Why are end-grain cutting boards preferred to other alternatives?

End-grain cutting boards last longer and are much easier on your knives. If you think of a cutting board as a handful of drinking straws, which they essentially are, and visualize cutting across that bundle you will notice that you are cutting all of the straws and they will not heal, thus leaving a noticeable scar. However, if you think of cutting from the end of that bundle (which is the end-grain), you'll see that the knife will tend to go between the straws and do less damage to the board. The fibers will tend to revert to their original shape. Hence knife-scarring will be less than would be seen with a flat-grain board or a plastic board.

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Your boards are very pretty, but are they food safe?

Yes, here at The Kustom Woodshop, we use only TiteBond III wood glue, which is food safe and waterproof. Our finish is mineral oil, applied liberally and allowed to absorb into the wood and dry. A second application of mineral oil mixed with beeswax is applied and buffed, giving your custom cutting board a smooth finish, ready for use.

 

 

How do I care for my end-grain cutting board?

The most important thing to know is that these boards should not be put in the dishwasher or immersed in water.  Other than that, a care sheet comes with all of our custom cutting boards. Your end-grain cutting board should require little care, but depending on usage and environment, some care may be needed to restore it to its original condition. We recommend that you coat the board liberally with mineral oil about 3 times per year, or when it appears to be dry. Should you desire, you may sand the board lightly with 150 grit sandpaper, then apply the mineral oil.

 

 

Will The Kustom Woodshop make a board to my specifications?

Yes!  In fact, we would really LOVE to do this. The Kustom Woodshop welcomes ideas and requests from customers regarding how they want their board to look. If I cannot do what you're asking .... don't worry, I will tell you. If you have an idea, please use the CONTACT ME button (top right corner of page) to shoot me an email and describe your project.

 

 

What wood varieties do you use?

At The Kustom Woodshop, we use several species of wood to craft our custom cutting boards, but Cherry, Maple and Walnut are the most common woods used in our boards. They are domestic hard woods with tight grain structure. We may also use Mahogany, Purple Heart, Red Heart, Zebra Wood, Ash and other imported varieties as secondary or accent woods in our boards.

 

 

How do you determine the pricing of your cutting boards?

There are three factors that impact the price of our cutting boards. Those are: size - wood variety - complexity. Complexity has the largest impact on price. Some boards, such as the Interlocking Squares, 3D or Basket Weave pattern, require much more cuts, stages and time to arrange and assemble. Many of the cutting boards take an average of 15-20 hours each to create and complete to my standards.

 

 

How do you determine shipping cost?

We like to keep the simple things simple.  So we charge a flat $15 fee for shipping on boards mailed in the contiguous 48 states. Currently we use the US Postal Service, but may on occasion use UPS. If you live in Lincoln or will be in Lincoln, we offer FREE pickup at the shop (and a shop tour, if desired). Please contact me to setup a time to meet.

 

 

Do you accept credit cards?

For orders placed online, we only accept credit cards. For local customers, we will accept credit cards or cash (upon pickup).