LTN WOODWORKS

Wooden cutting boards have been used for thousands of years. The beauty of wood is unsurpassed and gentle on the keen edges of knives. The weight of wood provides a stable surface to work, and it is durable and will sustain hard use.

I individually handcraft these boards with particular attention to materials and workmanship. I brand each board with my logo and I will not sign my work if does not meet my strict standards of quality.

I use hard maple (sugar maple) and cherry in my boards. Although maple is the harder and heavier of the two and should be chosen over cherry in hard use applications, the beautiful grain and color of cherry make it a popular choice, and its tight grain and hardness make an excellent cutting board.

The lumber comes from various small sawmills in northern Arkansas. The trees are from landowners needing to clear land, or from sustainable production woodlots. I avoid large lumber companies that use clear cutting or other undesirable practices.

There are not many innovations available for making a block of wood. I have, however, put much thought into the design and construction of these boards, and I believe that they are among the best that can be found for a variety of reasons.

First I use of a pair of threaded steel rods that clamp the board throughout its life, which will prevent warping and the separation of the many pieces that make up the board.

A wide panel made from a single piece of wood will warp or cup following the grain pattern, so my boards are made from strips laminated to the desired width. Most commercially made cutting boards use pieces that are wider than they are tall. If you look at the end of one of my boards, you will see the individual pieces are much taller than they are wide. This use of narrow slats reduces the tendency to warp, and the narrower the piece, the less warp. Another benefit of this type of construction is that the edge grain that is now on the cutting surface is harder than the face grain. This assures that the board will withstand heavier use over a longer period of time.

Each piece of wood is carefully inspected throughout construction, and substandard pieces are rejected. This creates more waste, but raises the quality of the product.

I do not put feet on my boards because I am very particular about the flatness, and they do not need feet to prevent rocking. Also, feet would prevent both sides from being used, and because of the quality of the wood and construction, there is no “off side” – both sides are equally suitable for use.

I do not put lifting grooves in the ends because they would provide a poor grip at best, and a large board could cause considerable injury if dropped on a foot.

My boards are made for serious use. I don’t make boards in cute shapes such as pigs or apples. While these styles are popular, they preclude the use of the steel rods and do not provide as large a working surface.

Each of my boards, from the smallest to the largest, is constructed to surpass the demands of professional chefs. In fact, my boards are used by several top professionals, including Scott McGhee, owner and executive chef of Boulevard Bread Company in Little Rock, and Alice Waters, founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, named best American Restaurant in 2001 by Gourmet Magazine.

Wood has been shown to be more bacteria free than glass or plastic. Concerns have been raised about bacteria contamination in food and problems associated with wood. Microbiologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dean Cliver and Nese Ak, were looking for ways to clean wood safely after it had been in contact with food contaminated by bacteria. The first step was to be sure their study boards had appropriately unpleasant microorganisms to be cleaned off. They cultured some known disease causing bacteria, such as Salmonella, Listeria, Escherichia Coli, and anointed wooden boards with 10,000 cells of cultured bacteria. That’s about ten times the number of organisms that typically wash off a contaminated chicken carcass.

Within three minutes, 99.9% of the bacteria were unrecoverable and presumed dead. By the next morning, the researchers couldn’t recover any live bacteria from the wood.

Next, the scientists upped the germ count to a million or more bacteria apiece. Then they had enough survivors to work with, but within two hours, again 99.9% of the bacteria had vanished.

Cliver and Ak tried the same procedures with plastic cutting boards. All the bacteria survived. The organisms even lived through hot water and soap washings in high enough numbers to contaminate clean meat later placed on the plastic. (Source: Alaska Science Forum, 1993)

Feel free to wash these boards under running water and use antibacterial soap if desired. Dry or let drain before laying it on a flat surface.

Periodically (monthly or whenever the board seems dry) rub the surfaces with mineral oil and let it soak in. You can occasionally disinfect with white vinegar and/or hydrogen peroxide for a more thorough cleaning. New boards should be reseasoned after a couple of weeks. I would suggest mineral oil over vegetable oil because it does not become rancid, is FDA approved, does not impart color, odor, or taste to food and it is cheap.

After an extended period of use, the working surfaces of the board will become scarred. The board may be restored to virtually new condition by sanding, first with a coarse (60 to 80) grit, then following with progressively finer grits to 150. Wetting the board and letting dry prior to the final sanding will raise the grain and provide a smoother surface. Wipe the dust off and reapply a liberal coat of mineral oil.

Don’t allow the board to soak in water. Although the glue used is weatherproof (as well as FDA approved for food contact), prolonged soaking will soften it and reduce its strength. NEVER wash the board in a dishwasher. The higher temperatures will destroy the composition of the glue.

By following these guidelines, your board should last longer than you will and become a treasured family heirloom.

Each board is fully guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship for my lifetime. If the laminations separate, or if an individual boards develops a crack, the board will be promptly replaced by returning it to me.

Standard Sizes
1 ½“	12 X 12
	12 X 18
	15 X 18
2”	12 X 18
	12 X 24
	15 X 24
	24 X 24

I am continually trying to improve the quality of these boards. I welcome comments, both praise and criticism, that will help to achieve this goal.