# hello i have a question about maintenance of wooden cutting board



## boblob (Nov 29, 2022)

i have tried previously to use regular sandpaper and it clogs with the wood (probably because the board is oiled...) very fast.
i seen that there is an option of wet sanding wood with waterproof sandpaper and water when doing it by hand ....
will it work better ?
should i try it ?


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## Benuser (Nov 29, 2022)

Search here for 'scraper'.
Problem with sandpaper, wet or dry, is in leaving abrasive particles in the wood.


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## boblob (Nov 29, 2022)

Benuser said:


> Search here for 'scraper'.
> Problem with sandpaper, wet or dry, is in leaving abrasive particles in the wood.


i have seen the scraper method i am not sure its the right method for me because the boards needs some heavy work because the family has been using bread knife on it some deep cuts, also i do not think i will be able to make it perfectly flat ....
also i am almost sure that when they manufacture those nice end grain wooden cutting boards they use sandpaper on it ....


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## JASinIL2006 (Nov 29, 2022)

When sanding away oiled wood, I've never found any thing but a rough grit to work until you get past the oiliest wood. Just be prepared to use lots of sandpaper...

After that, you progress to finer grits like normal.

Are you hand sanding or using some sort of power sander?


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## coxhaus (Nov 29, 2022)

boblob said:


> i have seen the scraper method i am not sure its the right method for me because the boards needs some heavy work because the family has been using bread knife on it some deep cuts, also i do not think i will be able to make it perfectly flat ....
> also i am almost sure that when they manufacture those nice end grain wooden cutting boards they use sandpaper on it ....


For end grain cutting boards they recommend not to run them through a planner. Use a sanding machine.


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## boblob (Nov 29, 2022)

JASinIL2006 said:


> When sanding away oiled wood, I've never found any thing but a rough grit to work until you get past the oiliest wood. Just be prepared to use lots of sandpaper...
> 
> After that, you progress to finer grits like normal.
> 
> Are you hand sanding or using some sort of power sander?


i want to hand sand but do so wet with water and waterproof sanpaper


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## Michael J.R. (Nov 29, 2022)

Oil, water and wood don't go together. How to maintain your board depends very much on the oil that was used. Most oils are not suitable for oiling wood because they don't get hard, stay sticky and will never protect the wood. If a non hardening oil was used, it must first be washed off with a suitable dilution like denatured alcohol. Best protection for a cutting board is hardwax oil for stairs and wooden floors. And it should be suitable for food contact. Osmo has some suitable products, but I don't know in which countries it's distributed.


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## MowgFace (Nov 29, 2022)

I second @coxhaus on the planer. If no access to a planer, RO sander. If no RO, elbow grease/tears and frustration.


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## JASinIL2006 (Nov 29, 2022)

If the board is *edge* grain, a planer is great. *End* grain boards in a thickness planer are likely to fracture dramatically. 

@coxhaus is right: if it's end grain, you need to sand it. If the board has been really saturated with something like mineral oil, you are in for a slog...


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## Jovidah (Nov 29, 2022)

It's a bit late now, but after you flattened out this one, just get a cheap secondary board for bread cutting. The serrated knives really tear up the board in a way no other knife does. My bread board already looked like it got attacked with a chainsaw after 5 years, while my end-grain board I used for cooking daily still looked brand new after 10.


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## TB_London (Nov 29, 2022)

A cabinet scraper with a good edge will be massively quicker than sanding. I recently cleaned up my >10 yr old maple Boardsmith that’s been regularly oiled and waxed. Sharp scraper produced fluffy shavings off the end grain that quickly cleaned up all the cut marks. Sanding endgrain is slow, oil and wax soaked endgrain no fun.

If you’re set on sanding, start coarse at most 80g if not coarser. The challenge with power sanders and coarse grits will be keeping it flat, a wonky top will concertina every slice. Start with crosshatching with pencil and remove evenly then hatch again- like flatting a stone. Then work up to about 240 (80-120-180-240)

Another option would be a finely set block plane, but if you already had one and could tune it well enough to shave endgrain then you wouldn’t be asking about sanding so unless you want a fun few weeks learning may not be an option.

Good luck, post pics as you go, everyone likes seeing pictures


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## boblob (Dec 1, 2022)

TB_London said:


> A cabinet scraper with a good edge will be massively quicker than sanding. I recently cleaned up my >10 yr old maple Boardsmith that’s been regularly oiled and waxed. Sharp scraper produced fluffy shavings off the end grain that quickly cleaned up all the cut marks. Sanding endgrain is slow, oil and wax soaked endgrain no fun.
> 
> If you’re set on sanding, start coarse at most 80g if not coarser. The challenge with power sanders and coarse grits will be keeping it flat, a wonky top will concertina every slice. Start with crosshatching with pencil and remove evenly then hatch again- like flatting a stone. Then work up to about 240 (80-120-180-240)
> 
> ...


my power sander is wracked 
i want to use the waterproof sandpaper by hand with water


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## TB_London (Dec 1, 2022)

boblob said:


> my power sander is wracked
> i want to use the waterproof sandpaper by hand with water


Give it a go, will be slow and arduous. After an hour you’ll think there must be an easier way. That easier way is a sharp Stanley 80.


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## JASinIL2006 (Dec 1, 2022)

After two hours, you'll be pricing a new cutting board...


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