Butcher blocks: maple?

F

flashylightsmeow

Joined
Feb 19, 2016
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Hi all, I received some Japanese knives as a present and they're made from carbon steel so I want to try and take care of them. I've read lots of people rave about maple but when looking at the type of maple used by John Boos and the Michigan Maple Block Co, I noticed they use hard maple which is pretty high (compared to, say, walnut) on the Janka Hardness Scale.
Can anyone give any advice?
 
No problem using maple, Look for boards made up of "End Grain" blocks. Edge grain are Glued up strips. it's better
to cut into the ends of the fibers, than across the long axis! { at least that's what i've read }

walnut is ok, but at double the price.

mine is maple 16X22X2 google " Carolina Slab " & Boardsmith, I got into trouble posting active links, so you have to find it yourself

DSC_0001.JPG
 
Maple is a good choice. So are cherry and walnut. John Boos, Boardsmith, Michigan Maple Block Co, Catskill Craftsman are a few makers of good cutting boards.

Edge grain is fine for a cutting board if your technique is good. If you are doing a lot of chopping, end-grain is better.

You can also go with hinoki wood, which is a Japanese cypress wood traditionally used with sushi. It is a fairly soft wood so might not be as long-lasting as a maple board, but is gentle on your blade edges. There are several brands but I see Shun brand more than others.
 
Maple is the old standard .Lots of products available these days. I had my local sawmill custom make some [my friend !]. Wash it but never soak it !! If you do a lot of chopping get an end grain just for that !
 
I concur with OldNAVY about the end-grain boards. They tend to last longer because they are less likely to warp and therefore come undone (in my usage history). They can be sanded down when needed also.

John (jc57) makes a good point also with the Japanese cypress. I've seen Japanese chefs use a thin board for sushi that doesn't appear to be maple or walnut. It looked like it could be bamboo or cypress but I'm not sure. Many chefs used synthetic boards, though. I can't recommend those boards simply because I don't know enough about them. Maple and walnut, however, should serve you well. As stated, it's nowhere near the hardness of steel.

By the way, if you're using Japanese carbon steel, I'd recommend that you use tsubaki (camellia) oil on the blades. A quick swipe of oil on the blades prior to storage should keep them from oxidizing too bad. You can purchase tsubaki oil from a few online retailers.

ROSH
 
I highly recommend end grain maple boards. I've had this one for about 15 years now going strong. Just a little camellia oil to keep it fresh.

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I've made a lot of cutting boards in my day, face grain up, edge grain up, and end grain up. By far the most durable board is the end grain up version.

Historically, and if you were to google it much, the "ideal" material is a closed-grain wood, like hard maple. I would say that of all commonly available domestic hardwoods, hard (or soft, the difference isn't that significant) maple is an exceptional choice. You won't dull your knives on them. I do second whoever suggested avoiding woods with silicates (no bamboo).

Chopping+Block+-+Wedding+03.jpg


I've also made chopping blocks out of maple, but that is mostly an aesthetic (and cost... walnut is pricy) choice. Walnut is dark brown, maple is a very light brown.

Walnut%2BEnd%2BGrain%2BCutting%2BBoard%2B%25281%2Bof%2B4%2529.jpg


You can find me via google, Warrior Woodwork (have an etsy store and a blog where I explain a lot of this stuff in more detail). Feel free to email me if you have any other questions. I'd be happy to go into more detail.
 
you can pick up relatively in-exspensive bamboo boards everywhere even wallyworld. endgrain is the most ideal, but you'll do just fine with standard long-grain. butchers liked end grain because it stood up to the amount of work they had to do(i've seen an old endgrain block at least two feet tall, meaning they glued up a bundle of 24" boards(( sticks,whatever)) and it will in all likelyhood last forever) if you aren't breaking down carcasses regularly, i wouldn't worry. that said-SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL CARPENTER-and get something nice looking if you($) are up to it.:)
thanks, Neal
 
I've a maple cutting board very much like that shown my OldNavy. Been using it every day for about 40 years (seriously) and still going strong. Just wash it off, use a little salt occasionally and wash it again. Have separate, cheap board for raw chicken, etc.
Rich
 
My info may be partially wrong, but I have heard that with bamboo, the silicates AND the commonly used adhesives on cheap examples are both problematic.
 
jdm61 said:
My info may be partially wrong, but I have heard that with bamboo, the silicates AND the commonly used adhesives on cheap examples are both problematic.
Click to expand...

This is what I'd heard as well, and was the reason I went with end grain yellow birch. Also heard that Maple and Larch are both good choices as well.

O
 
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