"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 7 Dec 2015 09:49:46 -0800 (PST), stryped
wrote:

I am using solid, hard maple, about 1 inch thick, face glued so the edges
are the cutting surface. (Typical butcher block styled edge grain)/

Then it sounds like you've done what you can to prevent warping.
Really, if a thick piece of wood wants to warp, it isn't going to let
a little thing like steel rods get in the way. The forces involved can
be impressive.

Again, the key is balancing the forces: don't let one side get wet
without getting the other side wet. And don't let either side stand
with water on it for long.

My pastry board is 22" x 16", made of 3"-wide x 3/4"-thick edge-glued
maple (I think; it's some European hardwood, and it isn't beech). It
has narrow (2") boards tongue-and-grooved into the two ends, like an
old-fashioned drafting board. After 35 years, it has not warped at
all. When I wash it, I make sure to wash both sides equally (and
quickly), even though the back side was completely clean to begin
with.

--
Ed Huntress


One other thing about handling. Eventually the board will cup, no piece of
wood is entirely stable.
After washing both sides and wiping them dry, determine the direction of the
cupping and put it on the counter with the crown up to dry.
That way the long side (crown) dries first and shrinks faster than the short
side (cup).

Paul K. Dickman