Information on Cutting Boards:
Keeping your knives sharp

The majority of wood cutting boards you can buy today are flat grain design. The main reason for this is that they are significantly easier to manufacture, there are twice as many construction steps in the construction of an end-grain cutting board. The old fashioned cutting boards were always end grain design (the chopping block) for a reason, it keeps the knives much sharper. Instead of crushing against the wood fibers the blade goes between them much like cutting into a firm brush. You will find that your blade edges last much longer, and you'll see no knife marks on the board. Preventing premature dulling of the blade of your knives, will extend the time between sharpening and the quality of your knife.