Replacement slide out cutting board?

April 15, 2008 8:39 PM

Where do I find an inexpensive replacement slide out cutting board?

Our pull-out cutting board needs to be replaced, and I feel like that shouldn't be so hard to do. I feel like you shouldn't need to construct one, or order a custom one, you should just be able to pick on up for like $40 somewhere, but I haven't been able to find one. I've googled, and all I see are custom jobs. This post here talks about a local hardware store, but it's not local to me. Any sources to order a standard replacement, or are they all different sizes? Suggestions for an easy, budget fix?

Thanks!

posted by tslugmo to home & garden (9 comments total)

Why don't you just do as suggested by others in your linked post: measure up your existing cutting board, go to Home Depot or your regional equivalent, and have them cut a board for you? Mine 'officially' charges $1 a cut. You could get veneered plywood, or maybe some oak or maple boards that will fit. I can't think of anything easier or more low-budget than that, unless there are complications you haven't mentioned.
posted by TDIpod at 11:08 PM on April 15

Maybe I'm not realizing that there's nothing special about cutting boards. It seems they are rounded much more than a square cut board of wood, plus it has a 1" border of differently colored wood that runs along the end of it. So I guess I want it to look better than just a straight cut piece of wood, but not some fancy custom job. Thanks for the suggestion, maybe I'll ask the people at the BORG what they can do.
posted by tslugmo at 12:33 AM on April 16

Maybe I'm not realizing that there's nothing special about cutting boards.

Well, that's just the thing... they're all different. Some are special, and some are demonstrably not. I've got a couple of pull-out cutting boards in my house that date to 1908. They happen to be square-cut pieces of what appears to be fir, for gosh sakes, no round edges, no border of differently colored wood, etc. Very boring. Also, I don't use them for cutting, really, because they're too damned low, are soft, are a pain to wash, and don't have the solidity of a nice two-inch piece of butcher block sitting on a countertop. Or maybe they're not original, but ancient replacements. Either way, they, too, are pull-out cutting boards.

Sounds like you have a nicer one than mine. But, what 23 both have is a custom piece of cabinetry, since there's no official standard dimension for such a thing. Sounds like the store mentioned in the other AskMe makes them in a variety of likely sizes, so that most folks will find something that suits their needs... I'd take measurements of your current one and call Discount Builder's Supply. $50 + shipping doesn't seem like too much for what you're looking for.
posted by mumkin at 1:17 AM on April 16

The "border" piece running across the end is a "breadboard" end. It is as much structural as cosmetic, and is intended to help prevent the board from cupping.

I don't like the 'have the big-box store cut it' idea unless you want the roughest of solutions to your problem.

No, there's no standard for these things; they are inherently custom items. Unless your cabinetry was built recently by a major cabinet manufacturer, nobody is going to have exactly the right thing in stock. That said, having one made shouldn't be such a big deal. Your best bet is to give the old one to a reasonably competent woodworker and ask them to duplicate it. You may not get it for $40, but it shouldn't be all that expensive. What are the dimensions of this thing?
posted by jon1270 at 5:26 AM on April 16

If I were you, I'd post an ad on Craigslist (if it's available in your area). This is the sort of thing that a woodworker hobbyist could make for you in no time. Heck, if you're in MN, mefi mail me; we're about to make a couple replacements for ourselves.
posted by belladonna at 5:46 AM on April 16

Don't use plywood for a cutting board. It has a lot of special glues in there that don't mix well with food. Use a hard wood instead of pine or you'll be getting lots of fiber every time you cut bread or mince veggies.

If I were you, I'd mount those special plastic cutting boards on wood. If you are handy and have some woodworking tools, it should be simple to route out space in your existing board for a plastic cutting board insert. Then it's as simple as replacing the plastic when it gets bad. BTW, they are pretty cheap and can be found for $10-15.
posted by JJ86 at 5:58 AM on April 16

Here is a website selling various sizes of pull-out breadboards from about $30. If you have a burning desire to spend more, sites like this one will charge you a couple of hundred dollars for really beautiful ones. My local building supply store has them in two or three standard sizes, in the section with the cabinetry, for fairly cheap, too; I have not seen them at Home Depot but they might sell them, I don't know.

I found those linked sites by Googling "pull out breadboard" and skimming the results. There are lots of places selling these things -- they are standard commodity items, installed in millions of kitchens. The $30 breadboard is better than a $10 piece of flat wood, because it is dimensionally stable and has a finger pull to make it easier to pull out from the counter.
posted by Forktine at 6:49 AM on April 16

I have seen them at IKEA, though as noted, size varies.
posted by mzurer at 6:51 AM on April 16

Awesome answers, guys, I'll check those options out. I knew I could count on you.
posted by tslugmo at 7:41 PM on April 17