LEARN
Ready to learn a little lingo? Welcome aboard! The world of fine, professional carpentry is extensive. We invite you along to see a bit behind the scenes, learn a little, and ultimately, enjoy your creation even more.
WOOD SPECIES
The primary species of lumber that we use at Feign Design are cherry, walnut, and maple. While we can use just about any species, cherry, walnut, and maple are our "staples" and tend to be most common for premium woodworking pieces.
Each of these species have their own unique beauty and mechanical benefits.
All three are considered closed grain, dense hardwoods. This means that they do not absorb liquid like softwood (such as pine). This prevents the various creations from absorbing too much water and becoming waterlogged. These natural antibacterial and antifungal properties protect you and your family from microbes that can form on other board materials. Finally, the use of our wood boards helps avoid exposure to microplastics that will be generated by using a plastic cutting board.
Cherry
Cherry wood has a beautiful and deep reddish brown color. The natural flow of the grains are cherished. Many customers find these intricate, natural details to be beautiful. While a fantastic choice for boards, cherry is slightly more porous than walnut and maple. Oiling and maintaining this species requires more regular upkeep for best results.
Walnut
Walnut has more color variation than cherry or maple. Walnut can range from a deep, chocolatey brown with black accents, to a light brown with red accents, and any variations in between. If you have a preference for a specific walnut variation, please let us know!
The choice is yours. For example, a darker walnut will hide stains better than a lighter walnut.
Maple
Maple is a very light wood, nearly white in color. Maple is a fantastic material on its own, or can be used as a contrast material with a darker colored wood. It's a fantastic, bright surface to work on. While still a hardwood species, maple is generally not as hard as walnut or cherry.
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GRAIN PATTERNS
First of all, you may be asking, what is a wood grain? Grain patterns? Huh?
Simply put, the wood grain is the unique pattern exposed on the sawn faces of a piece of lumber.
The grain pattern on any project is arguably the most important aspects of any woodwork, and selecting the right one can truly elevate a project, and make or break the usability of a cutting board or chopping block.
There are three main grain patterns that we work with at Feign Design: Flat Grain (face grain), Edge Grain, and End Grain. For most projects, these differences are entirely aesthetic, offering no significant impact to the usability of your piece. For materials sensitive work such as cooking, chopping, or cleanliness, the selection is essential.
Flat Grain (face grain)
Arguably the most simple grain style is flat grain. Flat grain refers to wood that has been cut perpendicular to the tree's growth lines. Flat grain is very common and can be produced from a wide variety of tree species.
Flat grain is not as durable as the other choices below. Knife marks will show almost immediately when used for chopping and slicing. This board will also have a greater chance to warp. This is not recommended for heavy cutting or chopping.
However, flat grain is a beautiful choice for a serving board, epoxy artwork, and charcuterie boards where form is preferred over function.
Edge Grain
Edge grains are formed by laying strips of premium hardwood rails of maple, cherry, or walnut side by side and gluing them together. The wood fibers run horizontally versus vertically. Edge grain cutting surfaces are considered more knife-friendly. The chances for warping are considerably lower as well. Edge grain products are perfect for a chopping block, as the edges of the board will resist chipping or breaking off. Truly a cost-effective balance between strength and beauty.
End Grain
End grain products are created by cutting short square pieces of maple, cherry or walnut hardwood and arranging them vertically and stood on end.
This board shows the beauty of the grain of wood being used, but will also take serious punishment.
End grain boards demonstrate a self-healing process. When a knife cuts into the surface, the knife first slides in between the wood fibers. As the fibers separate, they close back up, keeping your knife edge sharper for longer.
The end grain construction process is more labor intensive than edge grain and may need more oiling to maintain its appearance and to prevent drying out over repeated uses and washings. However, maintaining the board is simple when applying board conditioning because it easily absorbs the oil. The most durable of the grain types, self-healing surface, and resistant to warping. Labor intensive, but ready to be a workhorse.
