FAQ
Proper care and maintenance helps prevent cracks, splits, warping and will extend the life and looks of your cutting board.
DO's
Do wash by hand with mild soap and water after each use
Do towel dry and let air dry with all surfaces having equal exposure (i.e. vertically in a dish drying rack)
Do treat periodically by applying a food-safe protectant such as mineral oil whenever your board looks dry, approximately once a month if used regularly. For greater protection apply a food-safe wax after every other oil application. We offer our custom oil and wax blends for sale on our web site
DON'TS
Don't soak or submerge in water
Don't use in a Dishwasher
Don't lay flat after washing while board is wet
Don't apply wood finishes such as Polyurethane
Don't treat by applying olive or vegetable oils as these have a tendency to turn rancid
DO's
Do wash by hand with mild soap and water after each use
Do towel dry and let air dry with all surfaces having equal exposure (i.e. vertically in a dish drying rack)
Do treat periodically by applying a food-safe protectant such as mineral oil whenever your board looks dry, approximately once a month if used regularly. For greater protection apply a food-safe wax after every other oil application. We offer our custom oil and wax blends for sale on our web site
DON'TS
Don't soak or submerge in water
Don't use in a Dishwasher
Don't lay flat after washing while board is wet
Don't apply wood finishes such as Polyurethane
Don't treat by applying olive or vegetable oils as these have a tendency to turn rancid
After cutting certain foods like onions, garlic or fish on your board it may retain an odor even after several washings. To remove an odor we recommend spreading Kosher Salt on your board. Cut a lemon in half and rub over the salt while squeezing the juice out of the lemon. The salt acts as an abrasion to scrub the board and lemon juice is a natural disinfecting agent. Repeat this process until the odor is gone.
Any time wood is exposed to moisture it can cause the wood fibers to lift which can lead to a rough or fuzzy texture. A little roughness should be expected, but should dissipate over time. We sand our boards to a smooth finish and after a bath in our special oil blend we wash them and repeat the sanding and oiling process. This should help minimize the amount of roughness you experience after washing, but it can still happen especially if you have soaked your cutting board. If this happens you can sand the surface with 150 or 220 grit sandpaper and reapply a food-safe oil such as our all natural oil blend offered for sale on our web site.
Most of our cutting boards are constructed from several different species of wood with each having different reactions to moisture and humidity which causes each piece to expand and contract at different rates. The degree of waviness should be minimal and the overall smoothness will change with the seasons.
Barring any unforeseen defects in the wood, we firmly believe the key to long life of a cutting board is proper care & maintenance. This first starts during the creation of your board. Other cutting boards on the market may only be coated with mineral oil or some other protectant which may only reside on the surface of the board.
Prior to waxing our boards, they are dipped in our special oil blend allowing the oil to penetrate into the core offering greater protection. Due to changes in humidity some oil may exit the board. This is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. We believe it's much better to over-oil than under-oil. If this occurs, simply wipe off the excess with a paper towel.
Prior to waxing our boards, they are dipped in our special oil blend allowing the oil to penetrate into the core offering greater protection. Due to changes in humidity some oil may exit the board. This is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. We believe it's much better to over-oil than under-oil. If this occurs, simply wipe off the excess with a paper towel.
Over time some boards may develop small cracks, splits or develop a warp where the board no longer lays perfectly flat. Within reason this should be expected and should not be treated as a major problem. However if it seems extreme in your opinion please contact us and we will work with you to rectify the situation.
Minor cracks, splits or dings can be filled in with natural beeswax to help prevent moisture from gaining access to the interior of the board. Beeswax can also be helpful to seal the "Juice Groove" on boards that have one and helps prevent pooling liquids from penetrating into the board.
Excessive warping is generally a result of improper drying where both sides of the board did not dry at the same rate. If this happens try washing your board again and let it dry with both sides of the board having equal exposure to air (don't lay flat).
Please be assured that we stand behind our products and only use the highest quality hardwoods available. However even with the best quality woods, our best efforts to build our products and your best efforts in cleaning and caring for your board unforeseen problems can occur. Please contact us with any questions, concerns or problems. A picture of your board will help us identify the problem.
Minor cracks, splits or dings can be filled in with natural beeswax to help prevent moisture from gaining access to the interior of the board. Beeswax can also be helpful to seal the "Juice Groove" on boards that have one and helps prevent pooling liquids from penetrating into the board.
Excessive warping is generally a result of improper drying where both sides of the board did not dry at the same rate. If this happens try washing your board again and let it dry with both sides of the board having equal exposure to air (don't lay flat).
Please be assured that we stand behind our products and only use the highest quality hardwoods available. However even with the best quality woods, our best efforts to build our products and your best efforts in cleaning and caring for your board unforeseen problems can occur. Please contact us with any questions, concerns or problems. A picture of your board will help us identify the problem.
We don't have an official warranty policy, but that should not be viewed as "no warranty". We believe in old fashioned values and will address any of your concerns on a case-by-case basis. Being a small family business we rely on referrals, word-of-mouth and repeat business and we do everything possible to maintain our reputation as a company providing high quality wood products to the market.
For our standard products we can and will take them back if you are truly unhappy with your purchase, but please keep in mind that we are a small company and we very much appreciate your help in avoiding returns if possible. We kindly ask that you carefully read our product descriptions before placing orders. Please feel free to "Contact Us" with any questions to avoid receiving a product that doesn't meet your expectations.
As a general rule for custom orders, all sales are final as a custom order is made to your desires it may not be something we can easily sell to another customer.
As a general rule for custom orders, all sales are final as a custom order is made to your desires it may not be something we can easily sell to another customer.
We are a small family run business providing unique and high quality wood products to the market. Our products are handmade in our workshop in historic East Hampton, CT......Made in USA!!!
Our products are made from high quality wood, constructed with glues and finishes made from ingredients that are not harmful to your health.
Our products are made from high quality wood, constructed with glues and finishes made from ingredients that are not harmful to your health.
Absolutely, if you see any product on our web site that you want customized, just let us know what you're looking for and we'll be happy to make it for you. Most of our Cutting Boards and Magnetic Knife Holders can easily be made smaller, bigger, shorter, longer, or thicker. If you see a particular item in a design that you like, but isn't offered in the size that you want, we can scale up or down most of our design patterns to suit your needs. Even if you don't see something close to what you want, just let us know what you're looking for and we can make it.
Pictures of our standard products on our web site are representative and due to the natural characteristics of wood the product you receive should be similar in appearance, but will have it's own unique look. Colors on web sites viewed on computers and/or mobile devices may also distort the actual colors.
If you are interested in ordering multiple products from one of our 'Collections', we recommend ordering them at the same time. We will select items that match as close as possible.
We also offer products in our "Outlet Store". These are displayed with corresponding pictures of the actual product you will receive.
If you are interested in ordering multiple products from one of our 'Collections', we recommend ordering them at the same time. We will select items that match as close as possible.
We also offer products in our "Outlet Store". These are displayed with corresponding pictures of the actual product you will receive.
All of our products start from rough lumber where it can be difficult to spot defects or blemishes in their unfinished state. Sometimes these imperfections aren't revealed until the final sanding process. It's our goal to only sell the highest quality products possible, but it's also a shame to scrap something over a small blemish that may be perfectly acceptable to some customers. In some cases we can cut out the defect rendering the product a non-standard size. These products are then sold at a reduced price in our Outlet Store.
We will disclose any blemishes and include pictures in the "Product Description". Therefore, products in the Outlet Store are the actual product you will receive unlike our standard products where the pictures are only representative. Since these products are already made, they are ready for immediate shipment.
Generally speaking products from our standard offerings should look similar to the representative pictures on our web site. Every cutting board is still unique due to the nature of wood, but we try to select pieces of wood that have a uniform color. This way if a customer purchases several cutting boards from one of our 'Collections', they should all look fairly similar in coloring.
We also make cutting boards with pieces of wood that have non-uniform coloring. Some customers may find this very desirable, but to avoid customer disappointment in receiving a board that looks drastically different than the pictures on our web site we instead sell these in our Outlet Store whereby the actual cutting board with corresponding pictures can be viewed prior to purchase.
Periodically we test new designs to gauge customer interest before adding to our standard product offering. To promote these products they are offered at a discount.
We will disclose any blemishes and include pictures in the "Product Description". Therefore, products in the Outlet Store are the actual product you will receive unlike our standard products where the pictures are only representative. Since these products are already made, they are ready for immediate shipment.
Generally speaking products from our standard offerings should look similar to the representative pictures on our web site. Every cutting board is still unique due to the nature of wood, but we try to select pieces of wood that have a uniform color. This way if a customer purchases several cutting boards from one of our 'Collections', they should all look fairly similar in coloring.
We also make cutting boards with pieces of wood that have non-uniform coloring. Some customers may find this very desirable, but to avoid customer disappointment in receiving a board that looks drastically different than the pictures on our web site we instead sell these in our Outlet Store whereby the actual cutting board with corresponding pictures can be viewed prior to purchase.
Periodically we test new designs to gauge customer interest before adding to our standard product offering. To promote these products they are offered at a discount.
Our products are generally hand-made to order with a standard lead time to build of 1 - 2 weeks. We do try to keep some of our more popular products in stock which would be ready for immediate shipment. Likewise our products in our "Outlet Store" are also available for immediate shipment since they're already built.
We generally ship via USPS, but also use UPS or FedEx on occasion. Shipping may take up to 1 week for delivery. Please allow up to 3 weeks to receive your product from time of order.
We generally ship via USPS, but also use UPS or FedEx on occasion. Shipping may take up to 1 week for delivery. Please allow up to 3 weeks to receive your product from time of order.
We use high quality hardwoods from the USA and around the World. Below is a sampling of the woods we use:
Black Walnut - Mostly dark brown in appearance with a distinctive grain pattern with occasional streaks of lighter brown. Grown in the Eastern United States.
Peruvian Walnut - Mostly dark in color like Black Walnut, but generally with a muted grain pattern. Grows from Mexico to South America.
Cherry - Orange appearance with muted to heavy grain patterns. Sometimes small dark streaks are mixed in. Cherry may darken to a deeper brown over time especially with exposure to sunlight. Grown in the Eastern United States.
Maple - Color ranges from off-white to light tan. The typical grain pattern ranges from muted to slightly wavy. Maple can have other unique patterns aptly named curly, quilted & birds-eye. Predominantly found in Northeast USA.
Sapele - Generally reddish brown to medium brown with little to heavy grain patterns. Grows in Africa.
Jatoba - Light orange-brown to medium reddish brown. It has a distinctive grain pattern with darker streaks of brown. Grows from southern Mexico to northern South America.
Padauk - Orange to deep red in color. Generally has a ribbon or wavy grain pattern. Padauk may darken to a deeper brown or black over time especially with exposure to sunlight. Grown in Africa.
Purpleheart - As the name suggests, it's purple in color. The color will darken over time going from a light purple to dark purple and may become almost black in color. Exposure to UV light accelerates this process. Protect your cutting board with oil & wax and avoid direct exposure to sunlight to lessen this effect. Grown in Central and South America.
Yellowheart - You guessed it, it's yellow. The grain pattern is generally muted. Grown mainly in Brazil.
Black Walnut - Mostly dark brown in appearance with a distinctive grain pattern with occasional streaks of lighter brown. Grown in the Eastern United States.
Peruvian Walnut - Mostly dark in color like Black Walnut, but generally with a muted grain pattern. Grows from Mexico to South America.
Cherry - Orange appearance with muted to heavy grain patterns. Sometimes small dark streaks are mixed in. Cherry may darken to a deeper brown over time especially with exposure to sunlight. Grown in the Eastern United States.
Maple - Color ranges from off-white to light tan. The typical grain pattern ranges from muted to slightly wavy. Maple can have other unique patterns aptly named curly, quilted & birds-eye. Predominantly found in Northeast USA.
Sapele - Generally reddish brown to medium brown with little to heavy grain patterns. Grows in Africa.
Jatoba - Light orange-brown to medium reddish brown. It has a distinctive grain pattern with darker streaks of brown. Grows from southern Mexico to northern South America.
Padauk - Orange to deep red in color. Generally has a ribbon or wavy grain pattern. Padauk may darken to a deeper brown or black over time especially with exposure to sunlight. Grown in Africa.
Purpleheart - As the name suggests, it's purple in color. The color will darken over time going from a light purple to dark purple and may become almost black in color. Exposure to UV light accelerates this process. Protect your cutting board with oil & wax and avoid direct exposure to sunlight to lessen this effect. Grown in Central and South America.
Yellowheart - You guessed it, it's yellow. The grain pattern is generally muted. Grown mainly in Brazil.
We don't use any stain or finishes typically used on furniture, cabinetry, etc. The color of our products is strictly from the different types of wood used. We use Domestic and Exotic woods from the USA and around the World.
We only use food-safe protectants. Our cutting boards and magnetic knife holders are first treated with our special oil blend and then top coated with our all natural wax blend. These same products used by us are available for sale on our web site.
There really is no difference, we just label some of our boards with their typical uses to give our customers ideas of which boards to use for which purpose. However all of our boards are made the same way and can be used any way you choose.
First of all a description of the different surfaces of a piece of wood should be explained and a clarification of terms is needed.
If we take a look at a typical 2" x 4" x 8' piece of wood there are 3 surfaces. The 4" width running the 8' length is called the "Face". The side of the board being the 2" thickness running the 8' length is called the "Edge". And finally looking into the end of the board being the 2" x 4" dimension is naturally called the "End".
Using a Dining Room Table as a reference, the top is the "Face", the longer side is the "Edge" and looking into the shorter side is the "End".
Many different terms are used to describe Cutting Boards, but they all fall into two distinct categories.
"Edge-Grain" boards may also be referred to as "Face-Grain", "Long-Grain" or "Flat-Grain". Generally any of these terms mean the same thing as the cutting surface of the board has the wood fibers running 'Flat' or 'Long ways' with the knife contacting the board perpendicular to the wood fibers.
Technically speaking a "Face-Grain" board is one made from wide strips of wood glued together along their 'Edges'. Whereas a "Edge-Grain" board is made from narrower strips of wood glued along their 'Faces'. At the end of the day it doesn't matter as the geometry and look of the board is the same. The most common name is "Edge-Grain" and is what we use to describe these types of boards.
"End-Grain" boards are also referred to as "Chopping Blocks" or "Butcher Blocks". Again, different names to describe the same thing. These boards have the knife contacting the board parallel to the wood fibers.
If we take a look at a typical 2" x 4" x 8' piece of wood there are 3 surfaces. The 4" width running the 8' length is called the "Face". The side of the board being the 2" thickness running the 8' length is called the "Edge". And finally looking into the end of the board being the 2" x 4" dimension is naturally called the "End".
Using a Dining Room Table as a reference, the top is the "Face", the longer side is the "Edge" and looking into the shorter side is the "End".
Many different terms are used to describe Cutting Boards, but they all fall into two distinct categories.
"Edge-Grain" boards may also be referred to as "Face-Grain", "Long-Grain" or "Flat-Grain". Generally any of these terms mean the same thing as the cutting surface of the board has the wood fibers running 'Flat' or 'Long ways' with the knife contacting the board perpendicular to the wood fibers.
Technically speaking a "Face-Grain" board is one made from wide strips of wood glued together along their 'Edges'. Whereas a "Edge-Grain" board is made from narrower strips of wood glued along their 'Faces'. At the end of the day it doesn't matter as the geometry and look of the board is the same. The most common name is "Edge-Grain" and is what we use to describe these types of boards.
"End-Grain" boards are also referred to as "Chopping Blocks" or "Butcher Blocks". Again, different names to describe the same thing. These boards have the knife contacting the board parallel to the wood fibers.
If we had to say which board is better, it would have to be "End-Grain".
With "Edge-Grain" boards the knife cuts across the wood fibers, breaking them, and is why it's typical to see knife marks on these types of boards. This cutting action also dulls knives faster requiring more frequent sharpening. "Edge-Grain" boards are generally made thinner with a less intensive manufacturing process resulting in "Edge-Grain" boards being less expensive.
With "End-Grain" boards the knife cuts along the wood fibers meaning the knife is not cutting the board which is much better for knives keeping them sharper longer. Because the wood fibers are not being cut as they are on "Edge-Grain" boards, cut marks are minimized and a well cared for "End-Grain" board can last for generations. Because wood is not as strong in this orientation, "End-Grain" boards are generally thicker. The construction of "End-Grain" boards is more labor intensive and therefore are generally more expensive.
Which type of cutting board to purchase shouldn't solely be based upon which one is better. They really have different purposes and have a totally different look to them which is a personal preference.
"Edge-Grain" boards are typically smaller and lighter and are used to cut cheese, bread, fruit & vegetables. The general appearance of these boards have several to many stripes of the same or different woods and colors.
"End-Grain" boards are typically larger and heavier and are used to cut chicken and meat. These boards are commonly called "Chopping Blocks" or "Butcher Blocks" because they are used for heavy duty cutting or chopping. The typical appearance of these boards looks like many 'blocks' glued together.
Having said all that, most people have both types of boards and even several of each type in different sizes.
With "Edge-Grain" boards the knife cuts across the wood fibers, breaking them, and is why it's typical to see knife marks on these types of boards. This cutting action also dulls knives faster requiring more frequent sharpening. "Edge-Grain" boards are generally made thinner with a less intensive manufacturing process resulting in "Edge-Grain" boards being less expensive.
With "End-Grain" boards the knife cuts along the wood fibers meaning the knife is not cutting the board which is much better for knives keeping them sharper longer. Because the wood fibers are not being cut as they are on "Edge-Grain" boards, cut marks are minimized and a well cared for "End-Grain" board can last for generations. Because wood is not as strong in this orientation, "End-Grain" boards are generally thicker. The construction of "End-Grain" boards is more labor intensive and therefore are generally more expensive.
Which type of cutting board to purchase shouldn't solely be based upon which one is better. They really have different purposes and have a totally different look to them which is a personal preference.
"Edge-Grain" boards are typically smaller and lighter and are used to cut cheese, bread, fruit & vegetables. The general appearance of these boards have several to many stripes of the same or different woods and colors.
"End-Grain" boards are typically larger and heavier and are used to cut chicken and meat. These boards are commonly called "Chopping Blocks" or "Butcher Blocks" because they are used for heavy duty cutting or chopping. The typical appearance of these boards looks like many 'blocks' glued together.
Having said all that, most people have both types of boards and even several of each type in different sizes.
More so with "Edge-Grain" boards the knife is coming into contact perpendicular to the wood fibers which cuts and breaks the fibers which leads to the visible cut lines. Darker colored woods will tend to highlight the cut marks more than lighter colored woods.
All of our cutting boards are reversible except those having "Rubber Feet" or the "Lazy Susan" option.
Reversible boards allow one side to be used for cutting and the other for display and serving purposes. With this in mind, we arrange the pieces of wood to highlight the wood grain and character on the 'display/serving' side.
Reversible boards allow one side to be used for cutting and the other for display and serving purposes. With this in mind, we arrange the pieces of wood to highlight the wood grain and character on the 'display/serving' side.
The 3 most common mounting methods used by other manufactures are all inferior in our opinion for one reason or another. We'll review those first followed by our method.
Fairly easy and probably the strongest is to screw through the face of the holder. This leads to the problem of what to do with the screws. If they are left proud of the surface they typically don't look all that good and wherever the screws are it prevents a knife from being there and also presents a way to nick your knives which defeats one of the main purposes of a magnetic knife holder. The other option is to countersink the screws which helps, but still leaves the screws exposed. The option then is to leave it or cover it with a plug which is prone to falling out if not glued or glue it in place which makes removal of the knife holder later difficult if not impossible without destroying knife holder.
Another common method is "keyhole" slots on the backside whereby the screws heads pass through at the top and 'lock' into place as the knife holder is lowered. We use the term 'lock' loosely as by design the only 'locking' characteristic is resisting pulling directly away from the wall (that's good). However as easy as it was to slide the holder down it's just as easy to push it back up. The danger is that it can be all to easy when pulling a knife away for the holder to shift upwards which could allow it to completely come off the wall (not good!!). Our other criticism with this method is in positioning the screws on the wall which must be mounted with extreme precision. The holder will only be as level as the screws were mounted and this assumes the "keyhole" slots in the knife holder were also level. If the screws are not mounted the correct distance apart they may not properly line up with the "keyhole" slots and the holder cannot be properly mounted or mounted at all. Worse yet is the screws somewhat line up, but the holder can't be fully seated meaning it's barely holding on and the slightest movement can dislodge it.
The easiest and least desirable in our opinion is any of the double-sided tapes, mounting tapes or removable strips heavily marketed on television. All of these products are poor at best, a simple online search will verify that in some cases they work great and in most others they fail.
Based on these inferior methods our goal was to find the most user-friendly method that anyone could manage and also for it to be easily leveled and securely attached to the wall. We're quite proud of our solution and we're not aware of anyone else using a method like ours.
Our method is a two-piece approach. The included mounting rail is first attached to the wall. There are slots in the rail which allow adjustment in case the screws weren't drilled perfectly apart or perfectly level. The holder can then be temporarily placed on the rail only hanging by its top clips to gauge the holder's levelness before final mounting. If it's not level, simply take the holder off the rail and adjust the rail. Once level, place the holder back on the rail hanging by its top clips and then simply push down and the bottom clips will lock into place. Our system also allows the holder to be removed if necessary by reversing the mounting steps. We also provide our preferred fasteners for mounting in sheetrock or tiled backsplashes. A detailed set of instructions is included with our knife holders. Please be aware that our method due to the mounting rail leaves the knife holder approximately 1/4" away from the wall.
Fairly easy and probably the strongest is to screw through the face of the holder. This leads to the problem of what to do with the screws. If they are left proud of the surface they typically don't look all that good and wherever the screws are it prevents a knife from being there and also presents a way to nick your knives which defeats one of the main purposes of a magnetic knife holder. The other option is to countersink the screws which helps, but still leaves the screws exposed. The option then is to leave it or cover it with a plug which is prone to falling out if not glued or glue it in place which makes removal of the knife holder later difficult if not impossible without destroying knife holder.
Another common method is "keyhole" slots on the backside whereby the screws heads pass through at the top and 'lock' into place as the knife holder is lowered. We use the term 'lock' loosely as by design the only 'locking' characteristic is resisting pulling directly away from the wall (that's good). However as easy as it was to slide the holder down it's just as easy to push it back up. The danger is that it can be all to easy when pulling a knife away for the holder to shift upwards which could allow it to completely come off the wall (not good!!). Our other criticism with this method is in positioning the screws on the wall which must be mounted with extreme precision. The holder will only be as level as the screws were mounted and this assumes the "keyhole" slots in the knife holder were also level. If the screws are not mounted the correct distance apart they may not properly line up with the "keyhole" slots and the holder cannot be properly mounted or mounted at all. Worse yet is the screws somewhat line up, but the holder can't be fully seated meaning it's barely holding on and the slightest movement can dislodge it.
The easiest and least desirable in our opinion is any of the double-sided tapes, mounting tapes or removable strips heavily marketed on television. All of these products are poor at best, a simple online search will verify that in some cases they work great and in most others they fail.
Based on these inferior methods our goal was to find the most user-friendly method that anyone could manage and also for it to be easily leveled and securely attached to the wall. We're quite proud of our solution and we're not aware of anyone else using a method like ours.
Our method is a two-piece approach. The included mounting rail is first attached to the wall. There are slots in the rail which allow adjustment in case the screws weren't drilled perfectly apart or perfectly level. The holder can then be temporarily placed on the rail only hanging by its top clips to gauge the holder's levelness before final mounting. If it's not level, simply take the holder off the rail and adjust the rail. Once level, place the holder back on the rail hanging by its top clips and then simply push down and the bottom clips will lock into place. Our system also allows the holder to be removed if necessary by reversing the mounting steps. We also provide our preferred fasteners for mounting in sheetrock or tiled backsplashes. A detailed set of instructions is included with our knife holders. Please be aware that our method due to the mounting rail leaves the knife holder approximately 1/4" away from the wall.