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The original owner of my home was a carpenter and chef, and one of my favorite pieces that he left behind is this cutting board. Unfortunately the wood has split at a join and I'm not sure what to do to fix it up. The crack isn't huge, but it's wide enough that juices will spill onto the floor beneath. I certainly don't want anything nasty to take hold inside the wood, either...

I'm a handy guy overall but I know very little about carpentry. Is there a good solution to seal this crack up and get the wood back to one solid surface? Obviously any materials will need to be food safe.

Nice cutting board. Mine are just small ones and when a crack starts, it usually means it, the wood, has dryed out and separated. I apply Catskill's butcher block oil once a month on mine to keep them in top shape. It prevents them from drying out. The oil is FDA approved. I would apply some liberally to all the surface, top and bottom, with a clean soft cloth. Let it penetrate and dry. Then apply once a week for a month and see if it helps?

If applying oil doesn't cure the problem, you will have to disassemble the board and clean up the damaged joint. Then reassemble, glue and clamp the cutting board.

That’s a wide crack,IMHO putting oil on the board wont correct the problem. as Joecercone
said "disassemble and glue the joint".
Do you have access to a jointer? That tool will correct the problem and make the joint square for gluing.
good luck

This message has been edited. Last edited by: allin,

We had the same issue and no joiner. We ran it through the table saw (with the crack centered)and used two biscuits and lots of glue. It has held up well.
Monica

The oil will not correct it, but will be necessary after you do get the crack fixed. A skill saw should work as well. You don't have to be as concerned about making a straight cut since the two pieces will be glued back together and will join nicely. My guess is that if you don't do a whole lot of woodworking you have no need for a jointer or a table saw.
A side note on the oil The expensive butcher block oil is essentially mineral oil that is much less expensive at the grocery store than a name brand "butcher block oil" which every one i have seen says right on the bottle 'made with real mineral oil'. I have used both, and the mineral oil works just as well as the "butcher block oil".

codekitchen,
Unfortunately oiling the board will not resolve your problem, but it will prevent it from happening again in the future once this is repaired. Before disassembling it to make the repair try this, liberally pour some denatured alcohol into the joint and scrub it clean with an old tooth brush or any stiff bristle brush (you may even need to use a dental pick or other sharp object to remove any hard stuff like old glue or food). You want to remove any debris that will prevent the joint from coming back together tight and remove any oils or other stuff that will prevent the glue from getting a good bond with the wood. Once the joint is clean, try clamping it back together (no glue yet). If it doesn't come back together tight then you'll have to disassemble it to make a new tight fitting joint as others have already described. If the joint does comes together nicely and you have a tight joint, then pull it back open again, glue the joint with Titebond II or Titebond III (both are waterproof and FDA approved for use on cutting boards) and clamp it overnight. Be sure to wipe off any glue that squeezes out with a dampened sponge because it's much easier to do that now then to scrape it later. Once the glue has cured over night then lightly scrape or sand the board (with 220 grit sandpaper) to remove any squeeze out you may have missed and to open the wood pores & level the surface. With this done you can apply mineral oil, butchers block oil or bowl turners oil to the surface to prevent it from drying out again. I prefer bowl turners oil only because it last a bit longer, but regular mineral oil from the pharmacy or grocery store will work just fine and is less expensive (you can usually find it with the laxatives).

To clean your cutting board you can use a sponge and hot soapy water (NEVER submerge the board or put it in the dishwasher), and if there is a lot of fatty residue sprinkle some salt on the board to act as a mild aggregate and scrub in the direction of the grain. To sterilize the board (which I only do after I cut chicken, meat or fish) I use a bleach water mixture (1 gallon of water laced with 1/4 cup of bleach). To use the bleach/water, once the surface is cleaned with the hot soapy water, spray some of the solution on the surface, let it sit about 2 min. scrub the surface in the direction of the grain with a scrubby pad then rinse with plain water. Towel dry the surface then allow the wood to air dry and when ever it starts to look a little dry apply more mineral oil.

That's it, hopefully this will help you resolve your problem without having to disassemble, joint and reassemble as well as maintain your cutting board for many years to come.

But this is just my opinion, I hope it helps.