OT - Is this a good cutting board?

MaskedMarvel · February 2014

Greetings friends!

I'm a knife or two away from finishing my set, and it's time for a good cutting board. I want end grain, no juice grooves, and LARGE. I like the large boards we get in the restaurant business. Oh yeah - it can't be ridiculously expensive.

After beaucoup research, I've come up with this:

http://www.amazon.com/End-Grain-Butcher-Block-Square/dp/B009QLBHVK/ref=sr_1_7?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1393016632&sr=1-7

It's reclaimed wood, end grain, and huge for only $200. There's also only one left. The company makes a 24x36 that would've been awesome, but it's OOS.

If they say it's not reversible, can't I just oil and season the other side and reverse it?

Anyway - you guys are the experts. I've learned so much, I figured I'd throw it out there. I don't have $200 for a crappy board. I trust your suggestions!

Thanks

8-Damien

TEggSun · February 2014

Perhaps they are saying it is not reversible because the description says there are felt feet on the bottom.

Seems like a great board to me.

nolaegghead · February 2014

buy

Wolfpack · February 2014

@nolaegghead how you been- glad to see you back

RRP · February 2014

Looks very nice, but I have to wonder about the non reversible comment.

Lit · February 2014

This guy is really good with much better looking boards in my opinion. A little more expensive but they are custom. http://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenRiverWoods?page=1

RRP · February 2014

RRP said:

Looks very nice, but I have to wonder about the non reversible comment.

Let me clarify my concern why I don't think it can just be flipped over, oiled and used. It says it is made of reclaimed tropical hardwood. Reclaimed tells me it has been used for other purposes, probably has holes, cracks etc. What they choose to be revealed on the top end grain is the best. OTOH slightly below that perfect end grain can be holes etc. After the blocks are glued up they probably fill the bottom imperfections with expoxy for strength and to seal the unit. BTW it is not an uncommon trick by some manufacturers to use common auto body fillers such as Bondo to fill large gaps as it can be cut, planed and sanded smooth!

MaskedMarvel · February 2014

I have an email in to them about the reversible thing. I love those boards, @Lit - maybe something to save up for a future purchase. For the price, the one I linked is looking better and better...

MaskedMarvel · February 2014

Stupid vanilla ios formatting. Sorry (edit) And here you have the reply... Hi Damien, Thanks for writing to us. The main reason why we say it is non-reversible is the fact that it does not have finger slots and as the block is very heavy, it is not easy to turn over. If you oil and maintain both surfaces there is absolutely no reason not to use both sides. Sometimes the bottom may have some imperfections that has not been repaired to the same standard (sanded / smoothed) as the top but you can easily fix that too by sanding it down smoothly. For maintaining the block we recommend Tree & Co Wood Food - it works very well and this is what is on the block already as it was applied to it at our factory. I wish you happy cooking! Anton www.treeandco.com

Botch · February 2014

My board looks exactly like that, but it's only half as thick. And, its dished. Badly. When I finally remember it on a weekday, I'll be taking it to the local mill to run thru their wide beltsander to flatten it again, and be a bit more rigorous about keeping it oiled after that.

At over 3" thick, I don't figure your selection will warp/dish...

MaskedMarvel · February 2014

Yep = thicker the better seems to be the rule.

I almost bought a butcher block table on Craigslist, but they had a few blocks splitting out and it was a bit of a drive. I think this board looks like it may be a good solution for my budget/requirements.

@RRP - Dude, I'm hoping none of that is the case here. I ordered through Amazon on the "good" credit card, so maybe I'm protected, should there be any issues..

Skiddymarker · February 2014

I'm suspicious of anything that is tropical, or recycled. May be great, but there are some excellent rock maple and others here for same price,

http://chefdepot.net/mapleboard.htm

Austin Egghead · February 2014

Before you buy check out this: https://cuttingboardgallery.com/store/products.asp?cat=11
I have the largest one made and in my opinion this the best cutting board I have ever owned, not mention a beautiful wood working piece of art.

Austin Egghead · February 2014

@NOLA. Long time no post. Good to see you surfaced. Any chance seeing you in Salado?

xiphoid007 · February 2014

Looks like a great board. Wood is a great surface as its really fast. My only concern is cross contamination. I would get it for veggies, but would rather have a large dishwasher safe poly board for meat. I like the idea of throwing the board in the dishwasher to use the high heat to sterilize the board used for meats. Can't do that with wood.

Just personal preference. FYI, if you're handy, u can make these. Tons of woodworking videos on YouTube.

coffeeguydenton · February 2014

24 by 24 seems REALLY big to me. I use a 15 x 20, same thickness. I love it, but I don't think I would want anything bigger. And it was half the price. It may not be as pretty as the one you linked, but it is a great board, and for me it is all the board I will ever need.

http://www.knifemerchant.com/product.asp?productID=2144&gclid=CIXdoJL637wCFQ_l7AodjFAA7A

RRP · February 2014

MaskedMarvel said:

@RRP - Dude, I'm hoping none of that is the case here. I ordered through Amazon on the "good" credit card, so maybe I'm protected, should there be any issues..

Good idea, but sounds to me like I nailed it based on what you said in their reply of: Sometimes the bottom may have some imperfections that has not been repaired to the same standard (sanded / smoothed) as the top but you can easily fix that too by sanding it down smoothly.

Lit · February 2014

24"*24" is huge. My Veggie board is 22" by 20" and is a beast and its only 2" thick. My rolling boos block is only 30"*24" I can't imagine what the block on that thing weighs. You really should check out th elink I posted earlier for greenriverwoods he makes everything custom and is not much more expensive that what you posted and they are finished and ready to go on both sides. My custom board from them was $325 but it came with 2 bottles of oil and shipping included and its 18"*20" and I had them put a juice rail in since its my meat board. You can look through the hundreds of boards he's done and tell him what you want yours to look like and he will make it that style. The link I posted before was so expensive because those were his counter tops which run thousands of dollars but his boards aren't too bad compared to others as far as price. This is the board I got from him I can't wait to get another $300 of toy money to get a custom veggie board made.

Lit · February 2014

Pic

MaskedMarvel · February 2014

@Lit that's a beauty. I'll definitely look more into those. That guy is from Asheville - just down the road from me. I wanted the enormous size - I am basically treating this as a counte top style cutting board. Not something that doesn't stay out.

MaskedMarvel · March 2014

Whelp. It turned out not to matter. Board arrived smashed into three pieces. Very disappointed it was very nearly Exactly what I wanted. The owner of the board company has offered to get Me another one for $50 more. I don't think that's something I'm going to do...

cazzy · March 2014

Why the hell are they not replacing it for free? Shipping insurance?

I can't believe they're not stand g behind their product.

MaskedMarvel · March 2014

cazzy said:

Why the hell are they not replacing it for free? Shipping insurance? I can't believe they're not stand g behind their product.

It was sold through Amazon and Amazon doesn't have any more. The original company man made the offer.

But yes - on principle alone, he should offer the board to be replaced at the same price. I guess. it WAS on at a fantastic price... $:\$

Eggcelsior · March 2014

Dafuq? Owner should replace that for free and insure the next one. Probably shipping damage.

lilwooty · March 2014

That is poor craftsmanship right there. There is not near enough glue holding that thing together. You can tell from where the breaks are. Even if it did not arrived damaged, after time of being exposed to moisture and then drying out, it would eventually crack open on those areas anyway. Especially since it is end grain. I would get my money back and look elsewhere.

cazzy · March 2014

Send it back to them and dispute the charge if they don't make it right or give you a refund.

Skiddymarker · March 2014

lilwooty said:

That is poor craftsmanship right there. There is not near enough glue holding that thing together. You can tell from where the breaks are. Even if it did not arrived damaged, after time of being exposed to moisture and then drying out, it would eventually crack open on those areas anyway. Especially since it is end grain. I would get my money back and look elsewhere.

I agree. The individual pieces that cracked is what you would expect in an end grain cutting board, the glue should be stronger than the wood. I'd bet that even if it had arrived intact, you might see splitting down the road as you use it, subjecting it to countless wet and dry cycles.

nolaegghead · March 2014

A good buddy of mine made cutting boards for around 15 years and sold them at BBQ competitions. He's going to help me make a big-un for my kitchen (I'm talking 5' x 2.5' x 3-4").

Anyway, I'll show him the pics and see if he can offer any forensic advice - like how it broke and how to fix, if possible.

hondabbq · March 2014

Boos board is the only way to go.

Lit · March 2014

My second boos board is now splitting and I take really good care of them. If I wash them they sit on the stove grates so they can dry completly on all sides and if I use soap from cutting any raw meat I oil them in the morning once dry. The first boos board lasted maybe 6 months and the 2nd is maybe at a year. I think BOOS' quality has gone way down. You can pick them up in TJ MAXX now.

Lit · March 2014

This Boos rolling block is holding up well but I don't use it much. I guess with Boos you have to spend a mortgage payment for quality. Probably going to be selling this thing soon since its now my cookbbook holder. To the OP check out Greenriverwoods since he is local. He also has a shop in that area where you can go look at his work if you contact him. Its not his shop he just sells through them.

OT - Is this a good cutting board?

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