End-grain cutting boards are made by joining small pieces of wood to form the surface. When examining one, it is helpful to look first at how the pieces have been assembled and then at the lines formed by the edges. Viewing the work in progress alongside the finished cutting board makes it possible to distinguish between the assembly process and the impression created by the surface.
Clamps hold both sides of the board. Viewed from above, the small pieces can be seen fitted together to form a single surface. Rather than repeating a uniform pattern, the sizes and grain directions of the pieces place different lines and colors alongside one another. In a work-in-progress scene, it is easier to examine how the pieces relate to one another than when looking only at the finished surface.
The Pieces That Form the Surface
The broad surface of the finished cutting board is made up of light and dark pieces joined together. Some areas resemble a square grid, while others draw the eye with overlapping diagonal and curved lines. In an overall photograph, one can first see how the pattern of pieces sits within the board’s outer lines. Rather than focusing only on one prominent area, viewing the border as well reveals the composition of the surface more clearly.
Another cutting board has a surface marked by long, flowing grain. The lines created by the boundaries between pieces change direction from one section to another, so the impression of the pattern shifts even within a single board. Up close, the lines between the pieces are visible; from a little farther away, the larger pattern formed by those lines emerges. Changing the viewing distance is a simple way to read the surface.
Edges and Varied Forms
From an oblique angle, the sides and outer lines come into view along with the top surface. The board’s thickness and the shape of its edges are difficult to examine fully from a frontal photograph alone. Viewing an overall shot together with images taken from different angles makes it possible to connect the surfaces with the edges. The examination here focuses on the forms and patterns visible in the photographs.
There is not just one kind of pattern. In photographs showing several cutting boards together, one can compare broad grids with smaller pieces and examine the outline of each board. It is natural to look first at the forms placed side by side and then view the preferred surface up close. Because the arrangement of pieces differs from board to board, the lines captured in photographs appear differently even when the boards were made in the same way.
When looking at an end-grain cutting board, move your gaze from the overall outline to the surface formed by the pieces and then to the edges. Examining each board slowly makes it possible to distinguish patterns that run together like a grid from the different directions of the grain. This article is based on the assembly scenes and finished forms visible in the photographs, and adds no claims about wood species or performance that could not be verified.
