problem with cutting board

[Joseph Handy]

Hi Folks,

I recently completed a cutting board which will pull out from a slot in the kitchen cabinets just below the the level of the counter top.

I made the project using hard birdseye maple boards edge glued and buiscuit joined. It's dimensions are 29 3/4in x 24 1/4in x 3/4in.

I am finishing it by applying many coats of mineral oil.

The problem is that it appears to be wildly unstable. After first glueing up but before applying any oil, I left it alone for a week or two, the end result being that it was severely cupped in the center. I wet the surface with water placed it on a flat table with a weight in the center and it again became flat. After apply several coats of oil I was hoping it would be more stable and left it again without a weight but it cupped again. I have reapplied the weight and it is straightening out again but my fear is that once installed it will begin to cup again and will not slide freely, or may even get stuck in place.

What should I do? Is there a way for me to permanantly stabilize this board?

Thanks, Joe

[Chris Friesen]

How did you orient the boards? It sounds like they're plain-sawn. A cutting board will be more stable and more durable if you put the edge-grain up. This effectively gives you quarter-sawn sections and will be less likely to cup.

Also, biscuits give you no strength advantage when gluing up panels, although they may help in alignment.

Chris

[Tvfarmer]

That is pretty wide I would shorten it and add a 2 or 3 in piece front and back of hard maple - Not Birdseye - a dovetail with a small wooden pin in the center that would allow some side to side movement. And add a decorative touch. Just a thought

[Lew Hodgett]

Did you build this board with "bread board ends"?

If not, probably always going to have a problem.

Lew

[Leon]

Did you apply the finish to BOTH sides of the cutting board?

[SonomaProducts.com]

I have made literally hundreds of Maple cutting boards from 3" x 3" to 3' x 6' and have only ever seen this in very thin pieces. Then, it struck me by reading your description again. Let me guess... you edge glued together a few wide, 3/4' thick boards to create this plank. If this is the case this thing will continue to move all over the place for life.

The proper method is to rip the wide boards into thinner strips (say

7/8" in your case). Then you glue them face to face so you see the edges as the face of the cutting surface (this is the second best type of cutting board, the best is end grain, but lots more steps\work). Then you sand out the variances until you reach your 3/4 thickness.

Good news is you can reuse use some or most of this wood, just rip it down and start over. However, you'll need to loose an inch wide strip at each joint to get rid of the biscuit slots.

Of the many I have built only a few were destined for life in a slot under the counter but the one I see on a weekly basis has been in service for several years at a good buddies home.

[George]

If you're showing the eyes rather than the "nerve" you're showing the flatsawn face, so the best advice is to first make sure the wood is seasoned, something you don't appear to have done, then make your new rips in such a fashion that you end up with annual rings as flat as possible. Parallel or perpendicular to the surface, no big curves in the annual rings translates to none in the final.

Breadboard ends will help, but caution your spouse that they will stick out in dry weather and duck back in wet, or she'll have you trimming.

Sorry about the mineral oil. You have created a wonderful environment to gather and retain dust, dirt and bacteria/spores in that hidden spot. Leave it bare so you can wash it, or put a bit of curing oil on to help reject water. DON'T use a mineral-oiled board for anything you won't be cooking.

[Joseph Handy]

I applied mineral oil to all surfaces. What is the problem with mineral oil?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Nothing. That is what is used on about 98% of all cutting boards. IMO, it is not needed, but I've yet to hear of any harm from it. You don't want to use vegetable oil as it can go rancid.

[Lew Hodgett]

Try looking at a bread board.

They are ends you find on a bread board, and not heels either.

Lew

[SonomaProducts.com]

Mineral oil is exactly what you want to apply. John Boos Company, the biggest maker of hard rock maple cutting boards in the US (and maybe the world) suggests "Once a day for a week, once a week for a month and once a month for a year."). The biggest reason is to keep moister from getting into the board. Secondly food oils that can go rancid. Mineral oil is not at all toxic. It is sprayed on food you eat and is used to make things like gel caps, etc. It is actually prescribed as a mild laxitive and that is one of the lowest cost ways you can buy it retail, in the pharmacy, food grade mineral oil.

What the hell is "curing oil" anyway.

Breadboard ends are a specific way of add>

[George]

The problem is it never cures, rather provides a lipid-friendly haven for bacteria and their spores away from the power of water and detergent. That is, until you wash it away. Collects and preserves other things too, like odors. Leave it bare or put something that creates a washable surface.

[SonomaProducts.com]

[Rod & Betty Jo]

also recommend melting paraffin or beeswax into the mineral oil for first application with just oil following.......seemed to have worked fine on my center island. Rod

[George]

The principle of lysing the bacterium to kill it is what we're after. If it finds shelter under a coat of oil ("lipid-friendly") rather than in water with a surfactant, the job isn't done at all. Consider the benefit of having a waterproof layer so we can take advantage of both mechanical and chemical action.

Honey is a natural antibacterial, so beeswax isn't a bad recommendation. Commercial butcher places which still use wood salt the tallow or lard nightly. Salt, of course, will lyse the bacteria.