Cheese Board / Cutting Board

Tom, great job. You may want to consider Walnut oil as well. It leaves a beautiful finish as well.

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

Greg,

Thanks a lot. I’ll be honest, I’ve never even seen it anywhere. Where would you get walnut oil?

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I get mine from WoodCraft. It costs about 10.00 a bottle and I’ve done, 8 cutting boards and 4 of the maple dough boards (each about the size of 4 cutting boards)

-- Greg - Charles Town, WV

Hi Tom;

I recall getting a bottle of walnut oil for a particular project, but for the life of me I can’t remember what that project was. The mostly full bottle is still sitting in the shop.

It really bothers me not remembering what it was that required we get the oil!

Nice project.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

Thanks for the info on the walnut oil Greg.

What size do you make the doughboards? Might want to make a few of those too ;^D

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Lee, Thanks for the gracious comment.

If I ever get up your way, I’d love to stop by and see you and your shop!

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Nice cutting board Tom. I like the handle. My wife said that I need to make some with a handle. I’ve always like maple and walnut together. I’m going to have to try out the walnut oil. I’ve seen it at the store before. Mineral Oil has done a great job in the past, but there is no shine at all on the cutting board.

-- Greg Mitchell--Lowell, AR--gdamitchell@sbcglobal.net

Greg M.,

Actually this one is finished with wiping varnish. As I posted above, it has been said to be a better finish in that it seals the board better against bacteria, and it lasts longer, and looks better. Then when it gets a few knife marks in it, you can apply some food grade mineral oil to touch it up. It sounded like a good plan to me.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Tom, I love the contrast of the maple next to the walnut. I made some cutting boards earlier this year for Mother’s Day with the same combination. I read somewhere that walnut isn’t a good wood for cutting boards, because it can be toxic in contact with food. Have you heard that anywhere? I ended up just putting a piece on the outside of my boards, where I figured there would be minimal food contact.

Nice looking boards, regardless. I have to agree with what Greg said above, the handle is a great feature to have, especially on a small board.

-- Robb

Robb,

Thanks for the encouraging words!

What I have read in regard to the walnut oil is that if you’re going to make them and sell them, it would be better to avoid walnut oil because some people are allegic to nuts. That’s why they don’t give them out on airplanes any more. So, to be on the safe side, use something other than that, so you won’t end up with a lawsuit.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Tom, this subject came up previously here. I looked then and again today for an article I have that proposed that the best finish for cutting/chopping boards and salad bowls and utensils was no finish at all.

The article was the published results of of a scientific study comparing raw wood against the commonly used white Phenolic Sheets. Raw wood came out much superior. In fact, some species of wood had an anti-bacterial property.

Tom, in my experience with having made many cutting boards, the problem with using any kind of ‘poly finish’ is that it’s subject to being cut through with sharp knives. This leaves hairline fissures that are hard to pick up with the eye. It’s these fissures that allow water and food to soak under the poly surface and grow mold. It’s a perfect environment for mold – damp and warm. When the mold grows, this can be seen because the fissures then reveal themselves in the form of dark lines. Too late!

If you want the grain to jump out for presentation purposes – use pure mineral oil. It is food safe and non-allergenic.

I like the desing of your board, by the way – nice work!

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

OK, Don. It seems like you’ve researched this thing out pretty well. I just picked up some food grade mineral oil yesterday, which I will make the preferred finish on my boards in the future. I do like to put “something” on them, as it really does give it a nicer looking appearance. After the recipients of these boards receive them, they can do what they want as far as putting anything on them, but at least it will look nice for the initial presentation.

Thanks a lot for giving us some good information on this subject.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Boy,Tom, that’s a good idea. I just did one for Carleen and I coated it with olive oil, two coats. I also learned that it’s a good idea to raise the grain with water and sand it off. The first thing she did(of course) was give the darn thing a good washing with predictable results. So it was back to the shop and sand and more oil. Now it’s doing ok. I used the olive oil because it is what we use to oil new leather like saddles. (It was There)

-- Thos. Angle, Owyhee Design, Oregon

Tom,

Yes, olive oil would be a great finish, since it is obviously “food safe.”

Glad Carleen liked it. Like I said in a previous post “You can always find someone who will let you make a cutting board for them.” And, they a fun to make and don’t take months to finish.

Thanks for the tip on raising the grain before applying the finish!

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Nice work Tom. I like the handle on it.

I have read that using olive oil, salad oil, etc is not the best thing for cutting boards as it can get rancid with age. I suppose it depends on how long between uses the cutting board goes, and how much it is washed. You could end up scrubbing off the oil in a single washing I guess.

One thing to tell them is do not put the cutting board through the dishwasher. Too much water, too much heat, and the board will end up cracking and breaking. It is best to wash them by hand.

-- Bill, Turlock California, http://www.brookswoodworks.com

Bill,

Thanks Bill!

That is good advice – wash by hand – no dishwasher or high heat. My wife has a board that I made her over 20 years ago, and it’s still going strong. But, she washes it by hand.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

a hand-hold is a great addition to a cutting board.

Lots of discussion on the finishes…. so what is our final decision?

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

THE FINAL DECISION IS:

• The Wood Whisper – Wipe on varnish (salad bowl finish)
• Greg3g – Walnut oil
• Tom Angle – Olive oil
• Don – no finish or pure mineral oil
  ————————————————————————-
  Final decision = Food grade mineral oil to bring out the beauty of the wood for the initial presentation of the board to its recipient.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Let’s throw one more opinion into the mix on the question of Cutting Board Finishes.

I just came from a store where they sell cutting boards, and on the back of one of these commercially made boards it said to treat it periodically with either Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil.

So there you have it.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

Ah yes one of my favorite combos Walnut and Maple:) great thread Tom!!! There’s some dang good info in here, (as usual)

-- http://rjoneswoodworks.com/

RJ,

Thanks!

Likewise, there is some great stuff on your website – we appreciate your efforts!

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

re: finishes
And now we know! :)

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

I’ve made them since high school, cutting boards, and have been told by many to use mineral oil and use it often. It’s cheap, easy to use and won’t kill you. Nice board Tomfran jockmike

-- Mike. Profisher50@yahoo.com

Thanks a lot Mike!

I agree; mineral oil seems like the most recommended finish for them.

I made my wife a board (with maple and black walnut) some 20 years ago. Every so often, I bring it out to the shop and plane the knife marks off of it, and then reapply the oil. It ends up a few thousands thinner, but just like a new board. And, her’s isn’t even an “end grain” cutting board. Even a “long grain” cutting board will last most people a lifetime with a little care.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

I’m slowly working through a few back numbers and this caught my eye. A good honest straightforward design; eyecatching and practical. Plus a full debate on finishes. Thank you!

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business.

Stewart,

Thanks for the compliment on my board. It’s not much compared to your great stuff, but I have fun with it, and with the help of the jocks here, I might even get better at it (woodwork).

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28