# Routing drain grooves in cutting board



## werneb01 (Apr 23, 2008)

On a rectangle cutting board made with edge grain what method do you prefer to route a drain/juice groove around the edge, maybe an inch or so in from all four edges? I do not have an edge guide but if that works best I could make or buy one. I thought about doing it on the router table with stop blocks, but I don't like the idea of not being able to see the progress.

Thoughts?

Tanks,

Brad


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## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

A problem is making a continuous cut around corners, to depth without burning. Using a template and a template guide on the router with a carbide core bit is a good way to go. Even better if you have a plunge router base. You can ease into the cut with a non plunge base if you are careful. If you stop or are inconsistent in the feed, you can get burning or worse, a crooked line. Have you used templates and template guides before?


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## Burb (Nov 30, 2012)

Just a thought but when I made my cutting boards I followed advice given to me to not have the juice grooves. The main reason to not make then has to do with eliminating some degree of potential of bacteria growth. With the trough, the juice has a place to sit which could possibly increase the chance for bacteria to get into the wood grain. I'm not saying its much of a chance, but I figured without it would just eliminate the potential. Just my two cents.

Mark


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## Lilty (Dec 20, 2006)

I did mine the same way as Hammer1 except I routed a 1/4" wide x 3/16 deep groove then used my 1/2 core box bit.


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## werneb01 (Apr 23, 2008)

I am wondering if it is worth the effort to put them in or not. At the moment I'm leaning towards leaving them out. I'm not really interested in messing up the two boards I have glued up and ready to go.

Thanks for the replies.


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## nwl1995 (Feb 28, 2012)

I made a bigger one,about 22x22 and routed a juice groove around the perimeter. What I did was take some scrap wood and screw it into a square then stuck it to the middle of the board with double sided tape. The scrap wood square was in the middle and the router rode on the outside. I was able to do it in one continuous pass. Here is a pic of the result. I have found that it wasn't really needed as it is big enough that even a watermelon wont run into the drain when cutting


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I have been accused of being a "foodie." I even make my own pasta from scratch.
I don't want juice grooves. Makes the surface just all the more awkward to wipe off.
And then, I'd have to pick the whole thing up (don't spill a drop!) and get the board aimed into the sink.
My off-set board has a stand-alone knife drawer built into the underside. I clamp my pasta machine and my apple processor to the off-set overhang. Any big juice groove would make the clamping unstable.
Let's suppose that I'm going to make 6 apple pies in one batch. That means I have to run at least 24-30 apples through the machine that cores, peels and slices each apple in one shot. Gets a bit drippy with juice. 1/2 sheet of paper towel corrals the entire mess. Flat board and easily washed down.
After 10-15 yrs of doing this, my pies are very good.. . . . . which reminds me. . . . . . .


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