What is End-Grain?
End-grain cutting boards are the best cutting boards to be found and will meet the needs of the most discerning customer. More durable than regular cutting boards, these end-grain boards look beautiful on your countertop. An end-grain is a much harder surface and has a greater tolerance for the chopping motion. These boards give a truly resistant cutting surface while being kind to the blade’s sharp edge.
The surface of an end-grain cutting boards resembles the end of a 2 x 4. That’s where it gets the name “end grain.” A board like this is composed of many short pieces of hard wood. These pieces are arranged vertically and grafted together, side-by-side. Together, the ends of all of the pieces make up the cutting surface.
The surface of an end-grain cutting boards resembles the end of a 2 x 4. That’s where it gets the name “end grain.” A board like this is composed of many short pieces of hard wood. These pieces are arranged vertically and grafted together, side-by-side. Together, the ends of all of the pieces make up the cutting surface.
The old fashioned cutting boards were always end-grain design (the chopping block) for a reason, it keeps the knives much sharper. Instead of crushing against the wood fibers the blade goes between them much like cutting into a firm brush. You will find that your blade edges last much longer, and you'll see fewer knife marks on the board.
When the individual boards of wood are arranged so that the grain of the wood runs vertically (up and down), this puts one end of each board up so that the cutting surface is actually the end of many individual pieces of hardwood. With the grain aligned in this manner (up and down), when the knife strikes the surface during cutting, the grain of the wood actually separates and then closes when the knife is removed. This accounts for the self-healing aspect of the end-grain surface. The wood itself is not cut, but instead you are cutting between the fibers.
When the individual boards of wood are arranged so that the grain of the wood runs vertically (up and down), this puts one end of each board up so that the cutting surface is actually the end of many individual pieces of hardwood. With the grain aligned in this manner (up and down), when the knife strikes the surface during cutting, the grain of the wood actually separates and then closes when the knife is removed. This accounts for the self-healing aspect of the end-grain surface. The wood itself is not cut, but instead you are cutting between the fibers.
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