good price

labor of love said:

Edge grain vs end grain? How do you decide which one to get?

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typically speaking there are three main types of cutting board face grain, edge grain, and end grain.
face grain is really cheap in cost and performance you can buy them at Walmart for $19(skip face grain they suck).Edge grain exposes a different side of wood on cutting board which is a lot tougher and we'll have fairly good longevity, Edge grain is usually middle-of-the-road price. End grain is where the end of the wood is exposed on cutting board, the pieces of cutting board are arranged vertically. End grain is usually the most expensive. face grain is complete garbage but comparing Edge grain to end grain there are as pros and cons . End grain has"self-healing" properties. As the wood sustains damages from knives, when the wood is exposed to water or oil it will absorb some swell and the Damage will seem to disappear. End grain is said to be more durable and is slightly easier on your knives .Edge grain will be slower to absorb water. Edge Grain will have long planks of wood on board and End grain will have small squares and checkers of wood. so they will look different ,price will be different as well as performance. if you can afford end grain I recommend it .But hard rock Maple Edge grain from John Boos is still very good

Chicagohawkie said:

If there were issues, they could have been easily returned for ones without issue.... I know JB boards are always sold on eBay as seconds for really cheap.

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WOK-a-holic said:

I paid $109 for mine and its quality is excellent (imo), maybe I just got a good one.
If it breaks into pieces today I still think I got my money's worth. most boos blocks cost hundreds
more ,so if there's a problem it hurts.
I failed to mention earlier I use board scraper daily and usp mineral oil 1-2 times per week. maybe that helped with longevity. my next purchase will probably be boos block end grain 24×24×4
"chinese chopping block" $310 msrp, $240 my price form local restaurant supply . should I buy something else instead?

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I should clarify… when I ordered these online (from a legit source) I discovered the defects before I even opened the shrink wrap, and they were returned without issue.

One thing I'll make a comment about the end grain is that the blocks are rather small and don't have much stagger… there is a bit more to this than just aesthetics, but the price you mentioned seems good, I'd maybe see if you can have a look over before opening in case there are issues. The boardsmith I got has larger blocks with more stagger/overlap.

cheflivengood said:

BOOS makes all my prep tables and custom cabinets, good stuff for good price

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They make prep table tops / countertops at different price points, depending on how nice you need them to look. If you're ok with some knots and irregularities you can get a really great deal. The trick is shopping at industrial and commercial supply websites ... consumer kitchen sites generally carry the more expensive ones.

I have JB and Boardsmith end grain. One thing that stood out in comparison is that JB contains smaller end grain blocks than the Boardsmith. It would seem that having bigger pieces will have less joints to be glued together thus limiting the number of joints that may fail.

Also as I understand things : less blocks = less glue = less edge damage

I have two Boos blocks. An octagon the size of a stop sign that was a wedding present and our entire kitchen island! It's a standalone oval with a couple of shelves. Weighs a ton and is most of our daily cutting and food prep. It's held up really well, as has the stop sign.

I keep them oiled with a mineral oil/beeswax mix I make every few years and can't complain.

I just purchased a cheaper 20x15x1.25 JB end grain from eBay ... hopefully things are going to live up to the JB standards.

I've done a bit of catering and a lot of demos, classes for a gourmet retail store. They sell (and promote) the Boos boards. It's not unusual to get a lot of them in with little if any preservation on them - dry as kindling. Others come in well oiled and packaged. Suspect the dry ones go on to become lemons for discerning users. Mine - I bought on here forever ago - is as nice as it was on day 1, (cept that one little scar from the Gude).

I've used many of these at various restaurants and the end grain ones are great, the edge grain ones are a massive leap up from the plastic boards commonly available but still substantially less enjoyable compared to the end grain.

labor of love said:

Edge grain vs end grain? How do you decide which one to get?

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