Why Raising the Grain on Your Cutting Boards is a Good Idea

Raising the grain is a term used when applying water to cutting boards in between sanding grits. This is VERY important when making cutting boards. I personally do this after 120 grit and then again after 220 grit. Letting it air dry is best practice. This process allows the board to stay smooth after washing it. Otherwise you would have a rough textured board the first time you washed it!
#cuttingboard #diycuttingboard #shorts

[@dorsetdumpling5387]

I tried raising the grain on a beech/oak board and was horrified to see black stains develop all over the oak while I watched! Had to re-sand all over again to get rid of them.

[@greentreewoodworks6172]

Wow! I’ve personally never used Oak or Beech in cutting boards but I know Oak is used by others pretty frequently. I’ve never experienced this so I don’t know why it would’ve done that.
On the other hand, if you sand it with a higher grit than before and the stains are gone then wouldn’t it be successful? Or did you have to use 80 grit to remove it?

[@dorsetdumpling5387]

@@greentreewoodworks6172 I had to sand it pretty far back, and I didn’t dare trying to raise the grain again! The board’s now in use and after washing it down, the grain does rise a little, but wiping it dry with a teacloth seems to get it pretty smooth again. I did read somewhere that it may be to do with the tannins in the oak reacting with chemicals in the water (we do live in a fairly hard water area) and, it probably didn’t help that I’d been sharpening a card scraper earlier so there may have been fine steel filings on my fingers. I may try using surgical spirit (isopropyl alcohol) to raise the grain next time as an alternative to water.