"Old Nick" wrote in message
...
On 5 Jan 2005 05:44:24 -0800, "Chris Nail"
vaguely proposed a theory
......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

I want to build a butcher block table
types of wood to ignore?
Thanks in advance,

hemlock, oleander.

I am glad you thanked me in advance..........

Except, of course, the hemlock you refer to is an herb, not a tree.

Best possible answer is to avoid those woods which are rich in extractives.
You can search for "toxic woods," avoiding any which are listed as a
sensitizer, but the rule of nose - if it's sharp-smelling, forget it, and
the rule of color - if it can be extracted by boiling, forget it. Should be
pretty good.

Or you could use what everybody else does - beech, birch, maple.

Eastern Hemlock's a tanbark tree with a bad odor, so you wouldn't want to
use it.