Chopping Boards
End Grain? or Edge Grain?
Much is written about the 'best' chopping boards being 'end grain'. However, 'edge grain' boards also have an important role. Here are the pros and cons of each. End-grain and edge-grain boards each offer distinct qualities.
In essence:
Edge grain: selected for the beauty of the natural timber.
End grain: engineered for the finest cutting performance
Thus each style of board has a clear reason to exist without the edge-grain version simply being seen as the cheaper one.
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In an end-grain board, the timber fibres face upwards, allowing the knife to pass between them rather than cutting across them; this is gentler on both the board and the knife edge, and helps the surface resist visible cutting marks. Its intricate construction and substantial character make it the traditional premium choice for frequent food preparation.
However, end-grain construction involves considerably more cutting, precise glue-ups, flattening and material loss. These boards are also typically significantly heavier than edge grain boards, usually being in the region of 40-60mm thick, compared with 22-35mm thick in the case of edge grain boards. An end grain board can also be more vulnerable to failure if timber movement, glue joints or moisture are poorly managed.
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An edge-grain board presents the timber lengthways, revealing the natural flow, colour and figure of the wood—particularly beautifully in walnut. It is generally lighter in weight, simpler to produce and more accessible in price, while remaining strong and durable. It would not have the same knife-mark resistance as a premium end-grain board, but it would be elegant, durable and considerably faster to produce.
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Choose end grain for exceptional cutting performance, or edge grain for elegant simplicity and the uninterrupted beauty of the timber.
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End Grain
Handmade End Grain Wooden Chopping Boards
Our handcrafted chopping boards are designed to combine practicality with timeless craftsmanship.
Made from quality timber and carefully finished by hand, each board highlights the natural beauty of the wood while being durable enough for everyday kitchen use.
Whether used for food preparation, serving, or display, these boards are built to feel solid, functional, and beautifully made.
Features
Handmade from carefully selected timber
Durable and practical for daily use
Natural wood grain and character
Ideal for kitchens, serving, or gifting
Finished by hand
Simple craftsmanship that brings warmth and authenticity into the home.
This end grain chopping board is a carefully constructed 'random' design, using 7 different types of wood, Maple, Oak, Sapele, Cherry, Olive, Purple Heart, and Walnut.
The design called for thoughtful positioning of the pieces, to ensure that those which move most are positioned next to the more stable woods. Thus, Olive is never side by side with Oak, even though they may touch at their corners. The fact that the various types of timber also inherently hold different levels of moisture, means that the process of building the board involved a period when all the blocks were put in a box together in a stable temperature, so that their relative moisture levels could equalise. The fact that the design is 'random' means the it is not possible to construct it using conventional methods of gluing, cutting, rotating etc. The building of this board required each piece to be individually cut to size, then positioned by hand, gluing each piece one by one. an upside of working this way is that each piece can be positioned to maximise the direction of the grain.
Edge Grain
Walnut is a fabulous wood to use as the primary element of an edge grain chopping board. Even the darkest American Walnut often offers stunning swirls and lines, which are emphasised when the finishing oil is applied. It is a relatively straightforward wood to work with. Although it appears dense, it is actually quite light, and chopping boards made from Walnut are surprisingly light to hold.
Walnut also 'hosts' additional woods extremely well, and highly colourful or contrasting woods such as Padauk or Purple Heart, or even Holly or Maple strips are set off beautifully against the dark elegance of the Walnut.
Olive is also a wonderful wood for an edge grain chopping board. Olive is a hard wood, so resists the impact of knives slicing along it. And it's unique and apparently random grain patterns are supremely eye catching. So much so that it would be a brave person who tried to add extra woods to 'set off' the Olive.
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