End grain butcher bloks
Are built from short solid wood elements glued in such a way that only the end grain shows on both the top and bottom sides. As these elements are usually rectangular, the whole board gets a mosaic or chessboard pattern.
Although such looks are highly visual, the massive occurrence of end grain chopping blocks in restaurant kitchens, meat shops, and wherever a great deal of cutting and slicing is involved is given by rather pragmatic reasons.
The end grain structure confers a remarkable sturdiness to a thick enough block (and we believe that a 4” thickness is the minimum you should settle for when it comes to end grain blocks). As a result, it will withstand with no problem frequent heavy blows of the meat cleaver or any other similar implement into the butchers' meat shops.
Besides, end grain butcher blocks are much gentler on the knife’s edge because, instead of grinding against the wood fibers, the blade will actually “squeeze” between them, thus wearing out much slower. For the same reason, the top itself wears out at a slower rate than a conventional edge-grain cutting board.
We build our end grain tops from hard maple and European beech wood. Both species have a tight enough grain to limit the absorption of fluid, but not so close that it will affect the stability of the product itself and cause cracks.
Both are safe in contact with foods and do not impart any taste or odor to the foods they come in contact with. They equally display a beautiful look and a remarkable wear resistance. They are employed for butcher meat shop counters, and restaurant chopping blocks carts, chef butcher blocks, and for sure for a regular kitchen!
