On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:07:49 +0100, "Brian G"
wrote:

Staffbull wrote:
Had some lengths of oak worktop and I intend to cut them into chopping
board sizes, they are untreated, what would be the best to seal them
with?


I wouldn't use oak as a chopping board because of the tannic acid it
contains (that's why iron fittings and screws go black when used on it) - I
would suggest that a better material may well be sycamore.

I wouldn't think this will be a problem unless food is left on the
board for a significant length of time - and the more the board is
wiped the less likely any risk of tannins leaching onto the food.
In fact, it might be the case that the tannins make the board
especially resistant to bacteria.

In any event, oak boards are quite common - so I'd guess it's not a
significant issue.

I use beech myself, laminated - but only because a kitchen fitter was
daft enough to check a load of hefty offcuts into a skip as I was
passing.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk