Oak in a cutting board?

Try any of the closed cell oaks-

-- rob

I made a cutting board from oak many years ago, we used it daily until we remodeled the kitchen. And here I lived to tell about it. Maybe not the best wood for a cutting board, but I wouldn’t be afraid of it

Red oak is porous, white oak is not. Try this experiment-1) rub dish soap on the end grain of a piece of red oak, 2) blow through the other end of the piece-bubbles will form on the soapy end because the red oak fibers are arrange like a bunch of long straws bundled together.
White oak fibers are much more tangled/dense, so the soap bubble test won’t work-ie. the grain is tighter.
Overall, science studies have shown that most hardwoods (including oak) are more anti-bacterial than any manmade material (ie. hard plastic cutting boards)

-- Gerry

It ought to be okay for bread or cheese. I’d personally be leery of cutting meats on it.

-- Go STARS!

Yeah, Socal and Gerrym are right. White oaks have tylosis in the grain which makes it a closed grain. Tyloses give the wood a closed cellular structure, which does not allow water to pass. While the pores are big, the grain is closed. I use beeswax mixed with mineral oil to seal the pores.

-- Childress Woodworks

Good points white oak open poured woods are not for meat and fish.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon