Big cutting board. 24 X 48

[Wade Lippman]

Slow cure epoxy. It will take you a while to glue up and I doubt you can do it in the time TBIII would take to dry. Also, epoxy requires much less clamping pressure and is more tolerant of small errors.

Consider using biscuits; not so much for strength (I might not even take the time to glue them in) but purely for speed of alignment. Getting something that big reasonably even will be a real chore that biscuits will make so much easier.

[Steve Wilde]

fyi: I would never put partical on a cutting board.
The countertop has a 9/64" top layer of solid oak, over particleboard.

Adam, those are actually full thickness wood, I bought three of those and use them as my countertops in my wood shop.

[John C Bush]

If he needs a cutting board that big for cleaning fish--I want t know where he's fishing!!

[Rick Johnston]

No what the OP asked.., but there are online places that will make almost any size, thickness and color cutting boards. I have 2 that are 36/18 from them. Any edge and other feature can be routed in too.

[Rich Engelhardt]

The board will be stored indoors and I told him to wipe it down with mineral oil after each cleaning.

The board is going to reek with fish smell.
The fish oil from cleaning the fish will not allow any other treatment of the wood to take place.

Personally, I'd never use anything more permanent than a piece of a 2x12 and toss it after if got too skanky.

[Adam Herman]

Adam, those are actually full thickness wood, I bought three of those and use them as my countertops in my wood shop.

not according the the Ikea specs. Maybe they recently changed them.

[Dan Hahr]

You probably won't want to make it quite as nice as one you would use on your kitchen counter, but definitely use edge or face grain and don't worry about using TBIII. One to one and a half inch will be fine for thickness. Tell him to keep it out of the sun. Wash it after using it and it will never "reek" of fish. I'd make it out of mahogany and let it weather naturally. But not in the sun! Put some holes in the corner to hang it so it dries completely. Nothing wrong with wood for fish boards. If you leave rotting fish on it just bleach it a bit. And yes, I've built them, and yes, we have a lot of fish that will hang over a 48" board.

Dan

[William C Rogers]

You probably won't want to make it quite as nice as one you would use on your kitchen counter, but definitely use edge or face grain and don't worry about using TBIII. One to one and a half inch will be fine for thickness. Tell him to keep it out of the sun. Wash it after using it and it will never "reek" of fish. I'd make it out of mahogany and let it weather naturally. But not in the sun! Put some holes in the corner to hang it so it dries completely. Nothing wrong with wood for fish boards. If you leave rotting fish on it just bleach it a bit. And yes, I've built them, and yes, we have a lot of fish that will hang over a 48" board.

Dan

I have hard maple, but not Mahogany. I could make 1+ inch, but not 1 1/2 side grain. 1 1/2+ with edge grain. I was thinking end grain as I could saturate it all the way through with mineral oil/bees wax. Any specific reason not to do end grain? I'm going to put stainless handles on it for hanging/transport. It will be stored indoors (out building). Normal procedures are to bleach before and after use.

[Roy Harding]

I have hard maple, but not Mahogany. I could make 1+ inch, but not 1 1/2 side grain. 1 1/2+ with edge grain. I was thinking end grain as I could saturate it all the way through with mineral oil/bees wax. Any specific reason not to do end grain? I'm going to put stainless handles on it for hanging/transport. It will be stored indoors (out building). Normal procedures are to bleach before and after use.

If you're going to bleach before and after use - don't use wood - ESPECIALLY end grain. If you're using bleach, go with a poly cutting board - they're not terribly expensive, here's an example http://www.globalindustrial.ca/p/foo...le-top-48x24-2 .

If you are going with wood, sanitize it with lemon juice (or vinegar or any other edible acid) and salt.

[William C Rogers]

If you're going to bleach before and after use - don't use wood - ESPECIALLY end grain. If you're using bleach, go with a poly cutting board - they're not terribly expensive, here's an example http://www.globalindustrial.ca/p/foo...le-top-48x24-2 .

If you are going with wood, sanitize it with lemon juice (or vinegar or any other edible acid) and salt.

Do not want a poly cutting board. Some charters use them, but many don't. They all use bleach for sanitizing.

Why not use bleach. Many on line site recommendsusing diluted bleach for sanitizing. Vinegar and Lemmon juice are not as effective as bleach. Board will be wiped with mineral oil and bees wax when dry each use.

[Roy Harding]

Do not want a poly cutting board. Some charters use them, but many don't. They all use bleach for sanitizing.

Why not use bleach. Many on line site recommendsusing diluted bleach for sanitizing. Vinegar and Lemmon juice are not as effective as bleach. Board will be wiped with mineral oil and bees wax when dry each use.

I've always found that the bleach leaves a bad taste on the wooden cutting boards, especially end grains ones - even when diluted to 2 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water. Perhaps it's me, and I wasn't rinsing properly - perhaps I could taste it because I was the one who cleaned it and expected to taste it. Obviously your experience (and perhaps thoroughness) has been different.

I'll be interested to see what you build - please post a photo when you're done.

[Chris Padilla]

FYI, "bleach" is basically hypochloric acid and the source of chlorine. In other words: bleach = chlorine. People use "bleach" in their swimming pools all the time.

So when talking about using "bleach", one should be aware that concentration of chlorine can vary. Most household bleach used for washing clothes is 6.25% but some can be higher and some can be much lower. Further, old bleach can be less than when it was fresh. Just an FYI.

[Roy Harding]

FYI, "bleach" is basically hypochloric acid and the source of chlorine. In other words: bleach = chlorine. People use "bleach" in their swimming pools all the time.

So when talking about using "bleach", one should be aware that concentration of chlorine can vary. Most household bleach used for washing clothes is 6.25% but some can be higher and some can be much lower. Further, old bleach can be less than when it was fresh. Just an FYI.

I'm aware of the chemical properties of chlorine bleach, but thanks. As I stated, I found that using it left a foul taste on my boards - despite dilution ratios and rinsing.

[Dan Hahr]

I have hard maple, but not Mahogany. I could make 1+ inch, but not 1 1/2 side grain. 1 1/2+ with edge grain. I was thinking end grain as I could saturate it all the way through with mineral oil/bees wax. Any specific reason not to do end grain? I'm going to put stainless handles on it for hanging/transport. It will be stored indoors (out building). Normal procedures are to bleach before and after use.

End grain will be a ton of work to get perfectly flat and even. But more importantly, it will be much weaker across the length and width in a board that size. Now if you make it 4+ inches thick, it will probably be fine. Think how easily a thin slice off the end of a board splits or checks.

Bleach is fine on wood, just dilute it properly and let it air dry well. I would not use bleach before putting meat on it. Actually, I rarely bleach my boards unless they get moldy from improper care. (hey, it happens) I would worry much more about salmonella from chicken than anything from fish. They are slimy, but not with anything that won't rinse off with water. You really can't clean fish without getting fish slime on the fish...and a dry board should be clean enough after a quick spray of water.

Dan

[Prashun Patel]

I would be wary of an end-grain cutting board that large. I dropped an end-grain cutting board and it broke - not on the glue lines, but in the wood. I suspect it's because it's really just a big short-grain situation.

Also, as stated, end-grain boards are very time consuming to flatten properly.

IMHO, the only reason to do end-grain is because it can be more resistant to scratches... AT FIRST. I think the warnings about this, though, are overblown. When I see the heavily used cutting boards and cooking spoons I made for my friends years after they've used them, they ALL (end or edge) look beaten up - beautifully beaten up. They all get scratches and fuzzy with time and require proper maintenance.