Cutting board

[bruce johnson]

If you want to go natural, one of the best wood surfaces I cut on was a 20 year old plank of clear sugar pine. occasionally resurfaced with a sander.

What do I have in my shop and recommend for a cutting surface? Hint - it isn't wood. - https://brucejohnsonleather.com/links-resources/tool-talk/cutting-surfaces-knives-and-blades

[dikman]

Nice blogs regarding cutting/punching boards Bruce. Regarding glass, I have the top off a pair of bathroom scales, it's toughened glass and very smooth but only about 15" square. Still very handy for all sorts of things.

[Digit]

During my woodworking period I learned that MDF is made from scrap wood and scrap wood can contain scrap of any kind (bits of nails and screws, bits of paint, sometimes even bits of lead from bullets or grape shot that ended up in trees). The large bits are mostly sieved out, but smaller bits can remain, especially on the inside of the panel: MDF is unlike fibreboard or chipboard in that MDF panels use smaller wood fibres on the oudside and coarser fibers (and potential scrap) on the inside. It's mixed nicely with glues and resins, making it more plasticky than real wood and if those additives contain formaldehyde, spending long periods of time near that MDF could be bad for your health.

If you want to use wood for a cutting board, I suggest using end grain as cutting surface, that way you don't have a grain that could force your knife in directions you don't want or dull it down by cutting across the grain.