An update to the tales of a warped cutting board
Well, first things first: Treat your cutting board with mineral oil or bees wax. But sometimes, that isn't enough. A customer recently emailed me stating that their beloved family cutting board had warped. They contacted me asking if there was any way for me to try to fix it for them, and I was happy to oblige... but see what a short 8 hours will do...
So, great news - came home from work yesterday to find that we left the A/C off, and the heat must have helped the block dry more thoroughly. It is much less warped than it was when I first sent the request on your website. I think that I will try to even it out over the next week using the method on your site (now that there is a much less intimidating warp to deal with).
Wood is a funny and fickle thing, particularly as a cutting board. This is why we recommend a towel on the underside as it will effectively eliminate this problem of rocking. So...why does this happen to your board and not furniture? I mean, furniture takes more skill to make and requires more skill, so that must be it right?
There are a few key things to keep in mind when comparing boards to furniture. (1) boards interact with water on the daily, indoor furniture might once it its life (2) While both are utilitarian objects, boards get much more of a beating with a knife than a chair does with someone sitting in it (3) furniture is finished with an array of different things that are more durable than any FDA approved food grade finish, like mineral oil. These things are what make your board more fickle than your furniture, and that's not even mentioning how end grain is effectively a bunch of straws, so it is more likely to suck up water and as such warp. Frequently oil treatments will nullify this effect however. What it might now effect though, is an environment that has become drier than it was accustomed to.