11
votes
Accepted
What are the different grain directions, and how do they affect joint strength?
Update, September 2021
We might need to re-learn what we thought we knew about the strength of glue joints..... see Glue Myths: 1. End grain from Patrick Sullivan on YouTube.
Spoiler alert: end grain |...
- 63.5k
8
votes
How can I join two boards at the ends?
If you really want strength, you could cut a Kanawa Tsugi! It's a keyed scarf joint taken from the timber framing tradition of Japanese temple builders. There are examples where this joint has held up ...
- 351
7
votes
Using thick branches to make an end-grain cutting board?
I've read about branches having internal stresses and twisting/warping.
The main reason not to use wood from branches normally is that it's full of reaction wood, wood that has internal stress from ...
- 63.5k
7
votes
Accepted
Single glue-up for an end grain cutting board
Is this process mandatory or cosmetic?
Well for that style of board it's mandatory for the cosmetics :-)
Apart from allowing smaller offcuts to be used up, the standard board construction using ...
- 63.5k
7
votes
How can I join two boards at the ends?
In the woodworking industry, we have this type of joint very often on countertops, and other field joint scenarios. We usually use a combination of biscuits, for alignment, and tite joint fasteners, ...
- 1,828
6
votes
Accepted
Should I treat end-grain on garden table with wood glue?
He also covers gluing end-grain (starting at ~5:20) and suggests making a "seizing"(at ~6:00), which is basically wood-glue mixed with some water to "seize" the wood before the ...
- 63.5k
6
votes
Gluing end-grain
Look at Patrick Sullivan's "end grain glue" video experiment on YouTube to be amazed by his analysis showing that end-grain glue joints are actually stronger than other grain orientations ...
- 61
5
votes
Accepted
How do you orient the grain in a tool handle that takes shocks?
This question is specifically asking how I should have oriented the grain from this piece of wood to create a stronger hammer handle.
The closing of my Answer to this old question, What are some ...
- 63.5k
5
votes
How do you plane end grain?
I just hand-planed several dozen blocks for an end grain cutting board using my shooting board.
It worked pretty well, there was minimal tearout on maybe 10% of the blocks. I could have improved on ...
- 151
5
votes
How can I join two boards at the ends?
Almost identical to Alexander Gruber’s answer, this design is from the great Roubo. It’s a matter of taste but it has fewer lines and uses diagonals for friction joints. Elegant solution.
- 81
4
votes
Is there a favourable direction for planing end grain?
I know the question is about grain direction and this may be obvious, but it's safer to plane over the edges from the outside towards the center of the piece. This avoids breakout. It can be a good ...
- 1,619
4
votes
How to de-emphasize grain in red oak shelves
The more I read about it, the more I'm frustrated by the options, and I'm thinking about things like sealer, washcoating, grain filler, etc.
This is part of the problem with finishing when you're ...
- 63.5k
4
votes
Accepted
Endgrain screw withdrawal force
The resistance of screws to being pulled free has been studied widely and for a long time (1920s or earlier), both by individual companies testing their own and competitor products and by government ...
- 63.5k
3
votes
Nails plus glue into endgrain vs screws plus glue vs dado (for shelf)
Dados would be best, since the mechanical part of the joint will carry most of the load.
If you go with butt joints and fasteners, I'd suggest pocket screws instead of either nails or screws into end ...
- 9,508
3
votes
Can this end-grain cutting board be saved?
I bet this was a shock, goes to show the power of expanding wood!
I think strictly speaking the answer to the question in the title is yes but it's likely beyond the scope of what a non-woodworker ...
- 63.5k
3
votes
Using thick branches to make an end-grain cutting board?
Interesting idea; it never occurred to me. I have a few narrow branches that I thought weren't going to be usable for much more than veneer, but using your approach if I can get a few 1"x1" cross-...
- 9,171
3
votes
How to de-emphasize grain in red oak shelves
Applying a sealer before staining will discourage stain from soaking into open grain more than closed grain. Using a tinted varnish rather than a true stain will also help achieve an even wash of ...
- 9,171
3
votes
Wood grain direction vs. strength
It does not matter here as loads will be too small to stress supports.
With screw passing through wood no noticeable difference A to B. Screws and fixing in wall under most strain, not support piece. ...
- 2,109
3
votes
Accepted
Can I oil wood if the pores are full of epoxy?
Will the wood still absorb polymerized linseed oil evenly
This is very firmly a maybe.
Sometimes visible filled grain/pores do indicate that if you oil (or use a finish that acts similarly to 'wet' ...
- 63.5k
3
votes
Accepted
How can I avoid tear out and get a smooth side on a circular plywood cutting board where the grain runs in various directions?
I'm trying to get the smoothest possible sides.
TBH if the results in this one photo are fairly representative, what you're achieving already is pretty darned good :-) Many would be happy with this ...
- 63.5k
2
votes
Hand sawing cross or rip
But what if you are now cutting a dovetail slot (so the saw is now tilted 45 or so degrees).
That's still a cross cut because you're sawing at 90° to the long grain.
It's cutting actual dovetails ...
- 63.5k
2
votes
Food Safe Finish for Cutting Board
I made one as well and used grape seed oil. It’s working well after 6 months of daily use.
- 141
2
votes
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Food Safe Finish for Cutting Board
Mineral oil is a food safe finish for cutting boards. Though because it is not a drying oil meaning that it will not harden. It also means that the finish can be washed off. This results in proper ...
- 859
2
votes
Accepted
End-grain cutting block surface smoothness
These pits are a type of tearout, perhaps more accurately described as chipout although you do see the two terms used somewhat interchangeably.
Is the appropriate next step to try to hand sand or ...
- 63.5k
2
votes
Endgrain screw withdrawal force
Upon my understanding, referencing the "Design of Wood Structures ASD/LRFD", (Donald E. Breyer & Kelly Cobeen), withdrawal loads into end grain is frowned upon. It really suggests that this type ...
- 21
2
votes
What plane should I get for planing an antique end grain butcher block
Technicaly, you would be able to do it with a good smoothing plane with very tight mouth and really sharp blade - low angle plane could help (but only if the real cutting angle was lower than on "...
- 559
1
vote
Accepted
Filling screw holes in cutting board
Since this is an end-grain board filling the holes by glueing in dowels seems the ideal fix.
But you could fill with a mix of sawdust (sanding dust) and glue and get a somewhat similar look. The ...
- 63.5k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible