In article .com,
"jjsmithin" wrote:

Ive read that Red Oak is not recommend for cutting boards due to its
open grain and holding food that grows bacteria.

If one was to make a butcher block cutting board, using the end grain
of Red Oak do you think that would be ok?

Seems to me the end grain is very tight and hard and might work ok.

I have a lot of scrap that would be nice to use for making some xmas
gifts.

Any thoughts?

An end grain butcher block from Red Oak would be potentially dangerous
for bacterial growth. The end grain of R. Oak is like open straws which
wick and hold whatever food liquids you put on there. BTW, the reason
(at least in part) that Oak splits so easily is due to the split easily
following the open straws. Red Oak would be OK for a dry (bread) cutting
board but I wouldn't use it at all for wet food prep.

Most butcher blocks are Hard Maple or Beech - the end grain is closed
and the wood is quite durable - much more so than Red Oak.
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The Fly-by-Night Copper Company
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