Engraving Cutting Boards Advise

[Ryan Barila]

Hello. I have been looking for a supplier to engrave cutting boards. I have found very few. But not the type of cutting board I am looking for. This weekend I want to attempt to make my own cutting board. I think I am going to try Maple or Oak? Recommendations? Only have a local Lowes for supplies

On the non engraved side I am going to do a drip channel with my router. I plan on making a template with my routing table so everything is even.

Something I am stuck on. I plan on finishing the edges with the routing table aswell. I was going to play around with the bits, unless you can recommend, to see what I like for the finishing edge. BUT I am stuck on how to get perfect rounded corners. Any advise? Not sure if this should be in the engraving forum or another.

[AL Ursich]

Since you are making a template and using a top bearing bit or inserts for your router base you can rough it out then sand it to the line for a perfect fit.

Be sure to do a search for food safe finish here as it has been posted before in one of the forums.

Might be cheaper to buy ready made butcher block rather than deal with the moisture problems later with cracking and customers asking for a refund.

Good Luck,

AL

[David Somers]

Ryan,

I would suggest the maple over the Oak. Maple has a pretty tight grain whereas Oak is more open. The open grain will hold food particles in the open grain.

For a finish I would suggest a penetrating oil finish that will cure inside the wood as opposed to a shell like finish that cures on the surface of the wood. General's Salad Bowl finish is a good example of the first. Also Mahoney's Walnut Oil. Examples of shell finishes would be Shellac and Varnish and Urethanes. Shell finishes are poor choices for any wood based item that will be in contact with food other than just for displaying foods like fruits and whatnot. The shell cracks over time, or gets cut in the case of a cutting board and traps food and moisture under the finish. A penetrating oil finish is easily renewed by the owner whereas a damaged shell finish is harder for the user to repair.

I would certainly play with various rounding bits to see what you like. Consider using bits with bearings on them to prevent marks on the wood. So far as the perfect rounded corners goes, that is reliant on how you cut the corners. If you are using a template to actually cut the shape on your router table then the template will define your corners. Make the template good and you will get good corners when you cut the shape out. And of course, as far as your rounded edges go, they are highly dependent on the quality of your cut shape. If you have bumps and whatnot in the cut board the roundover bits will follow those bumps.

There are some other woodworking forums on SMC that might server you better than the Engravers forum. We focus more on the use of a laser engraver/cutter, though many folks here have plenty of experience using router tables.

Dave

[Barry McFadden]

Ryan...I have made quite a few cutting boards and use mostly Cherry, Maple, Walnut and Purpleheart....as David mentioned, Oak is too coarse grained for cutting boards. If you use Gorilla Glue to join the strips you will have no problem with the joints coming apart because of moisture. I have boards that I made 6 years ago and use every day and have never had one separate. I round the edges using a round over bit with a bearing. Usually the boards are 12" by 14"...here's a picture of a couple so you can get an idea of the edge I use. Hope this helps...

Boards.jpg

[Mike Null]

I've used TiteBond glue with good results. Most of my boards are more than twenty years old and have held up well. I like walnut, mahogany, cherry and maple. I use plain old mineral oil for a finish and it can be re-applied as needed with no fuss or muss.

Make a pattern out of mdf and use a pattern bit in your router to get the rounded edges. I usually just chamfer my corners.

[John Bion]

Here are a few examples I have done using various woods.

After a hard-knock experience, I now only use Tight Bond III Ultra for gluing up. I use a bearing guided round-over bit for the edges. I finish by dipping in mineral oil for a few moments and letting that drip off before wiping and applying a warm mixture of bees-wax and mineral oil. I laser engrave my logo onto the sides and apply rubber feet using brass screws. Contrary to good advice here, I have sometimes used European Oak, as you may see, however that does not mean it is the best wood to use

PS: Dave Somers: Homemade bread

Kind regards, John

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[Matt McCoy]

Ryan...I have made quite a few cutting boards and use mostly Cherry, Maple, Walnut and Purpleheart....as David mentioned, Oak is too coarse grained for cutting boards. If you use Gorilla Glue to join the strips you will have no problem with the joints coming apart because of moisture. I have boards that I made 6 years ago and use every day and have never had one separate. I round the edges using a round over bit with a bearing. Usually the boards are 12" by 14"...here's a picture of a couple so you can get an idea of the edge I use. Hope this helps...

Boards.jpg

Are you cutting both species at the same time to make the two boards?

[Barry McFadden]

Are you cutting both species at the same time to make the two boards?

Yes Matt... I use 2 sided tape to keep the boards together...one maple and one walnut...there is a good tutorial by Peter Brown at SMC on this process if you search Drunken Cutting Boards. The only difference is that his wood was thinner so he made one board with the 2 pieces. My wood was just over 1" finished so I made 2 boards.

[Matt McCoy]

Yeah, that's what it looks like.

Great work and hope to get a chance to give it a try.

Thanks for the info.

[Ryan Barila]

great work guys. very impressive! I am more looking just for a solid piece no gluing. Laser engrave to personalize the designs I have for the customer.

[Jacob John]

great work guys. very impressive! I am more looking just for a solid piece no gluing. Laser engrave to personalize the designs I have for the customer.

From all of the wood suppliers in my area, that's going to be tough. None of them I've spoken to carry wood at those dimensions, nor were they willing to get into that type of market. One in particular had a huge selection of some of the rarest and most desirable wood I've ever seen, and I'm just guessing the process isn't profitable enough for him, or maybe he just doesn't need the business. I'm being serious when I say I have never seen such a variety of wood that he carries.

[Matt McCoy]

From all of the wood suppliers in my area, that's going to be tough. None of them I've spoken to carry wood at those dimensions, nor were they willing to get into that type of market. One in particular had a huge selection of some of the rarest and most desirable wood I've ever seen, and I'm just guessing the process isn't profitable enough for him, or maybe he just doesn't need the business. I'm being serious when I say I have never seen such a variety of wood that he carries.

Ryan: Do you have a sawmill near you?

[Jacob John]

Ryan: Do you have a sawmill near you?

Are you asking me or him?

I have a few of them, the guy I'm referring to is a huge supplier. I think he just makes more money cutting the wood at certain dimensions. I'm going to crack him one day, but so far, it's a no go.

[Matt McCoy]

Are you asking me or him?

I have a few of them, the guy I'm referring to is a huge supplier. I think he just makes more money cutting the wood at certain dimensions. I'm going to crack him one day, but so far, it's a no go.

Ryan the OP.

[David Somers]

Ryan,

A one piece board is fine. But normally I would prefer a glued up one. The reason is warping. When you glue up a cutting board you generally lay one piece annular rings facing up, the next rings facing down, the next rings facing up, etc. When they are glued together each piece of wood counters the tendency of the adjacent piece to cup with the direction of the rings. So the board tends to stay flat over time, even when its moisture content may change all the time with humidity and cleaning. Also as it ages and it reaches a balance in terms of moisture with the ambient air. A single board is going to tend to cup more noticeably because the piece is bigger and there is nothing to counter the tendency of the wood to cup or warp. If you look at a diagram of how a board is cut from a log you can see where this tendency comes from.

Dave