"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article ,
wrote:
On Mon, 04 May 2009 13:14:34 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde
glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

Use "quater sawn" maple. Drill through the full width of the board
and insert staimless steel "tension members, nutted tightly with the
ends of the holes filled with dowels.

Phooey. If the wood is properly dried, properly jointed, and properly
glued,
there's absolutely no need for "stainless steel tension members".


Actully if you take all of the precautions that you mentioned and build a
butcher block style cutting board, "with end grain pointing up" the likely
hood of the joints and or wood splitting increase dramatically. The end
grain will soak up enough liquids and oils that it will eventually swell and
can crack. I have a mobile butcher block that I build almost 30 years ago
that split for the reason mentioned after about 6 years of use. Rods added
through the center have prevented this from reoccouring.
If your cutting board uses the side or edge of the wood for the cutting
surface glue is all that you should need.




Finish with vegetable oil

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Most vegetable oils will become rancid in fairly
short
order. Finish with mineral oil, or with walnut oil.

That is not true. My wife has never used anything but vegetable oil on the
butcher block and there has never been a problem with anything going rancid,
at least in the last 30 years. While mineral oil and or a butcher block oil
may be a better choice, vegetable oil has done just fine for us.