Southern Yellow Pine Cutting Boards

[mvflaim]

What is your thought about end grain cutting boards made from southern yellow pine? I have a boat load of off cuts of 2 x 10's and 2 x12's and don't know what to do with them. I'd hate to burn them in my fire pit, so I thought about making cutting boards out of them. The problem might be that the end grain of southern yellow pine may be too porous and will trap any juices from the food into the wood fibers turning the board rancid. Am I right?

Mike

[Enigmatic]

Yes, you would be correct in your assumption.
Most, if not all cutting boards are made from hardwoods.

[Gary G™]

If you use the tightest grain sections and seal the end grain, you should be fine—especially if you use it as a breadboard.

[OneStaple]

I'd also be worried about it transferring a "sappy" flavor to food. Plenty of better choices for woods.

You could make an end grain workshop floor with those cutoffs! I've heard great things about those.

Tyler

[mvflaim]

Thanks for the replies. That's what I thought. I'll have to brainstorm for something else to do with these things.

[wood2woodknot]

How  many little tykes do you know? A simple toy wagon filled with building blocks of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Throw in some 1" dowel logs, and some 1/2" thick pieces. We had a set that's now passed on to a third generation. Or Jenga sets for all your friends and half of your enemies.

[AHill]

The problem with end grain pine cutting boards is twofold.  First, and foremost, it's the sap.  It'll take more than a couple of years for the sap to cure, and unless you like the taste of turpentine in your food, that's not a good thing.  I don't know how to seal an end grain cutting board to prevent sap from curing.  Secondly, end grain on pine will get very fuzzy when you use it as a cutting board.  One of the tests of sharpness for hand tools is whether you can cut end grain pine and leave a smooth surface behind.  Now, I know an end grain cutting board isn't cutting perpendicular to the grain, but you're dealing with soft fibers that tend to lay down instead of part for the knife edge.  You can try an experiment and make a small, 4" x 4" board and see what I mean.

All that said, there are companies out there that make and market end grain pine cutting boards. Boos, which is probably the most prominent butcher block maker, does not offer pine as a choice, which tells me it's not in high demand and probably also not kind on their saw blades.

[FS7]

I would have no concerns with pine being food safe, and this includes any concerns regarding trapping food particles and whatnot. Wood is a better option than plastic and perhaps anything other than glass because it is naturally antimicrobial. I don't know that science really knows the reason why wood is necessarily safer, but data says that it is.

Technically, sap could be an issue, but I did not see any of this when I had a pine butcher block countertop in my old house. They're still used and cutting boards are still made from pine, especially in Europe.

[tomsteve]

Thanks for the replies. That's what I thought. I'll have to brainstorm for something else to do with these things.

end grain end tables.

[TomFromStLouis]

Blocks. I made a set of building blocks using construction cutoffs and it gets played with regularly. One coat of shellac and lots of sanding, but who does not love playing with blocks?