BEAUTIFUL & RARE MESQUITE END GRAIN WOOD CUTTING BOARD! UNLIKE BLACK LOCUST MESQUITE WOOD IS POISON/TOXIN FREE! Start Price USD 189.00 Current Price USD 189.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price USD 198.00 Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, October 04, 2008 End Time Saturday, October 11, 2008 Location Joshua, TX See more about 'BEAUTIFUL & RARE MESQUITE END GRAIN WOOD CUTTING BOARD!' Description Mesquite Crafts   Please do not confuse Mesquite with Black Locust wood which is toxic and contains the toxin robin. For more information: http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Toxicity_of_Black_Locust.html http://texnat.tamu.edu/cmplants/toxic/plants/blacklocust.html       NEW! Beautiful Mesquite End Grain Cutting Board 14” x 18”x 1 1/2 ”   With Adjustable Rubber Feet!   Not the Size You Need? Ask Me for a Custom Quote!   Are you looking for a cutting board made from wood that looks great, doesn’t warp, split, come unglued when exposed to moisture, is extremely durable and doesn’t diminish hardwood forests by over cutting? Mesquite is the wood to consider, it is one of the best woods in the world for wood cutting boards.   Important Advantages in Purchasing my Mesquite Cutting Boards   Glue: The type of glue used to laminate a board is very important. There are three general types of wood glues used: water proof, water resistant and water soluble wood glue. If you purchase a board be sure to inquire what kind of glue is used. Water proof and water resistant wood glues are more expensive than regular water soluble wood glue. If the glue is not at least water resistant, the glue will slowly dissolve over time. If you would like to read about the superior quality of Titebond III wood glue please visit their website at: http://www.titebond.com/WNTitebondIIITB.asp   Stability: In addition to Mesquite wood’s natural beauty, it is by far the most stable, and enduring, in addition to being the most moisture, decay, and insect resistant of any domestic wood.     PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY WORD or the rationalizations of my competitors defending the unstable woods they use. Search the web and check Mesquite’s characteristics compared to other woods. While your searching, check prices for END GRAIN mesquite cutting boards from independent web-sites. Be sure not to confuse LONG GRAIN cutting board pricing with END GRAIN cutting board pricing. Due to the way Mesquite grows, it is difficult to work, labor intensive and does not lend itself well for mass production. That being said, Mesquite end grain boards are more difficult and dangerous to produce making them rare and difficult to find. Other woods commonly used for cutting boards and chopping blocks are not close to being as stable as mesquite. Red Oak moves 11.3%, Maple moves 9.9%, Walnut moves 8.7 % and Mahogany moves 4.1%. Mesquite moves a mere 2.6% and what little movement it has is the same ratio vertically and horizontally. What this means is wood that expands, contracts and cups (cups due to unequal ratios) places stress on glue joints in all directions over time resulting in glue joint failure.   Another important fact to consider is cutting boards are constantly exposed to moisture. Other woods will react to repeated exposure to water by warping, cracking or cupping regardless of where the wood was obtained. Have you ever seen a hard wood floor that had to be replaced after a leak caused it to expand and cup? The bottom line is, other woods are not suitable for continual exposure to moisture as cutting boards are subjected to regardless of where the wood was obtained or how it was dried. Mesquite is the preferred choice in areas subjected to high moisture exposure such as kitchens. Moreover, its great stability will allow it to resist water problems no other wood can stand. Once again, don’t take my word, Google a search and check for yourself.   Mesquite is extremely hard. The Janka (or side) hardness test measures the force required to embed a .444 - inch steel ball to half its diameter in wood. It is one of the best measurements of the ability of a wood species to withstand denting and wear. For example, Mesquite is harder than hard rock maple. Mesquite has a Janka hardness rating of 2345 compared to hard rock maple’s rating of 1450. Mesquite is also harder than mahogany with a rating of 2200 for Santos mahogany. Consequently, since this board is made of end grain (about 10% harder than horizontal grain of any wood) in addition to being Mesquite means it has an extra hard surface. Although the surface is hard, knives stay sharper on end grain since blades are not pressed against horizontal wood fibers, but between the ends of the fibers like cutting on the top of a compressed brush.   Mesquite is a highly sustainable source of wood that comes from the Southwest region of the US as well as Central and South America. Mesquite is actually a shrub (from the legume family) not a tree. Attempts to cut, shread, remove and even burn does not kill mesquite root systems and results in mesquite growing back stronger and thicker. Farmers and ranchers have tried to eradicate mesquite for hundreds of years resulting in them growing back stronger and expanding their area of growth as animals and cattle eat the seed pods and distribute the seeds. Based on current usage of mesquite and eradication efforts the supply in Texas alone can last for thousands of years without need to plant additional mesquite.     Beauty, stability and durability make Mesquite the best wood for butcher blocks and cutting boards that can be passed down for generations. Why buy cutting boards made from the same unstable woods everybody has in their kitchens and risk having to buy another one in a couple of years?   Not the size board your looking for? I will be happy to give custom mesquite board quotes. I'm also open to quoting custom mesquite projects unrelated to cutting boards. Good Luck! I will ship UPS, buyer pays shipping/insurance.       Money Back Guarantee:   I will refund your purchase price if the item is returned unused in original packaging within 7 days of receiving the item. Buyer pays return shipping. On Jan-08-07 at 21:15:16 PST, seller added the following information: Use the FREE Counters 1 million sellers do - Andale! Place a Bid!