I want to build an end-grain cutting board and I have some bubinga and golcalo alves in my shop that I want to use. I have heard that there are some types of wood that are not recommended to use in a food-related application. Does anyone out there know whether or not these types of wood are acceptable to use in a cutting board?
Regards,
Buzzsaw
“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” Gil Bailie
Replies
In your case I would be more worried (equally worried) about glueing. Oily woods don't tend to glue well
The recommendation is to use TiteBond III which is waterproof...Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Bubinga isn't an oily Rosewood, so you are fine there. Goncalo Alves is a wood which can check and or warp if it doesn't start out really dry. But it too glues very well.
Epoxy is my glue of choice for cutting boards. Epoxy doesn't like high clamping pressure, so make sure the pieces fit well before gluing and only use a moderate pressure to clamp.
Take care, Mike
I think I am going to use TiteBond III which was recommended in Popular Woodworking since it is water resistant.Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
You can use nearly any glue you want. But should it fail from many wet/dry cycles, consider epoxy or Gorilla Glue for your next one.
Gorilla Glue works well, but you must be careful to apply a very thin layer else it can hold the joins open a tad more than wanted. Not a big deal when using woods in the same general tonal ranges like you are doing.
Clean the glue surfaces of at least the Goncalo with denatured alcohol or acetone. Wear gloves or at least minimize contact with skin if using acetone. The cleaning stage for Bubinga isn't important, but it will at least remove any remaining dust from the surfaces. Blowing them off first is a good step.
Have fun. Mike
You can run into problems if you use two woods where the coefficients of expansion/contration are not almost equal. The differing rate of movement as their moisture content changes will tend to open joints. You also need to be sure that the grain orientation is the same on all pieces. In other words, don't glue flatsawn faces to quartersawn faces. Again, wood move rates are different for radial and tangential faces.
Here's an excerpt from and article an making a butcher block but the info is relative for a cutting board too.
There is a little engineering that needs to be considered when building an end grain butcher block. First, choose wood where the growth rings (viewed from the end) run as close to 90 degrees or parallel to one edge. Remember, the expansion/contraction is about double along the annular rings verses perpendicular to the rings. You've got to keep the grain running in the same direction as you glue up your strips. In other words, don't glue a flatsawn edge to a quartersawn edge.
Next, the way butcher blocks are made is to glue up strips of wood like you were making a laminated type cutting board. These laminated panels are then run through a planer to flatten them and bring them to equal thickness. Then the panel is crosscut into strips of blocks equal to the thickness that you want the butcher block to be. These block strips are then glued together again keeping the grain running in the same directions.
Not paying attention to the grain orientation will lead to the block cracking and/or joints being pulled apart.
A type II adhesive will work just fine however, you need to be sure you do everything right to get good adhesion. Your glue faces should be flat and freshly cut. It they were cut more than a few days earlier, freshen them up with about three swipes with 320 sandpaper and block to keep the faces flat.
Howie,
Good advice to glue up only freshly-prepared surfaces, but don't use sandpaper to expose fresh wood fibers. A sandpapered surface is the worst surface for a glue joint. Sandpaper leaves torn fibers which have diminished strength in a glue joint and to which glue adheres poorly.
Use a plane set to a very fine shaving, or a scraper. This action leaves newly-exposed, intact fibers.
Rich
Maple is the only wood I know of that is approved as a cutting board for food contact.
THat is strange because in Popular Woodworking they built a cutting board with Walnut, Maple, and Cherry. Thanks for the info...Regards,
Buzzsaw
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Warning !! Goncola Alves effects some people like cocobola. Not a good thing!!
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Yep, sanding Goncalo can produce dermatitis in some people. Same with Bubinga.
That said, while I am sensitive to some Cocobolos [not all], neither Bubinga nor Goncalo Alves has produced even the mildest reactions in me. It is on a case-by-case basis for those woods--even still, I have never heard of dermatitis using Bubinga. Probably will now, though...
Both are used in products which have prolonged skin contact.
Take care, Mike
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