In article .com, "rkruz" wrote:
Ive read that Red Oak is not recommend for cutting boards due to its
open grain and holding food that grows bacteria.

You read correctly. Apparently you do not believe that, for some reason?

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

NO. End grain is the _worst_possible_ surface of red oak to expose to liquids.
It's like a soda straw - *very* porous. Much more so on the end grain than on
face or edge grain.

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

Not on red oak, it's not. Put some varnish on, and you'll see just how tight
it isn't. OTOH, if the piece you have *is* tight... it's not red oak.

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

Any thoughts?

Bread boards, trivets... but nothing that will come in contact with liquid.

Not only do the open pores in red oak provide wonderful breeding grounds for
bacteria... there's another reason for not using red oak on a cutting board.
Spit on it. Then smell it. Break a clean piece off, and chew it up. Do you
*really* want that odor, that flavor, in your food?

Note that if the odor and/or flavor are pleasant, then what you have is *not*
red oak. Moist *white* oak smells like vanilla and fresh toast. Moist *red*
oak smells like cat urine.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.