The board, the wood and the glue
| Part | Qty | Thickness | Width | Length | Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strips | 8 | 1-1/4 in | 1-1/2 in | 17 in | One hardwood, or two that contrast |
| Spare strip | 1 | 1-1/4 in | 1-1/2 in | 17 in | Same |
Strips are ripped 1-1/2 in wide from stock surfaced to 1-1/4 in, then turned on edge: each adds 1-1/4 in to the width. The 10 × 1-1/2 × 17 in blank is flattened to 1-1/4 in thick, its edges jointed to 9-3/4 in, and its ends cut to 15 in.
- Edge grain up. Turning each strip 90° stands its growth rings upright. The Wood Handbook gives radial movement as about half the tangential, so the board moves across its width at the smaller rate.
- Dry wood. The Handbook calls 6–7% moisture satisfactory for cold-pressed furniture; Titebond says moisture above 10% slows its water-based glues.
- The glue. Titebond says its II and III have been approved for indirect food contact and recommends them for cutting boards. That is Titebond's claim for its own products. This build uses Titebond III, whose page gives 8–10 minutes of open assembly and 20–25 minutes of total assembly at 70°F and 50% RH — seven glue lines need that time.
- Tools: a table saw or hand saw, a hand plane, bar clamps (four or more), two straight cauls, a scraper, sandpaper. Clamps and cauls: bar clamps and clamps.
Ripping the strips safely
A 1-1/2 in strip is narrow work on a table saw. DEWALT's manual says ripping small pieces is unsafe and to rip a larger piece to obtain the part; with 2–6 in between fence and blade it calls for a push stick, at 2 in or less its narrow-rip auxiliary fence and a push block, and it says never to hold the cut-off side between blade and fence. Follow your own saw's manual, and see table saw safety. The Handbook recommends gluing within 24 hours of surfacing, on knife-cut surfaces, so rip and joint the strips the day you glue.
The glue-up
Building the board
Arrange the strips
Turn each strip on edge, arrange them for colour and grain, and mark the order with a triangle across the top.
Dry run
Clamp the strips without glue, the clamps alternating above and below the blank and cauls across the ends to keep it flat. Time it against the glue's 20–25 minute total assembly time; the joints should close with light pressure.
Spread the glue
Lay the strips on their sides and roll or brush a thin, even coat on every glue face — Titebond gives about 6 mils for its glues.
Clamp
Assemble in order, bring the faces flush, and tighten until each joint closes with a thin, even bead of squeeze-out. Titebond asks for pressure enough to bring joints tightly together; why more is not better is in clamps.
Clean up
Wipe wet squeeze-out with a damp cloth, as Titebond advises, or scrape it once it is dry.
Wait
Titebond suggests 30 minutes to an hour in clamps for an unstressed joint and no stress for 24 hours. Before flattening, give the glue's water time to disperse: the Handbook warns that surfacing too soon leaves sunken glue lines and suggests 7 days at room temperature; Titebond says its water-based glues can take 24 hours to cure before machining. Waiting longer costs nothing.
Flatten and size
Plane both faces flat to 1-1/4 in — see using a hand plane — joint the edges to 9-3/4 in and cut the ends square to 15 in. A drum sander can flatten it if you have one.
Smooth
Sand through the grits, ease every edge and corner — see how to sand wood.
Finish and care
The finish on a cutting board has its own food-contact rules, set out with their sources in food-safe finishes; oils are compared in finishing oils. If a joint opens later, glue problems shows how to read it. Other glues, and why this one was chosen, are in the glue guide and choosing a glue; the gluing technique in full is in how to glue wood together.
Before the glue-up
- Strips ripped and jointed the same day
- Order marked across the top
- Wood dry, shop above the glue's lowest temperature
- Dry run timed inside the total assembly time
- Clamps alternated, cauls ready
- A plan to wait before flattening
Sources
A BenchRoot design; no downloadable plan exists. The glue's food-contact wording is Titebond's claim for its own products and this use; it is not a general rule for glues. Times are Titebond III's at the conditions Titebond states.
- 1.
Woodworking Glues — Frequently Asked Questions. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Titebond II and III approved for indirect food contact and recommended by Titebond for cutting boards; 30 minutes to an hour in clamps for an unstressed joint and no stress for 24 hours; moisture above 10% slowing water-based glues; water-based glues taking 24 hours to cure before machining, and sunken joints if machined sooner; damp cloth for wet glue, scraping or sanding for dry.
- 2.
Titebond III Ultimate Wood Glue. Franklin International (Titebond).
Used for: Open assembly 8–10 minutes and total assembly 20–25 minutes at 70°F and 50% RH; above 47°F; about 6 mils of spread; pressure enough to bring joints tightly together; worded on its page both as 'U.S. FDA approved' and 'U.S. FDA-compliant' for indirect food contact (cutting boards).
- 3.
Chapter 10: Wood Adhesives: Bond Formation and Performance. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Surfacing within 24 h of bonding, knife-cut surfaces best; 6–7% moisture content satisfactory for cold-pressed furniture; sunken bondlines if surfaced before the glue's water has dispersed, avoided by conditioning 7 days at room temperature.
- 4.
Chapter 4: Moisture Relations and Physical Properties of Wood. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Radial shrinkage about half the tangential, so a board with its rings upright moves across its width at the smaller, radial rate.
- 5.
DWE7491 10" (254 mm) Job Site Table Saw, Instruction Manual. DEWALT.
Used for: Ripping small pieces being unsafe — rip a larger piece; a push stick at 2–6 in between fence and blade, the narrow-rip auxiliary fence and a push block at 2 in or less; never holding the cut-off between blade and fence.
About this guide
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