How to Make End Grain Cutting Board | Step-by-Step Guide |

End grain cutting boards like this one will help your knives stay sharper for longer. Because of this, I sell end grain cutting boards at a higher price point.
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If you have any questions about building this cutting board, let me know in the comments. I do my best to answer them all. Thanks for watching!
#woodworking #cuttingboards

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Check out this video on making a cutting board with feet: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqrXhop3qrOofrs

[@Retired62]

Great video, I've been wanting to make one and this is very good.

[@MG-mt3ss]

Nice instructional video. My suggestion is to wipe a damp cloth across the board to raise the grain, and then sand with 320 grit. For your coating, use 3 parts mineral oil to 1 part bees wax, if you can find the latter. Supposedly, the cutting board is to be used for food. In my opinion, hardwoods should never be stained.

[@annakanizic7019]

that is right...

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Great tips! I didn't mention it in this video, but I do apply the beeswax and mineral oil to all my boards after the butcher block oil. Thanks again!

[@SleepyPunkRecordings]

@@Ben_Grimsleyseems like an odd thing to omit. Is there a reason for that?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

@@SleepyPunkRecordings Just me forgetting, and being a little inexperienced in making videos (This was one of my earlier ones). I do have a whole video coming out soon about how I make the cutting board butter I use.

[@anthonyrivera7815]

Awesome video

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thank you so much!

[@kvandy1340]

Great video! War Eagle!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thank you! War Eagle! 🦅

[@tonyborzumato8510]

Hi again, Ben. I just re-watched your video...have two more suggestions... don't get me wrong - you have some definite mastery of the process... but I always welcome suggestions to improve efficiency, and more importantly, safety; especially considering the consequences of an "incident"... so... I noticed when you used the 1-2-3 block on your table saw fence to stand off the work piece (well done!) the block moved several times, and you took a hand off the work piece mid-cut to pull the block back. Most table saw accidents occur when the operator is distracted... clamp the 1-2-3 to the fence with an f-clamp so you can stay focused on the cut. My second suggestions - I've already commented on using a planer for end-grain, but there is another alternative to belt or drum sanders... a router-flattening jig will work almost as well as a drum sander, and will significantly reduce sanding time. Thanks again for the video.

[@guitaranswerguy]

I'm glad you asked about the safety topics. I'm a beginner woodworker (and still fearful of blades, bits, etc.) and was wondering about some of what I saw here.

[@GregoryM1]

This seems way more doable after your explanation! Nice work!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

I am so glad it was helpful! Let me know how it goes once you build yours. Thanks for watching!

[@nyahattanasio2405]

Well put together video. Thanks for taking the time to make it!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching

[@bg2608ret]

Young man I truly enjoyed ur video, gave u a thumbs up & say hello to subscriber 474👍🏻 going to check out your other videos. Well done young Sir!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thank you so much! Greatly appreciated 🤝

[@LylasDad]

The word you’re looking for is mirrored sir 😊 and where in Alabama ?

[@bshilkitus]

I think I will make this board. What size (thickness) boards did you start with? Looks like at least an inch. Thanks in advance.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

I think I actually used 3/4'' stock. I made this cutting board a little over a year ago, so I could be wrong. Sorry I am not more helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@GK-qz3cm]

Ben , after you have everything glued and you trim the edges to square, wouldn’t the end squares within the board be a different size than the inner squares. Thanks for sharing your talent

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Hey there! Yes, for this cutting board, the outer squares were smaller than the inner squares. I couldn't find a way around this without making a crazy complicated glue up. This process works better with a "chaotic" cutting board, because these involved all different sizes of squares. I have a video of me making a chaotic cutting board on the channel as well. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Here is the link for the chaotic cutting board: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2HFoGCbr8-Kb8k

[@GK-qz3cm]

@@Ben_GrimsleyBen , thanks. I wanted to be sure I figured it out correctly. New to the cutting board making. Your work is absolutely great.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

@@GK-qz3cm Thank you so much for watching! Let me know how your next cutting board build goes

[@reubenrosofsky4791]

Great video, where do you buy your material from?

[@n.talbert]

I'm still a beginner myself, but the one thing I'd recommend is clamping from both sides during your glue up. Clamping all on one side worked great for me until it didn't.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Good thought! I have never had any issues clamping one way, but may be good to go both directions for insurance. Thanks for watching!

[@Bulldog1653]

Nice looking board, Ben.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thanks!

[@matthewcarter2677]

Awesome video!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thank you so much!

[@BlackBearCustomKydex]

Really enjoyed the video. I'm brand new to cutting board crafting, so I hope you'll forgive me if I missed something or simply didn't understand, but... why DID you leave out that strip of black walnut? You said you'd come back to it later, but I don't think you did. Thanks, and great work!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Great question! Basically, when you take out that strip of black walnut, it makes the pattern more of a checkered board look once you rotate the strips from your next glue up. If you leave the black walnut in, when you rotate the strips after the following glue up, it would look like straight lines of wood instead of the diagonal checkered board look. Hopefully this makes sense! Let me know if it doesn’t. Thanks for watching!

[@BlackBearCustomKydex]

@@Ben_Grimsley ahhhh I gotcha! Thanks for replying, brother! I'm gonna take a whack at my first end grain cutting board today!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

@BlackBearCustomKydex let me know how it goes!!

[@avivatias382]

Amazing video thank you, beautiful board

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thank you!

[@peterwells5059]

Very helpful video. I notice a lot of tear out on one end was that the result of using your planer

[@StephenDiaz-k9c]

Love this board!! I've seen some videos saying that Sanding too fine actually clogs the pores of the wood and makes it harder for finish to generate. Can anyone confirm or deny?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thank you so much! From my experience, sanding to 220 grit and then applying your first coat of finish works great. Then, I will sand up to 320 and apply second and third coats. I have never gone higher than 320 for a wooden cutting board, but the butcher block finish I use works great. It is linked in the video description. Again, thanks for watching!

[@magnuslemhage1133]

Good work...mvh Magnus Lemhage Skövde 🙂👍

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thank you!

[@DoveSharma]

Does exotic wood make any difference in an END GRAIN project??

[@richardlarkin2705]

Thanks and War Eagle!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

War Eagle! Thanks for watching

[@alexm1841]

Great video! I saw a tip where you let the glue semi dry and then scrape it off the glue

[@Ben_Grimsley]

I have seen this too...may try this next time. Thanks for watching!

[@mathewsdrdavid]

Love this video. Thank you. What are the dimensions of the pieces of stock you started with?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

I believe I started with 3/4'' thick lumber. Thanks for watching!

[@matthewbittenbender9191]

What about channeling it on one side for meat carving to catch juices? Routing it is one thing but keeping it uniform is another I haven't seen yet.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Crafted Elements has a “juice groove jig” that could help you put in a jig groove.

[@daveste99]

Thank you for this video! I am going to make my next board using this method. Great information and well presented. If possible can you reply with the starting dimensions of the wood before gluing? Thanks!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thank you so much! I believe mine were strips of wood 1” square and various lengths. This may not be 100% accurate because it was awhile ago that I made this board (I was new to making videos and did not take note of measurements like I should have). Hope this helps!

[@VernIsberg]

What size and brand of planner are you using?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

It is a 13 inch DeWalt Planer. I have a link to it in the description of the video. Hope this helps!

[@TheDopalgangr]

Why did you use the 123 Blocks for those first few cuts then just the fence for the rest? Do you have to use those blocks at all?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Great question…basically, it is because you never want to apply pressure on both sides of a table saw blade. This can cause the blade to pinch and can possibly throw wood back at you. I used the 123 blocks to separate the wood from the fence, until I got the cutting board short enough to run it along the fence with my push stick. I hope this makes sense. Thanks for the question, and thanks for watching!

[@petegriffith1982]

Lovely board. What dimensions did you do your strips in?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Hi Pete! The first strips determine the size of the "boxes" you see from the top. I believe those are 3/4". The next set of strips determine the thickness of the cutting board. I made these about 1.25". Thanks for watching!

[@tonyborzumato8510]

Nicely done video. A few suggestions: There's an awful lot of "echo" in your audio; you should probably use a lavalier mic, which will pick up less of the ambient sounds. Second, when clamping your glue-ups (especially if not using parallel clamps) you should alternate the clamps on both sides of the board, to prevent bowing. It doesn't always happen, but if it does, you're in for a LOT of sanding. Rather than the incredibly messy wipe-up of the glue that's squeezed out. Instead, let the squeeze-out "tack" for about 45-60 minutes, then use an old chisel or scraper to remove it. MUCH easier, with far less mess. Now for the big one - You should NEVER run an endgrain board through a thickness planer (especially if the planer uses knives instead of a helical carbide head). You've been lucky so far; if you have a catastrophic failure, not only will the board explode (literally), but it most likely do irreparable damage to your planer. I believe you & I have the same model planer, which uses two knives. Sharp blades or not, that's probably the worst possible choice. The tearout you're getting is a preview of what will happen if a blade "catches". Use a drum sander, or (like me) lacking that, flatten your board with a router sled and then sanding (a handheld belt sander is best, but a random orbital will do the job, eventually). The belt sander is faster, but runs the risk of gauging the work. PLEASE don't power plane endgrain. It's not "if", but "when".

[@ryankirby6464]

Do you get snipe on the board running through your planner?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Yes, some. I talk about that at this point in the video kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipqvkpSfht-jfck I suspect a better planer would have less snipe. Hope this helps! Thanks for watching

[@ryankirby6464]

Thanks. I'll give it a try soon.

[@safejewel2072]

Only thing I can recommend is getting a guard for your table saw. Had a guy die recently in industry when he accidentally fell on top of his blade.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

I hate to hear that! Need to add that back on. Thanks for calling that out!

[@mikek2216]

Nice vid, great info. Wondering what are you using underneath the wood while you’re gluing? I’ve got a wood workbench and don’t want to have the glue from the cutting board leak out and stick to my workbench.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

I work at a place where I can get 24"x36" plastic A-frame sign inserts. Big rolls of brown paper also work well. For smaller glue-ups, wax paper is amazing. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching!

[@bobbythornton2510]

Get a roll of butcher paper. I use it all the time, it's also great to put under your project while staining or painting.

[@GK-qz3cm]

Great work! What size is your final board?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thank you! I believe that board was about 12" x 16". Thanks for watching!

[@KennyWyland]

If I wanted the end bits to be equally sized squares (so that it looks like a chess board) instead of the "chaotic" type (I like it too though!), what would I need to change? Would I just need to plane the strips to the equal height and width ahead of time?

[@ynptim]

Just tried planing the end grain after glue up and got some serious kick back and a deep gouge in my workpiece. I had just replaced the blades in my planer and made the smallest micro adjustments possible when running the board through. When I examined the blades afterward, the blades had become bowed with material that collected and jammed up underneath the blade. I have a Craftsman planer and I don't think its worth risking trying to plane the end grain with it. Unfortunately, I will have to stick with sanding.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

I hate to hear that! I haven't experienced that with end grain, but I have while trying to plane smaller workpieces and it is super frustrating. I think in that case, the workpiece is moving side-to-side or laterally inside the planer which leads to kickback. What type of wood did you use in the cutting board?

[@ynptim]

I used walnut, maple, purpleheart, cherry, and paduk. I had extra strips of pine on the sides (holding the edges straight during glue up) but no scrap wood on the leading edge. I think scrap wood across the leading edge may have prevented the kickback by not having as much chip out from the edge grain. @@Ben_Grimsley

[@alfonso620]

Good morning and congratulations for the video. I wanted to ask you a courtesy. Could you give me the measurements of the strips you used. I wanted to do it too but I didn't want to make mistakes. Thank you from Italy!!!!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Hi Alfonso! The first strips determine the size of the "boxes" you see from the top view of the cutting board. I believe those are 3/4". The next set of strips determine the thickness of the cutting board. I made these about 1.25". Don't forget you will loose some thickness after running the board through the planer. Don't feel like you will make a mistake if your strips are a different dimensions from mine...It will just give you a different look/thickness. Thanks for watching!

[@alfonso620]

@@Ben_Grimsley grazie mille (Thanks)

[@Theslobgoblin]

4:34 I’m just getting into woodworking, why use gage blocks when making the first few cuts when exposing the end grain? Can’t you just use the stop like you do for the finishing cuts?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Great question! The reason is you never want to use your fence and your miter gauge at the same time. This can cause kickback. The 123 block keeps the material off your fence. Does that make sense?

[@Theslobgoblin]

@@Ben_GrimsleyI see now, I didn’t see that the miter gauge was only used for the first few cuts. Thank you!

[@Slayer-di2ih]

Invest in some parallel clamps for a better and easier glue up

[@Ben_Grimsley]

I will look into these. Thanks!

[@CMU295]

Hi did you do a video for the square jig after the gluing up it just I can't find it

[@Ben_Grimsley]

I did not, but Matt Outlaw from 731 Woodworks has a great video on one. Here is the link to it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z5-8dXWCbL2pZ9E

[@RKempke]

What were the dimensions of the boards before you started cutting them into strips?

[@steverainwater9746]

Would be nice to know the length and width of the boards you used and the dimension of the finished product..

[@Ben_Grimsley]

You are right! I am about to release another cutting board video. I am working on including all these dimensions in that video. Thank you for the feedback and thanks for watching!

[@Eman-sc1gw]

What is the dimension of the cutting board? If I were to make one, how can I make it wider?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

I sold that board, but I believe the rough dimensions were about 13"x16". If you want to make a board wider than your planer, I would recommend using a router sled to flatten the board. I have a video coming out in a few weeks where I flatten an entire slab with a router sled, but the principle would be the same with a cutting board. Hope this helps!

[@Inkspire_Studio]

Take it how you wish… if I were you I would definitely build a crosscut sled plz! I did and it so worth it also… if you are planning on selling or already are buy or build a router sled its so worth it it’ll make planing no longer a part of the process it’s so easy

[@MichaelDonovan-ii6yo]

I would really ado do cutting boards. Unfortunately, the prices of wood where I live is extremely expensive.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Try FaceBook Market Place. Sometimes, people get rid of really nice wood for cheap just because they want to get it out of the way. Just an idea! Thanks for watching!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Also, here is a video of some other ways I save money woodworking. I talk about getting lumber for lower prices: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYqahmeDn5Vpm80

[@chrismoyer2079]

Great video but I would avoid using a planer on endgrain boards like that. Other than the chip out, it can be very dangerous. Use a board milling setup with a router attached to it instead. You can get nice one from Woodpeckers for a couple hundred bucks.

[@nebeljc1]

Not a bad video. I would recommend that you go a little more in depth about running that end grain through a planer. Some people might think they can just run it through like any other board, only try really mess up either their board, planer, themselves, or all three

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Good call! Thanks for watching

[@gregdietz3590]

Gluing a sacrificial board to the back end of the cutting board as it goes through the planer will eliminate all the tear his board experienced. Or, simply put a slight bevel on the back edge before planing. His tear out was not bad, but at times you can end up having to trim way too much off to get rid of the tear out.

[@demonicsquid7217]

Don't put end grain slabs through a planer is the best rule to follow to be honest.

[@hasmukhvpatel4539]

you should glue extra wood at the end before you send in the machine.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

That is a good call! I have tried that on other boards and it works great. Thanks for the tip

[@KennyWyland]

@@Ben_Grimsley What is the benefit of gluing some extra wood at the end before planing?

[@jckddsn]

Minimizes tear out. And then you just cut that part off later.

[@heathmiles2887]

make the video on the jig

[@AhsanPervaiz-m5d]

Can I buy this??

[@R.Y.1]

Does it get annoying not having a table behind your saw ? Don’t longer pieces just fall to the floor?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Yes! Out-feed table is hopefully coming soon

[@R.Y.1]

@@Ben_Grimsley is that a specific kind of table ? I’ve been wanting to make a table for my table saw for awhile and am wondering if there’s any tips

[@Ben_Grimsley]

@@R.Y.1 I would refer you to this video that another guy made of building an out-feed table: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4XYk5uhaat9ocU Also, think through if you need dust collection under the table or if you want to direct the dust somewhere else. Hope this helps!! Let me know how it turns out!

[@R.Y.1]

@@Ben_Grimsley thanks for replying, I will be checking out that video

[@AlexDreemurr]

Would it not be easier to let the squeeze-out dry and just chip it off in a few swipes with a chisel? Rather than smearing the whole surface with it?

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Personally, I prefer wiping it off while it is curing. I don't think there is a right or wrong, I have seen plenty of woodworkers do it both ways. Thanks for watching!

[@Bulldog1653]

I have a plastic paint scraper that I like to use for that. It reduces the build up of dried glue and there's a lot less clean up.

[@heathmiles2887]

War Eagle

[@Ben_Grimsley]

War Eagle! Excited for a big game tomorrow

[@SusGod_]

This video was so helpful minus the fact you didn’t give dimensions and the width you were cutting boards

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Yes, with this being one of my earliest videos, I made several mistakes 😅

[@davidwalker6043]

Let your squeeze out dry more, then Scrape it.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Why is this? I don't think I have heard this before, so I would love to learn from you. Thanks for watching!

[@CaptainWulf]

Totally non woodworking related but after you began planning the end grain I noticed your hoodie, there is a church near hear that my wife went to that we visit every so often that has the exact same cross logo, couldn’t really read the writing so wasn’t sure if it was the same place or not. Church is Christplace.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Yes, that is my church! My wife and I love it. Let me know if I can ever do anything to help you guys get connected!

[@underwoodchip]

Great content but you fail to let us know the dimensions ugh 😩

[@Ben_Grimsley]

You are absolutely right! I should have mentioned the dimensions! One of the mistakes I made in my earlier videos.

[@sgoldste02]

Instead of your plywood jig against the fence for trimming the edges of the board, why not just use a table saw sled?

[@acejackson8994]

Great video and nice job. But, definitely edge grain and not end. May want to change the vid heading. Take care!

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Thank you for the feedback. I’m pretty sure it is end grain, since the end grain faces up on the cutting board. Those different grain types can take awhile to get used to. Thanks for watching!

[@lhtsnakes1]

*edge grain

[@Ben_Grimsley]

Good call! Thanks for watching!

[@lhtsnakes1]

​@@Ben_Grimsley I apologize for this comment. It was extremely snarky and unnecessary considering how great this video is and how talented you are. I was rewatching this video obviously because I love to learn from other extremely talented people and I remembered my comment and I am embarrassed by it. Long grain = edge grain. It doesn't matter at all. Thanks for the great video and for responding initially, and I apologize for what was admittedly a snarky and rude comment. Keep up the great work brother.

[@Ben_Grimsley]

@@lhtsnakes1 Thank you for this, but please don't feel bad about the previous comment. I am sure I have commented worse in the past. I appreciate the encouragement! Means more than you know 👊

[@alexanderbaker4083]

That’s not end grain…