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Yesterday I noticed a small crack (about 2 cm long) in my cutting board. I'm not sure what happened since I frequently oil my board with mineral oil. Also note that the split is not on a glue line.

I then filled the gap with melted beeswax to prevent water getting inside the gap but isn't filling it with glue a better solution?

I've seen that many recommend titebond 3 for this kind of repair but I was thinking that epoxy may be a better option. I'm not worried about food safety since it's a small gap on the edge of the board and food won't usually get there.

Any suggestions? Thank you

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Giulio
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    Much of the advice in https://woodworking.stackexchange.com/q/7639/5572 applies here, as well. –  Oct 01 '18 at 16:44
  • "I'm not sure what happened since I frequently oil my board with mineral oil." Let me reveal a dirty secret about this: mineral oil is not a good water barrier on cutting boards. But that's not necessarily the issue here, sometimes wood will just split after a product is made and there's no way to prevent it. – Graphus Oct 01 '18 at 19:00
  • Now about filling the crack, 1) you don't absolutely need to and 2) if you want to fill with glue (of any kind) you must thoroughly degrease the wood beforehand. – Graphus Oct 01 '18 at 19:01
  • Thank you for your answers. So filling the crack won't in any case prevent it from expanding? – Giulio Oct 01 '18 at 19:08
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    I'd like to see more of the board to get a better idea of the construction, but I can see it's made of beech which is actually a poor choice for a cutting board as beech is notoriously labile, responding to readily to changes in moisture level. So yes, the crack may expand further even with remedial steps being taken. There is a chance it released the tension it needed to release and it's now stable, but I wouldn't want to bet on that with a modern cutting board (made from wood of unknown quality) and especially not one made from beech. – Graphus Oct 02 '18 at 12:11
  • @Graphus Beech is used in woodenware because it imparts no odor or taste, and can take abuse (ref). It can be bent with steam, but I think that might mean it's less likely to crack as a result. The board might be made of multiple materials expanding at different rates. – ww_init_js Oct 17 '18 at 00:17
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    @init_js,"Beech is used in woodenware because it imparts no odor or taste" this is actually true of a great many other species. In fact it's probably true of most of the commonest hardwoods. In Europe though it's one of the few commercially harvested hardwoods produced in quantity (ergo cheap) close-grained hardwoods, and that's probably the main reason it's used so commonly, not for a real material superiority. – Graphus Oct 17 '18 at 12:16

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That looks like a very small crack. Of all the options I like epoxy best.

I would suggest using a razor blade to clean the inside of the crack. You will likely widen it a hair by doing this, but it's important to get a good bond.

Then, use painters tape to mask off the wood around the edges of the crack; this is to minimize unintended spreading of the epoxy, which will fill the grain and darken the wood anywhere it contacts the cutting board.

Mix a small bit of epoxy (even JB weld would work for a job this small).

Using a putty knife, try to force it down as deep into the crack as possible. Don't be afraid to leave it a little proud.

Once hardened, pull the tape and use some fine sand paper to make the epoxy flush.

Paul Davis
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I would use a "water proof" wood glue with sanding dust or even some CA glue (supper glue). I have not had good luck using epoxy for this kind of application, but others have and swear by it.

Monte Glover
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