Butchers block in the home is generally seen in areas in the kitchen such as a cutting board or tabletop in addition to being used in countertops and traditional chopping boards. Usually, a butchers board is created from sugar maple, which is renowned for its hardness and attractive looks. In the old days, it was commonly seen as a butcher's block or meat processing plant.
Today, it seems that it is generally everywhere one would care to look in a home's kitchen. There are usually two different styles of board known as edge grain and end grain. End grain is made by the gluing of wooden pieces so that the fiber is perpendicular to the chopping surface. Usually, these sorts of boards in commercial use are at least 4 inches thick.
And end grain board is highly prized by most cooks because the board is able to stand up to endless knife blade impacts. The impact is absorbed by the surface, which allows the edge of the knife to penetrate between the wooden fibers. This helps to prevent the knife edge from becoming dull quickly and also helps the surface to stand up to gouges and nicks.
Like its sister, the edge grain board is made in almost the same way -- by taking pieces of wood and gluing them together -- but the fibers are laid out parallel to the surface and not perpendicular. This makes the block quite a bit easier to manufacture, and hence less costly to buy.
As far as refinishing of a surface, and end grain block can be done numerous times. Due to the less expensive nature of edge grain manufacture, it is generally the case that the block can be refinished only a certain number of times. Both boards undergo high-pressure gluing to keep the wooden pieces together. End grain is more durable than edge grain, and both will need re-oiling on occasion.
There are many homes that have some sort of butcher's board surface somewhere in the kitchen. The wood can be used to create an attractive tabletop or countertop -- which is where it is seen most often these days -- or used in the classic traditional chopping board that has legs. Compared to other materials, it has a relatively low price and generally equally long service life. - 33383
And end grain board is highly prized by most cooks because the board is able to stand up to endless knife blade impacts. The impact is absorbed by the surface, which allows the edge of the knife to penetrate between the wooden fibers. This helps to prevent the knife edge from becoming dull quickly and also helps the surface to stand up to gouges and nicks.
Like its sister, the edge grain board is made in almost the same way -- by taking pieces of wood and gluing them together -- but the fibers are laid out parallel to the surface and not perpendicular. This makes the block quite a bit easier to manufacture, and hence less costly to buy.
As far as refinishing of a surface, and end grain block can be done numerous times. Due to the less expensive nature of edge grain manufacture, it is generally the case that the block can be refinished only a certain number of times. Both boards undergo high-pressure gluing to keep the wooden pieces together. End grain is more durable than edge grain, and both will need re-oiling on occasion.
There are many homes that have some sort of butcher's board surface somewhere in the kitchen. The wood can be used to create an attractive tabletop or countertop -- which is where it is seen most often these days -- or used in the classic traditional chopping board that has legs. Compared to other materials, it has a relatively low price and generally equally long service life. - 33383
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Some things to consider before you buy butchers block furniture or cutting boards, is whether it is end grain or not. Generally, end grain makes the best butcher block and is better for using with heavy knives, because, although it is more expensive, it is far longer lasting.
