I would like to make some cutting boards and serving boards as gifts for Christmas and one for personal use.
Cutting Boards: I want some color. Am I really stuck with maple and birch for food safe, hard boards. I am a little freaked out by the information I read about toxicity and wood imparting flavor on the items being chopped. Any ideas for doing this? I am going to laminate boards of 3/4″ – 3″ thick, 2″ deep and 18″ by 24″. Big motivator is to have a cutting board for turkey and prime ribs with a juice trough that is sized big enough for the actual juices that come out of these things!
Serving Board: For serving, bread, cheese, appetizers, etc… No cutting or chopping expected. Same question as above, what woods to give them color and excitement. Also, can I finish in shellac or poly? Are these food safe?
Any advice would be great!!
Thanks!
John
Replies
John, I'm curently using two sets of boards. Each set consists of a small and large board. One set is bamboo. The other set is synthetic material.
The bamboo is permeable. I seal it with mineral oil. I cut fruits and vegetables on it. I wash it in soap and water and run clear water over it to rinse it. I then dry it with a towel.
The synthetic set is nonpermeable. I cut meats and other live cultures such as cheese.
Check out the bamboos. It sounds like a wonderful gift idea. I paid $15 for a set at a big box food club. I paid $20 for the synthetics at that same store (costco).
I am a purist and prefer maple. I do not like bamboo - it dulls the knives faster.
I like to make my cutting boards 2" - 3" thick. If I am lazy I face joint the boards, so the edge is up. When ambitious, I make endgrain boards
In either case, I use Titebond III glue and finsih with mineral oil.
" There'll be no living with her now" - Captain Jack Sparrow
To All,
A few years ago a study came out that said that wood cutting boards were unsafe and that we should all be using plastic cutting boards. So everyone started using plastic.
Then tests were done to see if this was really true.
It turns out that Alder cutting boards are the safest, according to these tests, as something in the alder keeps the germs from killing us or making us sick. And the plastic or maple cutting boards will trap the germs in the knife cuts which is bad.
Use alder. It may be softer, but it is better. You won't need to oil it, you can just cut on it. It cuts easily, but who cares? I have used it for years.
Hal
http://www.rivercitywoodworks.com
I can't remember where I found the information but, doing a Google search showed several test results where it said that wood is far safer than plastic. I have used Alder, Hickory, and Hard Maple. Finish with mineral oil. Vegetable oil will turn rancid. We make a mixture of wax and mineral oil for ours and have had no problems.
Thomas
I have used the parrafin/mineral oil mix and never was able to see that it was that much better than just mineral oil and so justified the added time and effort.
It MAY allow more time between touchups, but as I sanitize my board once a week, I just rub it down with mineral oil once a month as maintenance - takes all of maybe 5 min ( includes getting the oil out, wiping down the 2 boards and then putting the oil away )
" There'll be no living with her now" - Captain Jack Sparrow
Since we seem to be confessing to our personal habits, here's mine:
I don't put anything but food and knives on my boards. No oil, no wax, no chemicals. I say, why bother? I wash them when they need them, don't worry about them when they don't. Make a new one when they need to be replaced.
Oh, the one I use the most is 1 3/4 inches thick Alder, glued with Titebond I, many years ago. Maybe 12 or 14 years now that I think about it.
I made some maple ones for a client a few years ago that she won't let her husband use because she doesn't want to damage them. They still look like new and have never had any use. Silly, and a waste of beautiful white maple!
Hal
If money is no object, then osage orange makes a fine cutting board. A previous poster mentioned walnut. That's probably not a great idea: too many allergies to walnut dust to chance it with food. I would think any closed pore hardwood would be fine. Remember, the object of a cutting board is not only to protect a countertop, but to protect the knife. Don't use something you wouldn't want to chisle.
"...too many allergies to walnut dust to chance it with food." The allergen is a protein in the nut of the tree, not in the wood itself. As the grandmother to a boy with peanut allergies, I have researched nut allergies. I used to be quite concerned about finishes with walnut oil on toys, but received information from very knowledgeable sources (pediatric allergist and another researcher) that there is no concern.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
FG
thanks for that information! I have made several serving boards in the last few years with walnut wood, that I finished with walnut oil (seemed like a natural idea), and wondered about the allergy issue.
The only issue I would have with walnut oil, is the possibility of rancidity down the line. That is why mineral oil is recommended.
" There'll be no living with her now" - Captain Jack Sparrow
Walnut oil is one vegetable oil that dries and thus will not go rancid. I usually don't bother oiling cutting boards, but if I do, I reach for walnut oil.
>> It turns out that Alder cutting boards are the safest, according to these tests, What is the reference for this?Howie.........
Boy, if I could remember that, I bet there would be a lot of other much more important things I would also remember.
I don't know about most people, but for me, I pretty much save the information that I need and throw away the rest.
I probably read this in some science magazine, a woodworking article, or maybe a newspaper article. I read so many that I couldn't tell you which one. It may have even been Wood and Wood products magazine, or even Woodshop News. You may be able to look it up in their archives. Sorry but I read quite a few publications and books. It's part of what happens when one doesn't watch TV.
Hal
I too have a hard time remembering where I read something. I would suggest doing ones own due diligence before making such a statement or at the very least providing a disclaimer at the beginnings of ones post. It is hard enough to separate the diamonds from the dog crap. Please provide references.------------------------------------
The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -- Herbert Spencer (1891)
dgreen,
I think that some here think that just because something was published, it is fact. A good example of this is all of the quotes I see on these posts that come from Bob Flexnor's book where he has used a simple generality to catagorize things, but the poster interprets it as science.
I was merely mentioning what I read.
I don't see many cites here other than from woodworking books. I don't have the time to look it up. You may!
Hal
http://www.rivercitywoodworks.com
I read in a govt test posted online that wood was better than plastic for cutting boards, but do not remember if one wood was rated better than any others.
" There'll be no living with her now" - Captain Jack Sparrow
I've got several pieces of laminated plywoods with a plastic top that I want to use for cutting boards.
What tools and techniques would clear up the tops? They are scratched.
John,
If you look hard enough you will find someone with sensitivity to just about any natural material. Of course, some woods are notorious for this, and you should avoid them. For instance, padauk is both pungent and stains everything. But I think a bit of common sense is all that is required in applying reasonabe caution. I've used cherry and mahogany, as well as the usual beech, maple, and birch boards. Never used any finish at all on them - just told people to wipe with vegetable oil.
DR
The traditional woods are closed pore like maple, birch and beech. Colored woods like cherry and walnut are also frequently used.
I would avoid tropical hardwoods.Howie.........
Edited 11/6/2006 12:52 pm ET by HowardAcheson
Mulli2007
You don't have to laminate to make attractive cutting boards. How about solid pieces of birds-eye or curly maple if you want excitement? I've made several cutting boards out of figured maple, and walnut for serving boards. Or inlay ceramic tiles for serving boards.
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