# Best wood for trivet



## sfwoodnovice (Feb 17, 2014)

Hello folks,

I'm wondering if you can help me out. I have an idea to make a nicely designed, almost an artistic, trivet out of wood. Does anyone have a recommendation for the type of wood I should use and if I need a certain type of finish? I am a complete novice so forgive me if this is an elementary question as I know not.

Thanks


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## basswood (Dec 18, 2013)

I've heard Ipe can take the heat… but it can be another matter to get it to take a finish.


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## MisterBill (Mar 27, 2012)

The idea of a trivet is supposed to be that you put something hot on it instead of on your countertop. In other words, it is a sacrificial object. Use whatever you have on hand and don't look back.


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## sfwoodnovice (Feb 17, 2014)

Basswood,

Thanks for the input. I'll research ipe wood and see if it's feasible.

MisterBill,

Yes, there is a sacrifice component to a trivet but I would like to find a material that won't burn or tarnish. There has to be some sort of wood that can withstand contact with a hot object without burning or leaving a last mark, right?

Thanks


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## MisterBill (Mar 27, 2012)

SF,

Try to use the darkest and hardest/densest wood that you can find. Brazilian Cherry isn't the darkest but it definitely hard and dense.


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## Net55 (Jan 20, 2014)

Oil based finishes hold up better to heat. All wood will burn, go with dark hard wood when in doubt. I did some a few years ago out of tiete rosewood, not a mark on them.


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## Ingjr (Feb 21, 2010)

I've had a couple of walnut trivets I made years ago that look as new. I use MS, Poly, BLO in 1/3 quantities for a finish. As I almost always do.


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## Biggrhammr (Apr 16, 2019)

I'm doing a related project: hanging silver/pewter platters of various sizes on a wall (think high end hubcap display) using homemade French cleats while affixing "feet" or pads to the bottom of the platters. My issues are: wood that can handle warming in an oven & how to glue the cleat/feet to the platters considering heat. 
See prototype photo…
Maple + super glue on glass. 
Thoughts?


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

You are too worried about materials. I have made and sold dozens of trivets using a CNC router. I use mostly maple, cherry or walnut for aesthetic reasons rather than heat resistance. They all work fine. I finish them with solvent based polyurethane because it holds up better than lacquer or any water based finish i have tried. I have attached a few of our designs below. Some of these have been in continuous use at my home for over 3 years now and show no signs of heat damage.


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## Biggrhammr (Apr 16, 2019)

Gotcha. My concern here is mainly the adhesive v heat between wood & pewter. Rather esoteric. Thanks for the input!


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## Biggrhammr (Apr 16, 2019)

Simply put, the owners of these things would like to be able to put them in an oven for warming & still hang them on a wall , expecting that the wood/glue/metal bond won't fail.


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

Your requirements are so unusual that I doubt if very many people would have had any experience at all. I am afraid you are going to have to experiment and determine the answers for yourself. At the very least, you should start by using high temperature epoxy rather than PVA (Titebond, Elmer's) or polyurethane (Gorilla) type glues. There is such a thing as thermally modified wood which might serve your needs. Here is a Wikipedia link that explains the process.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermally_modified_wood

I saw some slabs of thermally modified wood for sale at an import shop. I can't remember the species. It was an exotic wood from some Central American country. It was quite attractive and reminded me of Brazillian cherry.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

There are some heat resistant glues, and perhaps some suitable for joining metal and wood but the metal and wood will expand and contract at very different rates which may cause even those types of bonds to fail with such a wide temperature range. I would probably go with a mechanical connection (screws) using oversized holes to allow for expansion differences. I have also heard that ipe has a higher flash point than most woods. I would probably experiment by sticking some pieces of different woods into the oven at about 475-500 degrees for at least 30 minutes to see how the wood holds up. This is close to the flash point of oak for example so you will see if it is going to start to burn. In any event, you probably want to heat the wood before assembly to get all of the moisture and volatile compounds out of the wood prior to assembly. You might need to repeat the heating and cooling process several times. For this application, I probably would not apply a finish to the wood.

BTW, the wood feet coming out of the oven will still be hot enough to damage a surface so may need a cool base to sit this on.


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## jonah (May 15, 2009)

Why would they want to put them in the oven?

They're not likely to have enough thermal mass to really keep anything warm for any appreciable amount of time.

If they want to keep stuff warm at the table, look into more active solutions like chafing dishes and such.

Trivets are meant to protect a table from hot pots, pans, or dishes. A 400-degree dish won't burn hardwood.


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## theart (Nov 18, 2016)

> I'm doing a related project: hanging silver/pewter platters of various sizes on a wall (think high end hubcap display) using homemade French cleats while affixing "feet" or pads to the bottom of the platters. My issues are: wood that can handle warming in an oven & how to glue the cleat/feet to the platters considering heat.
> See prototype photo…
> Maple + super glue on glass.
> Thoughts?
> ...


I wouldn't glue that. It would be better to solder some threaded brass rods to the pewter and use nuts/washers in counterbores to hold the wood on.


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## Biggrhammr (Apr 16, 2019)

Thanks all for the feedback! Very useful.


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## Biggrhammr (Apr 16, 2019)

This could go full on Rube Goldberg…


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## Dboog74 (Apr 17, 2021)

> I ve had a couple of walnut trivets I made years ago that look as new. I use MS, Poly, BLO in 1/3 quantities for a finish. As I almost always do.
> 
> - Ingjr


 I am completely new to woodworking and starting out with small items. Could you please tell me what the products you are referencing for your finish? TYIA


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## brtech (May 26, 2010)

MS = Mineral Spirits
Poly = Polyurethane. Minwax Polyurethane is easy to find
BLO= Boiled Linseed Oil You will find this on the same bay as Mineral Spirits


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## brtech (May 26, 2010)

Oh, one more thing = there is water based poly and oil based poly. When you are mixing with Mineral Spirits and BLO, you want the oil based poly.


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## Dboog74 (Apr 17, 2021)

> MS = Mineral Spirits
> Poly = Polyurethane. Minwax Polyurethane is easy to find
> BLO= Boiled Linseed Oil You will find this on the same bay as Mineral Spirits
> 
> - brtech


Thank you SO much. This is a bit of a challenging hobby
for a 67 yr. old grandmother to begin. But I am giving a good try!!!


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## MisterZ (Apr 23, 2021)

i have never had good luck with wood trivets and have successfully used Corian. Am interested in the suggestions here so maybe I will try some.


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## Foghorn (Jan 30, 2020)

> i have never had good luck with wood trivets and have successfully used Corian. Am interested in the suggestions here so maybe I will try some.
> 
> - MisterZ


Ours are enameled cast iron. They work great!


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