Ralph will probably be all over explaining this one!  I could ask him next Wednesday when I go out to visit but though some more people might like to hear this one answered.

 

OK, suppose that I were to start with a standard, flat-sawn piece of Hard Maple that for the sake of argument is 4/4 x 6" wide by 8' long.  Let's call the big flat face "A".  The long side(s) that are 8' long let's call "B".  The six inch wide end face let's call "C".

 

To make an official, old-fashioned butcher block, which of these faces would be visible when looking down at the finished block?

 

Never having made one of these but having seen and heard about people doing them, I'd say "B".

 

A customer today was saying that it would be "C" and he had sort of a good argument. 

Well I don't know that I have anything to really back this up with, but I would think it would be "C" also. If it was an end grain board.

What kind of information did the customer had to add?

Ha! The whole thing didn't post at first.

Pretty much that there would be no fibers to slice "across".