On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 16:56:16 -0600, Frank Boettcher
wrote:


Left long enough fungi and insects will cause it to decay. I still
don't think it will be harmful to humans from contact alone. The
point I was making is that wood kept off the ground is not a good
propogation site for bacteria.

That may be true of wood kept off the ground, but that's not always
the way it is stored. Can't know unless you see the particular case
in point, and a guy buying tools at Walmart is unlikely to be a
high-end craftsman who has put a lot of time into figuring out his
wood storage.

Not a biologist, I simply read several university studies on cutting
board materials and their relative safety from bacteria when I was
making a few cutting boards. I thought the man made materials would
be better. I was wrong based on what I read.

There are acids in the wood that kill bacteria, as I understand it.
However, those woods are properly dried, stored indoors and cleaned
after use. It's not terribly farfetched to think that something like
a pile of maple planks left outdoors could support bacteria if they're
stacked face to face and an animal uses them as a toilet or sleeps on
them. There are sugars in the sap for the bacteria to consume, and
keeping the wood closely stacked can keep the outdoor air from those
faces.