Tom
End grain boards are nice but I've turned to making cutting boards from "plyboo"--plywood made from bamboo. Easy to make, virtually indestructible, easy to finish, won't dull knives etc. Can easily embellish with other woods if more contrasting is desired. One can make cutting boards with endgrain plyboo if one can find suitable number of cutoffs left over from thick kitchen counters,etc.
And the "tree huggers" love plyboo because it is a very renewable form of wood!