BWP Woodwork

BWP Woodwork is a South Australian based small business focused on creating high quality timber products by hand. My passion falls in smaller specialised items such as End Grain cutting boards, butcher’s blocks, serving / platter boards and other household pieces. I offer a list of patterns / styles, but I will HAPPILY bring to life your personalised creation wherever possible!

I host a range of hardwood sourced both locally and internationally for a wide variety of colours / textures whilst maintaining the highest quality. This also matches the best suitable wood for the project.

All of my products are treated to their applicable uses so you can rest assured if it is a food prep item it will be treated accordingly and be 100% food safe or if it needs to be waterproof it will be.

Lastly, I offer a reconditioning service for your old treasured boards / wood products that may need just a bit of TLC to bring it back to its prime. This also includes selling the relevant after care products to keep these beautiful pieces lasting for a lifetime.

End Grain vs. Edge Grain Facts

While many people consider all wood cutting boards to be the same, that’s not exactly the case, as there are many differences that affect not just how the wood cutting board looks, but also how durable they are. There are two distinct models of wood cutting boards and those are the end grain cutting boards and edge grain cutting boards.

End Grain

The end grain cutting board is made from end pieces of wood. It usually comes in a checkerboard pattern, which is the main characteristic you’ll need to be able to recognize that it is indeed an end grain cutting board. While these types of wood cutting board are a bit more expensive, some people deem it worthy, as it is better for knives. End grain cutting boards have a “self-healing” factor, as the fibres close up after they have been cut by the knife.

End-Grain Blocks

Are made of ‘blocks’ with the grain in various directions (resists warping)
Are always a little thicker resist warping
More expensive to produce
Are the ideal surface for cutting and chopping
Will not gouge (the fibres pull together after cutting)
Easy on knives (no resistance to the edge)
Hold knives in place (won’t slip as they go into the wood)
Recommended conditioning, regular seasoning

Edge Grain

The edge grain cutting board is made from parallel pieces of wood that have been fused together. This is the most common wood cutting board, which looks exactly like you imagined a wood cutting board would look. It’s usually made out of maple and walnut, although there are some that are made out of a different kind of wood such as pine and bamboo. Edge grain cutting boards are recognized for their durability and lower price, but they tend to dull your knives faster than end grain cutting boards. After prolonged usage, the wood cutting board will have cut marks, damaging the aesthetics of the board. However, this can be prevented by applying beeswax or mineral oil on a regular basis.

In the end, your decision should be based on which type of wood cutting board most fits with your needs. You should consider the fact that end grain cutting boards have that “self-healing” factor in your decision-making process, as paying a bit more for that type of cutting board can yield better results in the long run. If you want to make that selection, before heading over to the store and paying a ridiculously high price, you should check out Wood Cutting Boards, as they have quality boards for reasonable prices. They have a wide array of both kinds of wood cutting boards, in different designs and styles to fit anybody’s needs.

Edge-grain boards

can be very thin as they are made up of strips or ‘board’ length
can be one species or combinations of different woods
are the ideal surface for presentation
will gouge when cut on with a knife (like a lumberjack)
harder on knives (but much better than non-wood)
easier to construct (cheaper if used commonly found materials)
they split if multiple species are used

What happens to the grain/fibres of the wood?

Top row – in edge grain you can see how the fibres are broken/cut – this is work for your knife and why edge grain boards will gouge.

Bottom row – the fibres open up with a sharp knife. This shows how end-grain is easy on your knife and ‘self-heals’.

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