Replies

1. 
   Paulie | Dec 15, 2005 07:24pm | #1

   I use walnut oil bought from the grocery store. Put it on, let it soak in,wipe it off. Easily renewed and non toxic.

   Have fun! Nobody gets out alive.
2. 
   jackplane | Dec 15, 2005 07:38pm | #2

   Or, mineral oil. A hard coat, like shellac, is safe but I wouldn't use it. Walnut or mineral oil is best.

    

1. 
   Gretchen | Dec 15, 2005 09:22pm | #3

   Shellac will be "cut". Use mineral oil. Other nut or veggie oils will go rancid.  And there is always a possibility of allergies.Gretchen

1. 
   jackplane | Dec 15, 2005 11:56pm | #4

   right. shellac will be "cut" but it is safe, and is already a food covering for many foods. 

3. 
   SteveSchoene | Dec 16, 2005 12:45am | #5

   You can safely use any finish--once it's fully cured (roughly 30 days)--but practically it should be an oil finish so it doesn't build on the surface. 

   Mineral oil doesn't cure, but is often used.  Sometimes with wax.  Nonetheless it wouldn't be my choice. 

   Not so sure I like the use of oak & mahogany in cutting boards because open pores can harbor food material. 

4. 
   pah51 | Dec 16, 2005 04:27am | #6

   I have used tried and true danish oil. It works and looks great but takes a while to dry.

5. 
   Dave45 | Dec 16, 2005 05:20pm | #7

   I make a few cutting boards every year for Xmas presents for good customers.  I use the scraps from whatever projects I've done over the year and usually buy some "exotic" wood to give them some "pop". 

   I use mineral oil for a finish and also tell the recipients that they're intended more for show (setting out cheese, crackers, etc at a party) than day to day use.

   For "real" cutting boards, I stick to maple with a mineral oil finish.  I like mineral oil because it's readily available and easily applied with a cloth or paper towel.

6. 
   Jay | Dec 16, 2005 07:44pm | #8

   I just put together an oak and maple cutting board (then read all about how you shouldn't use oak, ash, mahogany, etc. - oops. This one will be for raw veggies only I guess).  Anyway, I applied mineral oil and the maple looks great.  The oak looks good too, but I think the open pore structure of the oak allows it to maintain little oil resorvoirs because anytime you wipe the board with the grain it seems to pull out just a slight amount of oil from the oak pieces.  I don't think this will cause a problem in the long run, but I'm definitely going to need to give it a thorough wipe down to pull all that extra oil out of the oak pores.  On the other hand, the maple just wipes on, absorbs, wipes off, and looks great!