Cutting Board Questions

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Is there any wood (except bamboo which isn't a wood by some definitions) that WON'T warp if you're a little behind on the oil and do seriously wet stuff on it (dressing blanched tomatoes, messing with citrus....)?
 
warpage is fixed with thickness. that makes it more stable. I made a board from strips of 3/4" thick baltic birch glued face to face it was around 1" thick or a bit less with feet it bowed downward a bit. wood warps when it absorbs moisture unevenly or dries unevenly. different parts of the tree are more stable then others too. but there are always so many factors. wood can drive you nuts. customers drop off glued up panels and plywood to my shop and it can be warped the next day when it was flat when they brought it in a bamboo edge grain board should work well I have debated making one but I don't need another cutting board. plus I hate the stink of bamboo.
 
...Wonder how much force is in the warping, and whether one could keep a board flat by reinforcing it with bamboo or steel?
 
LifeByA1000Cuts said:
...Wonder how much force is in the warping, and whether one could keep a board flat by reinforcing it with bamboo or steel?
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If the wood can't move like it wants too it will split. wood is going to move no matter what you do unless you seal it from moisture with epoxy or heavy wax. you may be able to keep it flat with a bar but you still have to allow the wood to move. the usual way is to have slots in the bar and screws or dowels in the slots the wood is allowed to move in the slots but held flat by the bar. wood is fun but can drive you nuts.
 
A simple fix for warping is putting rubber feet on the board. My Boardsmith board came with them; it works so well I put feet on my other biggish board. Feet let the bottom of the board dry more or less as fast as the top.
 
LifeByA1000Cuts said:
I'm hanging them anyway, what difference would the feet make?
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I'm surprised you get any warping if they're hanging. Unless they're hanging flat against a wall or other boards ... in which case feet could give you some separation there.
 
paulraphael said:
A simple fix for warping is putting rubber feet on the board. My Boardsmith board came with them; it works so well I put feet on my other biggish board. Feet let the bottom of the board dry more or less as fast as the top.
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Sounds good, did you get self adhesive rubber feet?
 
cncrouting said:
warpage is fixed with thickness. that makes it more stable.
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And it works, mine is 1&1/2" thick and very stable.
I went to a local cabinet shop and had them cut me a slab of butcher block 18"x24".
Every couple of years I sand it down smooth to keep it looking nice.
 
fatboylim said:
Sounds good, did you get self adhesive rubber feet?
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I got screw-on ones. The ones that come on Boardsmith boards are held on with stainless screws. I used regular galvanized, which are predictably rusty after a few years.
 
Basically, wood, especially end grain, is easy on the edge.
 
Cheap edge grain bamboo boards are indestructible indeed. Got used to that and then got an edge grain board. Left it standing on its side on a wet kitchen counter and found it all cracked :(. Few holes and some hot glue later the cracks have stopped developing but it looks like sh** now. I recommend getting rubber feet on the sides too. Feels much nicer than edge grain though. It's a real noticeable improvement.
 
I got a question, too. How do you guys clean your end grain boards? Until now, I used relatively small boards which I carry to the sink where I clean them with detergent, rinse and dry them with a towel. Then l leave them to dry, standing upright. But many of the boards I see are really large, and thick, too. I imagine most people won't carry these to the sink every time. Do you leave them in place and simply wipe them? I'm a bit afraid that might not be enough... (I don't eat meat btw, so only veggies on my boards).
 
I clean mine in-place. Wet towel followed by drying towel. Occasional flooding surface with white vinegar followed by wet/ dry.
 
I screwed lugs into the sides of the bigger ones (if they have no hanging hole) and hang them in front of lesser-used shelves on two nails...
 
WildBoar said:
I clean mine in-place. Wet towel followed by drying towel. Occasional flooding surface with white vinegar followed by wet/ dry.
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I do this after clean veggies. Sometimes lemon instead of vinegar. I wash in detergent if any concern of dirt or meat contamination, then re-oil.

Need to get some of the quaternary ammonium restaurant sanitiser.

This is obvoiusly for home use.
 
Nemo said:
Need to get some of the quaternary ammonium restaurant sanitiser.
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As you may know, be a bit cautious with quaternary ammonium compounds when it comes to direct skin contact. I was a bit cavalier with them years ago and ended up with a bunch of tiny blisters and a rather irritating rash for a while on my hands.
 
I limit or try to anyway, contact with the wooden board to raw veg. For cleaning I'll use a kitchen towel and water. If protein gets it I'll rub with salt and lemon then go through re-oil process. I've a large, 1" Boos and a mid sized 2" Boardsmith, neither of which is readily carried to / from sink.
 
The ideal way to clean is to drag it into the sink, and wash with hot soapy water. Dry it. Mist with some sanitizer and let it air dry.

My board is pretty big (16"?) so in practice I clean it in place most of the time. A side towel with soapy water, one with clean water, and then some sanitizer.

Noah, does the sanitizer irritate your skin at woking solution, or in the concentrated form? If the dilute working solution gives you blisters, that sounds like maybe you developed a chemical sensitivity. Maybe even from contact with the concentrate.

At any rate, that's a good heads-up. The stuff is safe on food surfaces, but it's probably best to not be soaking in it.
 
I went with one large end grain board and two small edge grain boards from Catskill. I prepped them with mineral oil, soaked over a night or two, then put on boos board cream/wax. I only use for produce and cooked meat. Wipe of with wet towel or rinse under sink. So far so good.
 
What boards do people usually use for raw meat?
 
jkao said:
What boards do people usually use for raw meat?
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I use a cheap plastic board, it can go in the dishwasher no problem. And when it's totally worn out, I can cut it up to use in some other project. :)

Some people like those thin plastic cutting liners and just place them over their wooden board while cutting raw meat.
 
Epicurean boards for raw meat or anything that would leave a lot of liquid or juices on the board. Easy to wash and it seems like it could last a lifetime or two.
 
milkbaby said:
I use a cheap plastic board, it can go in the dishwasher no problem. And when it's totally worn out, I can cut it up to use in some other project. :)

Some people like those thin plastic cutting liners and just place them over their wooden board while cutting raw meat.
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Same here. A plastic (Polypropylene) Oxo board that I can toss in the dishwasher.
 
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