[Sasha]

After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

[Doug Miller]

In article , Sasha wrote:
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

[Robatoy[_2_]]

On May 4, 9:02*am, Sasha wrote:
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

Is this a cutting board for 'work' or 'looks'?
If it is for work, a slab of polyethelene is the best choice. Won't
hurt your knives and is food safe.
Wooden boards need to be looked after with more care and make sure you
use food-safe adhesives and finishes. That also means NEVER to use
peanut oil to finish your board.

[Leon]

"Sasha" wrote in message
...
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.


Good advice given but for best results don't let it stay wet, rinse it and
either immediately dry it off or stand it up on edge so the water will run
off.

[dpb]

Leon wrote:
....
Good advice given but for best results don't let it stay wet, rinse it and
either immediately dry it off or stand it up on edge so the water will run
off.

And _never_ put it in a dishwasher -- that's probably what killed the
others if were to venture a guess.

--

[Derek Lyons]

(Doug Miller) wrote:

In article , Sasha wrote:
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

No, the first consideration for cutting board glues is whether or not
it is safe to use in contact with food. I can find no cite that the
glue above is FDA approved.

The glue most often reccomened is Titebond -II or -III.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

[Doug Miller]

In article , (Derek Lyons) wrote:
(Doug Miller) wrote:

In article
, Sasha
wrote:
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

No, the first consideration for cutting board glues is whether or not
it is safe to use in contact with food. I can find no cite that the
glue above is FDA approved.

I guess you should have looked a little harder. The technical bulletin listed
at the manufacturer's web site specifically recommends it for use in cutting
boards.

http://www.dap.com/docs/tech/00030201.pdf

The glue most often reccomened is Titebond -II or -III.

Depends on who's doing the recommending...

[dadiOH[_3_]]

Sasha wrote:
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

Cutting board or chopping board (block)?

I have each. One cutting board of maple no more than 3/4" thick (maybe
less) about 12" x 18"; one of hickory that is bigger and about 1" thick; one
chopping board/block of hickory about 1 1/2" thick by 7" x 7". Chopping
boards are meant for whacking as well as slicing, cutting boards for
slicing.

All are glued up with type 2 yellow glue. All are finished with boiled
linseed oil.

The smaller maple board is made of three boards edge glued. One side has a
"blood groove" routed out near the perimeter with a 1/2" core box bit, other
side is smooth. It stays on a counter standing up where it is handy for
slicing bread, etc. It was made at least 16 years ago.

The hickory board is made from numerous 1" x 1" strips. It lives on a slide
under the counter top over the trash bag so trimmings can just be pushed off
into the trash. It can easily be lifted out and put on the counter. It was
made 8-9 years ago. Double sided just like the smaller maple one.

The hickory block has end grain as the cutting surface. It was made by
gluing up seven or eight 1" x1" strips of hickory, each 24" long. I made
three of those then cross cut them into 1 1/2" pieces and glued those pieces
together. Extra was used to turn four small feet so it stands maybe 1-2"
above the counter where it lives...handy for slicing an onion or tomato,
whacking or trimming a chop. It too was made 8-9 years ago; in fact, I made
15 of them as gifts. Mine is still in first rate shape, presume the others
are as well.

Someone mentioned using polyethelene...not a bad choice at all but the
consensus is that wood harbors the least bacteria. Its prettier too

The wood boards really don't need a finish but I use BLO anyway just to make
them pretty. Yes, it wears off. Food safe? Yes when dry. Type 2 glue
food safe? Don't know but I sure wouldn't worry about it being so...neither
the glue nor the BLO are going to be sucked into whatever you cut.

As far as splitting goes, if the wood is seasoned when you use it and the
glue surfaces are straight and smooth it isn't going to split. To clean,
rinse and dry. Use a bit of soap THEN rinse and dry if need be. No
dishwasher though.


dadiOH

[RicodJour]

On May 4, 9:21*am, Robatoy wrote:

Wooden boards need to be looked after with more care and make sure you
use food-safe adhesives and finishes. That also means NEVER to use
peanut oil to finish your board.

There was an interesting segment on (I think) America's Test Kitchen
about wood vs. plastic cutting boards. They took swab samples from
both types of cutting boards and put them into Petri culture dishes
and watched what grew. They took samples from boards that were washed
different ways, brand new boards, and boards that were cleaned and
stored for a few days. All of the boards showed that there was
bacteria living on the boards - including the brand new ones.

The interesting part was that the wood boards that were cleaned and
put away for a while had their bacteria populations actually
decrease. Something in the wood was fighting the bacteria, and
they're not sure what it is.

The plastic boards are almost self-healing and that's a two-edged
sword. It keeps the surface essentially intact for longer, but the
cuts close up around whatever you were cutting and the closed semi-
healed cuts protect the bacteria from the washing.

Wood boards do need to be handled a bit more carefully, but I think
it's a very worthwhile trade off.

R

[Larry Blanchard]

On Mon, 04 May 2009 11:25:25 -0400, dadiOH wrote:

The wood boards really don't need a finish but I use BLO anyway just to
make them pretty. Yes, it wears off. Food safe? Yes when dry.

Tried & True makes a polymerized linseed oil with no driers. Completely
non-toxic. A chemist I know says he wouldn't trust the "safe when dry"
finishes if they were to come in contact with acidic foods, such as
tomatoes. I don't know if he's right or not, but with non-toxic finishes
out there, why take the chance?

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

[SonomaProducts.com]

Yes use Maple. You want Hard Maple or Sugar Maple. Assuming you buy
boards that are surfaced flat, rip them to a width about 1/8" wider
than the thickness of board you want. Using different thickness boards
can add visual interest by making different width strips. If the rips
are clean enough then just flip them on edge and do a glue up using
Titebond II. Titebond III is a little more water secure but is the
wrong color for Maple. Make sure each board fits tight along its
entire length. If the rips are not super clean, then joint the ripped
faces. If you have any gaps, then joint them away.You may need to rip
a little wider to account for thickness loss of jointer. You want the
cutting face to be the edges of the boards.

Assuming you are going 1 to 1 1/2" thick, only glue up about 4 or 5
strips at a time to be sure you get good clamping pressure. Make as
many of the sub slabs as you need for the final board size. Flatten
the slabs in a wide sander or with a belt sander or other method. Hard
Maple will chip if you try to machine plane it but you could hand
plane if you are good.

Glue the slabs together into one final board. Flatten, dimension,
shape the edges as desired and sand out to 150.

Soak with mineral oil once a day for a week, onece a week for a month
and once a month for a year. This will yellow the wood significantly
but more importantly, the oil fills all the voids where the enemy
"Water" would like to go. It aslo keeps out other food oils that can
go rancid.

After using, rinse with hot water, dry with a towel and stand on edge
until dry. If occasionally you want to disinfect it, a 10% solution of
vinegar in warm water will do the trick, dry as stated before.

Never soak it in water. If you use Boiled Linseed Oil as suggested or
any other oil BE SURE it is pure and does not have any "Dries" in it.
These are heavy metal and very toxic. You can get mineral oil at
culinary shops or at the pharmacy. Some people suggest other fod oils
and generally they can go rancid so they are not suggested although it
seems that maybe walnut oil works, even though walnust themselves go
rancid quite easily but it is in pretty wide use in Europe. I prefer
mineral oil.

Finally, if it ever splits along a glue line (it can happen), just let
it dry for a week or two, rip it down that glueline and re-glue it.


On May 4, 6:02*am, Sasha wrote:
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

[Lew Hodgett[_5_]]

Sasha wrote:
................................................. .
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own.
................................................. ..
Sounds like too many trips thru the dishwasher to me.
................................................. .......

"Robatoy" wrote:
................................................. .....
Is this a cutting board for 'work' or 'looks'?
If it is for work, a slab of polyethelene is the best choice. Won't
hurt your knives and is food safe.
Wooden boards need to be looked after with more care and make sure you
use food-safe adhesives and finishes. That also means NEVER to use
peanut oil to finish your board.
................................................. ...........

Not sure if it is polyethylene or polypropylene that is FDA approved,
but without a doubt, plastic is for dough and wood is for show, to
paraphrase the golf metaphor.

A 3M scrub pad, some soap and hot water is all that is needed to keep
things sterile.

I probably wash and scrub mine 5-6 times while doing the prep for a
meal.

Am paranoid about immediate cleaning board after cutting meats,
especially chicken.

You want to be anal about it, scrub board then pour some household
bleach over all surfaces and let air dry.

The "poly" slab I'm using now is at least 25 years old and can
probably last at least another 25.

If I want a board for show, wood it will be.

If I want a board for dough, poly is for me.

YMMV

Lew

[Derek Lyons]

(Doug Miller) wrote:

In article , (Derek Lyons) wrote:
(Doug Miller) wrote:

In article
, Sasha
wrote:
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

No, the first consideration for cutting board glues is whether or not
it is safe to use in contact with food. I can find no cite that the
glue above is FDA approved.

I guess you should have looked a little harder. The technical bulletin listed
at the manufacturer's web site specifically recommends it for use in cutting
boards.


http://www.dap.com/docs/tech/00030201.pdf

If there is a cite for FDA approval in the bulletin, I can't find it.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

http://derekl1963.livejournal.com/

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

[RicodJour]

On May 4, 11:18*am, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article , (Derek Lyons) wrote:
(Doug Miller) wrote:

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

No, the first consideration for cutting board glues is whether or not
it is safe to use in contact with food. *I can find no cite that the
glue above is FDA approved.

I guess you should have looked a little harder. The technical bulletin listed
at the manufacturer's web site specifically recommends it for use in cutting
boards.

http://www.dap.com/docs/tech/00030201.pdf

The glue most often reccomened is Titebond -II or -III.

Depends on who's doing the recommending...

As the guy who would be building the board, and my family and friends
the one eating off of it, I'd be less than thrilled to read these
words in the DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue MSDS:

EFFECTS OF OVEREXPOSURE - INGESTION: May cause stomach and intestinal
irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, weakness, and headache.
Ingestion of over 1 gram/day of barium chloride (25 grams/day of
product) may raise blood pressure and affect heart action.

The amount is someone would ingest from a cutting board would be
minimal, but still, let's look for a safer alternative.

Gorilla Glue:
Ingestion Product is not intended to be ingested or eaten.If this
product is ingested,severe irritation of the gastrointestinal tract
may occur,and should be treated symptomatically. Do not induce the
patient or animal to vomit.Call a doctor,ambulance or seek
veterinarian assistance immediately.

The word severe scares me. Keep looking.

Titebond II:
INGESTION: No hazard expected in normal industrial use. Ingestion is
not a likely route of exposure.

Hmmm. I guess Titebond is weaseling around on this one. I cook meals
for small groups and the use of the product in a cutting board does
make the exposure route much more likely. Keep looking.

Maybe the new and improved Titebond III?
Nope. The most weaselly MSDS of them all. It states that ingestion
is a route of entry, and that you should contact a poison control
center immediately, but it has no information about the effects. It's
also interesting to see that they put NO to skin contact as a route of
entry, but it says it can cause skin irritation. From their promo
literature we have this gem: "FDA approved for indirect food contact"
What does that mean

Franklin's Hide Glue:
INGESTION: Single dose oral toxicity is considered to be extremely
low. No hazards expected from swallowing small amounts incidental to
normal handling operations. Ingestion may cause gastrointestinal
irritation.

If this is starting to make you nervous, take heart, the cutting board
you are using now probably came from China where they're using the new
lead-based glue-extender.

And there's hope:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1014193722.htm

I ran across a number of places where a particular glue was listed as
either non-toxic...or maybe not. This site
http://askville.amazon.com/wood-glue...questId=790353
gave the plastic resin glue (urea formaldehyde) a non-toxic in its
cured state rating. I think I'll take that and call it good and worry
about some other stuff that will kill me.

R

[SonomaProducts.com]

From the Titebond site regarding Titebond II

"is FDA approved for indirect food contact (cutting boards)"

http://www.titebond.com/IntroPageTB....ne=2?prodcat=1

Like many substances, once they cure, they are pretty safe.


On May 4, 3:44*pm, RicodJour wrote:
On May 4, 11:18*am, (Doug Miller) wrote:





In article , (Derek Lyons) wrote:
(Doug Miller) wrote:

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

No, the first consideration for cutting board glues is whether or not
it is safe to use in contact with food. *I can find no cite that the
glue above is FDA approved.

I guess you should have looked a little harder. The technical bulletin listed
at the manufacturer's web site specifically recommends it for use in cutting
boards.

http://www.dap.com/docs/tech/00030201.pdf

The glue most often reccomened is Titebond -II or -III.

Depends on who's doing the recommending...

As the guy who would be building the board, and my family and friends
the one eating off of it, I'd be less than thrilled to read these
words in the DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue MSDS:

EFFECTS OF OVEREXPOSURE - INGESTION: *May cause stomach and intestinal
irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, weakness, and headache.
Ingestion of over 1 gram/day of barium chloride (25 grams/day of
product) may raise blood pressure and affect heart action.

The amount is someone would ingest from a cutting board would be
minimal, but still, let's look for a safer alternative.

Gorilla Glue:
Ingestion Product is not intended to be ingested or eaten.If this
product is ingested,severe irritation of the gastrointestinal tract
may occur,and should be treated symptomatically. Do not induce the
patient or animal to vomit.Call a doctor,ambulance or seek
veterinarian assistance immediately.

The word severe scares me. *Keep looking.

Titebond II:
INGESTION: No hazard expected in normal industrial use. *Ingestion is
not a likely route of exposure.

Hmmm. *I guess Titebond is weaseling around on this one. *I cook meals
for small groups and the use of the product in a cutting board does
make the exposure route much more likely. *Keep looking.

Maybe the new and improved Titebond III?
Nope. *The most weaselly MSDS of them all. *It states that ingestion
is a route of entry, and that you should contact a poison control
center immediately, but it has no information about the effects. *It's
also interesting to see that they put NO to skin contact as a route of
entry, but it says it can cause skin irritation. *From their promo
literature we have this gem: "FDA approved for indirect food contact"
What does that mean

Franklin's Hide Glue:
INGESTION: Single dose oral toxicity is considered to be extremely
low. *No hazards expected from swallowing small amounts incidental to
normal handling operations. *Ingestion may cause gastrointestinal
irritation.

If this is starting to make you nervous, take heart, the cutting board
you are using now probably came from China where they're using the new
lead-based glue-extender.

And there's hope:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1014193722.htm

I ran across a number of places where a particular glue was listed as
either non-toxic...or maybe not. *This sitehttp://askville.amazon.com/wood-glue-diferent/AnswerViewer.do?request...
gave the plastic resin glue (urea formaldehyde) a non-toxic in its
cured state rating. *I think I'll take that and call it good and worry
about some other stuff that will kill me.

R- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

[RicodJour]

On May 4, 7:00*pm, "SonomaProducts.com" wrote:
From the Titebond site regarding Titebond II

"is FDA approved for indirect food contact (cutting boards)"

I know my knife skills are limited, but I can't quite figure out how
they expect you to get the food to hover above the cutting board while
you cut it.

Like many substances, once they cure, they are pretty safe.

Right. And it's not like you're eating a handful of sawdust with each
meal.

R

[[email protected]]

General consensus is to use a tight grain wood that will not promote
collection of food particles and oil in the ports. This would mean
that Oak and similar woods are out. Maple, cherry and similar woods
are in. Use a good water resistant glue. Also, if you are gluing up
slabs, jig up your drill press to allow a couple of dowels to be
driven through matching holes near each end (and center with larger
boards). I helped our son make a cutting board using dowel
reinforcement 15 to 18 years ago and it is still going strong. There
are lots of cutting board finishes available, but a couple of coats of
mineral oil every 6 months or so renews the look and provides a good
food-friendly finish. I have even given older boards a light pass
through the surface planer to clean up cuts and gougers.

The board the son and I made was laminated from several hardwoods
including Walnut, Cherry, and evil woods like Oak and Ash. Mom's
been using it for years and we are still alive; but thorough cleaning
and sealing are good.

RonB

[Doug Miller]

In article , (Derek Lyons) wrote:
(Doug Miller) wrote:

In article ,
(Derek Lyons) wrote:
(Doug Miller) wrote:

In article
, Sasha
wrote:
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

No, the first consideration for cutting board glues is whether or not
it is safe to use in contact with food. I can find no cite that the
glue above is FDA approved.

I guess you should have looked a little harder. The technical bulletin listed
at the manufacturer's web site specifically recommends it for use in cutting
boards.


http://www.dap.com/docs/tech/00030201.pdf

If there is a cite for FDA approval in the bulletin, I can't find it.

One would assume that the manufacturer would not recomment the product for
unapproved uses...

[Doug Miller]

In article , RicodJour wrote:
On May 4, 11:18=A0am, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article , =
(Derek Lyons) wrote:
(Doug Miller) wrote:

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde gl=
ue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

No, the first consideration for cutting board glues is whether or not
it is safe to use in contact with food. =A0I can find no cite that the
glue above is FDA approved.

I guess you should have looked a little harder. The technical bulletin li=
sted
at the manufacturer's web site specifically recommends it for use in cutt=
ing
boards.

http://www.dap.com/docs/tech/00030201.pdf

The glue most often reccomened is Titebond -II or -III.

Depends on who's doing the recommending...

As the guy who would be building the board, and my family and friends
the one eating off of it, I'd be less than thrilled to read these
words in the DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue MSDS:

EFFECTS OF OVEREXPOSURE - INGESTION: May cause stomach and intestinal
irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, weakness, and headache.
Ingestion of over 1 gram/day of barium chloride (25 grams/day of
product) may raise blood pressure and affect heart action.

That's referring to the *unmixed* *uncured* glue. Once mixed and cured, the
stuff is insoluble in water.

[snip]
This site
http://askville.amazon.com/wood-glue...requestId=3D7=
90353
gave the plastic resin glue (urea formaldehyde) a non-toxic in its
cured state rating. I think I'll take that and call it good and worry
about some other stuff that will kill me.

Like I said...

[[email protected]]

On Mon, 04 May 2009 13:14:34 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , Sasha wrote:
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.
Use "quater sawn" maple. Drill through the full width of the board
and insert staimless steel "tension members, nutted tightly with the
ends of the holes filled with dowels. You could also use some T88
epoxy or equivalent on the joints between the bords if you want "belt
and suspenders"
Finish with vegetable oil

[Martin H. Eastburn]

Best to finish in Mineral oil. Buy it at the pharmacy. Vege might
depending on the brand go rancid or otherwise bad.

Martin

wrote:
On Mon, 04 May 2009 13:14:34 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , Sasha wrote:
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.
Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.
Use "quater sawn" maple. Drill through the full width of the board
and insert staimless steel "tension members, nutted tightly with the
ends of the holes filled with dowels. You could also use some T88
epoxy or equivalent on the joints between the bords if you want "belt
and suspenders"
Finish with vegetable oil

[Martin H. Eastburn]

Grand father-in-law - was a butcher in his later life. He always cleaned
his block table Ammonia. He also poured it on his cuts and had several
finger tips slightly askew - being affixed again with Ammonia killing germs.

Martin

RicodJour wrote:
On May 4, 9:21 am, Robatoy wrote:
Wooden boards need to be looked after with more care and make sure you
use food-safe adhesives and finishes. That also means NEVER to use
peanut oil to finish your board.

There was an interesting segment on (I think) America's Test Kitchen
about wood vs. plastic cutting boards. They took swab samples from
both types of cutting boards and put them into Petri culture dishes
and watched what grew. They took samples from boards that were washed
different ways, brand new boards, and boards that were cleaned and
stored for a few days. All of the boards showed that there was
bacteria living on the boards - including the brand new ones.

The interesting part was that the wood boards that were cleaned and
put away for a while had their bacteria populations actually
decrease. Something in the wood was fighting the bacteria, and
they're not sure what it is.

The plastic boards are almost self-healing and that's a two-edged
sword. It keeps the surface essentially intact for longer, but the
cuts close up around whatever you were cutting and the closed semi-
healed cuts protect the bacteria from the washing.

Wood boards do need to be handled a bit more carefully, but I think
it's a very worthwhile trade off.

R

[notbob]

On 2009-05-05, Martin H. Eastburn wrote:
Best to finish in Mineral oil.

I disagree. I know more about cooking than woodworking. Yes,
traditionally, butcher blocks are treated with Mineral oil. Do you want to
use a "petroleum" product around your food? I don't.

I never used any oil on my 10"X10" cutting board for 12 yrs! Yes, it
finally split and I discarded it. Hey!! That's 12 yrs. I think I can
afford it. You wanna invest in a 3'x3'x3' butcher block, ok. Use some
mineral oil, if you want. I'm not putting Shell oil in my bod. Jes my
opinion.

nb

[Ed Pawlowski]

"notbob" wrote in message
...
On 2009-05-05, Martin H. Eastburn wrote:
Best to finish in Mineral oil.

I disagree. I know more about cooking than woodworking. Yes,
traditionally, butcher blocks are treated with Mineral oil. Do you want
to
use a "petroleum" product around your food? I don't.

I never used any oil on my 10"X10" cutting board for 12 yrs! Yes, it
finally split and I discarded it. Hey!! That's 12 yrs. I think I can
afford it. You wanna invest in a 3'x3'x3' butcher block, ok. Use some
mineral oil, if you want. I'm not putting Shell oil in my bod. Jes my
opinion.

nb

Pharmaceutical grade, it is even used as a laxative. Perfectly safe.

[notbob]

On 2009-05-05, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

Pharmaceutical grade, it is even used as a laxative. Perfectly safe.

As a person who suffered surgery grade hemorroids at the age of 22, I'll
debate "Perfectly safe" all day long. There are definite downsides to
ingesting any "laxitive", but especially a ....again I say!....
PETROLEUM-based one.

I would be more than willing to talk about and give advice on a subject that
was the bane of my life for almost ten years. I've not suffered 'em since
and can speak with some authority on how and why they are no longer an
issue. I would be more than happy to help anyone avoid suffering the same
grief I did. Kinda blunt and crass, I know, but if you've been so plagued,
screw politeness. Knowledge rocks!! I'll share.


nb --- notbob at q dot com

[Rick Samuel[_2_]]

"Sasha" wrote in message
...
After having a doizen or so comercial cutting boards split and thrown
into trash I want to make my own. Can someone give me guidance how to
make it so it won't split, how to finish it, if it at all, etc. Most
important for me is it shoiuld be very durable as I don't want to make
it every month. I plan using maple to make it.

One question not asked, why do your boards fail? SWMBO boards are 30 yo or
better.

[Lew Hodgett[_5_]]

"Rick Samuel" wrote:

One question not asked, why do your boards fail?

What do you want to bet there is a dishwasher involved?

Lew

[SonomaProducts.com]

Unless you live the Amish life, you are eating mineral oil everyday.
It is sprayed on rice to stop dust, gel caps for pills are made from
it, hundreds of foods use it in their coatings. And it is available in
the pharmacy to be used as a stool softner taken straight.

It is one of the many amazing refined items we get from oil. It is
closest in structure to wax and in the industry is actually called
parifin oil in the trades.

On May 4, 8:05*pm, notbob wrote:
On 2009-05-05, Martin H. Eastburn wrote:

Best to finish in Mineral oil. *

I disagree. *I know more about cooking than woodworking. *Yes,
traditionally, butcher blocks are treated with Mineral oil. *Do you want to
use a "petroleum" product around your food? *I don't.

I never used any oil on my 10"X10" cutting board for 12 yrs! *Yes, it
finally split and I discarded it. *Hey!! *That's 12 yrs. *I think I can
afford it. *You wanna invest in a 3'x3'x3' butcher block, ok. *Use some
mineral oil, if you want. *I'm not putting Shell oil in my bod. *Jes my
opinion. *

nb

[SonomaProducts.com]

On May 4, 10:27*pm, "Lew Hodgett" wrote:
"Rick Samuel" wrote:
One question not asked, why do your boards fail?

What do you want to bet there is a dishwasher involved?

Lew

And even then it is the heat of the diswasher, not the water that
degrades the glue.

[Ed Pawlowski]

"notbob" wrote in message
...
On 2009-05-05, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

Pharmaceutical grade, it is even used as a laxative. Perfectly safe.

As a person who suffered surgery grade hemorroids at the age of 22, I'll
debate "Perfectly safe" all day long. There are definite downsides to
ingesting any "laxitive", but especially a ....again I say!....
PETROLEUM-based one.

I would be more than willing to talk about and give advice on a subject
that
was the bane of my life for almost ten years. I've not suffered 'em since
and can speak with some authority on how and why they are no longer an
issue. I would be more than happy to help anyone avoid suffering the same
grief I did. Kinda blunt and crass, I know, but if you've been so
plagued,
screw politeness. Knowledge rocks!! I'll share.


nb --- notbob at q dot com

I don't doubt you had problems, but you are one in a million or a billion or
a bazillion. The rest of us don't have the same reaction from trace amounts
that a cutting board may give.

[Doug Miller]

In article , wrote:
On Mon, 04 May 2009 13:14:34 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

Use "quater sawn" maple. Drill through the full width of the board
and insert staimless steel "tension members, nutted tightly with the
ends of the holes filled with dowels.

Phooey. If the wood is properly dried, properly jointed, and properly glued,
there's absolutely no need for "stainless steel tension members".

You could also use some T88
epoxy or equivalent on the joints between the bords if you want "belt
and suspenders"

*Any* waterproof glue comes under the category of "properly glued".

Finish with vegetable oil

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Most vegetable oils will become rancid in fairly short
order. Finish with mineral oil, or with walnut oil.

[Leon]

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article ,
wrote:
On Mon, 04 May 2009 13:14:34 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde
glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

Use "quater sawn" maple. Drill through the full width of the board
and insert staimless steel "tension members, nutted tightly with the
ends of the holes filled with dowels.

Phooey. If the wood is properly dried, properly jointed, and properly
glued,
there's absolutely no need for "stainless steel tension members".


Actully if you take all of the precautions that you mentioned and build a
butcher block style cutting board, "with end grain pointing up" the likely
hood of the joints and or wood splitting increase dramatically. The end
grain will soak up enough liquids and oils that it will eventually swell and
can crack. I have a mobile butcher block that I build almost 30 years ago
that split for the reason mentioned after about 6 years of use. Rods added
through the center have prevented this from reoccouring.
If your cutting board uses the side or edge of the wood for the cutting
surface glue is all that you should need.




Finish with vegetable oil

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Most vegetable oils will become rancid in fairly
short
order. Finish with mineral oil, or with walnut oil.

That is not true. My wife has never used anything but vegetable oil on the
butcher block and there has never been a problem with anything going rancid,
at least in the last 30 years. While mineral oil and or a butcher block oil
may be a better choice, vegetable oil has done just fine for us.

[Lee Michaels]

"Leon" wrote

That is not true. My wife has never used anything but vegetable oil on
the butcher block and there has never been a problem with anything going
rancid, at least in the last 30 years. While mineral oil and or a butcher
block oil may be a better choice, vegetable oil has done just fine for us.


Perhaps your wife has a magic touch in the kitchen?? :-)

[Leon]

"Lee Michaels" wrote in message
...

"Leon" wrote

That is not true. My wife has never used anything but vegetable oil on
the butcher block and there has never been a problem with anything going
rancid, at least in the last 30 years. While mineral oil and or a
butcher block oil may be a better choice, vegetable oil has done just
fine for us.


Perhaps your wife has a magic touch in the kitchen?? :-)



That and she cleans the top after every use. I shutter to think that
some one would not. Perhaps the oil gets thinned down from use.

[Doug Miller]

In article , "Leon" wrote:

Actully if you take all of the precautions that you mentioned and build a
butcher block style cutting board, "with end grain pointing up" the likely
hood of the joints and or wood splitting increase dramatically. The end
grain will soak up enough liquids and oils that it will eventually swell and
can crack.

Indeed that's true -- which is one reason I don't build cutting boards that
way. The other reason is I don't like the look.

I have a mobile butcher block that I build almost 30 years ago
that split for the reason mentioned after about 6 years of use. Rods added
through the center have prevented this from reoccouring.

Yep, I can see that. More trouble than it's worth IMO -- easier, and (again,
IMO) better looking to use strips, with the edge grain up.

If your cutting board uses the side or edge of the wood for the cutting
surface glue is all that you should need.

Agreed.




Finish with vegetable oil

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Most vegetable oils will become rancid in fairly short
order. Finish with mineral oil, or with walnut oil.

That is not true. My wife has never used anything but vegetable oil on the
butcher block and there has never been a problem with anything going rancid,
at least in the last 30 years. While mineral oil and or a butcher block oil
may be a better choice, vegetable oil has done just fine for us.

OK, perhaps I should have said "may become rancid". Still better to use an oil
that eventually dries; walnut, being a food product, is of course completely
food-safe. Or leave it unfinished, and dress it with a card scraper every now
and again.

[Leon]

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
...
In article , "Leon"
wrote:

Actully if you take all of the precautions that you mentioned and build a
butcher block style cutting board, "with end grain pointing up" the likely
hood of the joints and or wood splitting increase dramatically. The end
grain will soak up enough liquids and oils that it will eventually swell
and
can crack.

Indeed that's true -- which is one reason I don't build cutting boards
that
way. The other reason is I don't like the look.

Actually that other way, with end grain up is the better way, the cuts in
the wood are "self healing' so to speak, and knives stay sharper longer.


I have a mobile butcher block that I build almost 30 years ago
that split for the reason mentioned after about 6 years of use. Rods
added
through the center have prevented this from reoccouring.

Yep, I can see that. More trouble than it's worth IMO -- easier, and
(again,
IMO) better looking to use strips, with the edge grain up.

Better lookiing until they get used a lot. Along with that 30 year old
butcher block that has never had to be resurfaced, we have an edge grain
maple cutting board that I made in Jr. High. I have had to resurface it
numerous times.


If your cutting board uses the side or edge of the wood for the cutting
surface glue is all that you should need.

Agreed.


Finish with vegetable oil

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Most vegetable oils will become rancid in fairly
short
order. Finish with mineral oil, or with walnut oil.

That is not true. My wife has never used anything but vegetable oil on
the
butcher block and there has never been a problem with anything going
rancid,
at least in the last 30 years. While mineral oil and or a butcher block
oil
may be a better choice, vegetable oil has done just fine for us.

OK, perhaps I should have said "may become rancid". Still better to use an
oil
that eventually dries; walnut, being a food product, is of course
completely
food-safe. Or leave it unfinished, and dress it with a card scraper every
now
and again.

I think the "vegetable oil" thing is much like the "Swine Flu", it gets much
more bad talk than it poses as an actual mass threat.

[mac davis[_5_]]

On Mon, 4 May 2009 16:00:10 -0700 (PDT), "SonomaProducts.com"
wrote:


IMHO, if "food safe" is that important, drill the suckers for through bolts and
just worry about rust..

I'd worry more about the bacteria and other goodies that grow in cutting boards
than in the glue used.. YMWV



From the Titebond site regarding Titebond II

"is FDA approved for indirect food contact (cutting boards)"

http://www.titebond.com/IntroPageTB....ne=2?prodcat=1

Like many substances, once they cure, they are pretty safe.


On May 4, 3:44*pm, RicodJour wrote:
On May 4, 11:18*am, (Doug Miller) wrote:





In article , (Derek Lyons) wrote:
(Doug Miller) wrote:

Make sure the wood is thoroughly dry, straight, and flat. Then use a
waterproof glue -- not merely water *resistant*. A urea-formaldehyde glue,
such as DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue, would be the best choice IMHO.

No, the first consideration for cutting board glues is whether or not
it is safe to use in contact with food. *I can find no cite that the
glue above is FDA approved.

I guess you should have looked a little harder. The technical bulletin listed
at the manufacturer's web site specifically recommends it for use in cutting
boards.

http://www.dap.com/docs/tech/00030201.pdf

The glue most often reccomened is Titebond -II or -III.

Depends on who's doing the recommending...

As the guy who would be building the board, and my family and friends
the one eating off of it, I'd be less than thrilled to read these
words in the DAP Weldwood Plastic Resin Glue MSDS:

EFFECTS OF OVEREXPOSURE - INGESTION: *May cause stomach and intestinal
irritation, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, weakness, and headache.
Ingestion of over 1 gram/day of barium chloride (25 grams/day of
product) may raise blood pressure and affect heart action.

The amount is someone would ingest from a cutting board would be
minimal, but still, let's look for a safer alternative.

Gorilla Glue:
Ingestion Product is not intended to be ingested or eaten.If this
product is ingested,severe irritation of the gastrointestinal tract
may occur,and should be treated symptomatically. Do not induce the
patient or animal to vomit.Call a doctor,ambulance or seek
veterinarian assistance immediately.

The word severe scares me. *Keep looking.

Titebond II:
INGESTION: No hazard expected in normal industrial use. *Ingestion is
not a likely route of exposure.

Hmmm. *I guess Titebond is weaseling around on this one. *I cook meals
for small groups and the use of the product in a cutting board does
make the exposure route much more likely. *Keep looking.

Maybe the new and improved Titebond III?
Nope. *The most weaselly MSDS of them all. *It states that ingestion
is a route of entry, and that you should contact a poison control
center immediately, but it has no information about the effects. *It's
also interesting to see that they put NO to skin contact as a route of
entry, but it says it can cause skin irritation. *From their promo
literature we have this gem: "FDA approved for indirect food contact"
What does that mean

Franklin's Hide Glue:
INGESTION: Single dose oral toxicity is considered to be extremely
low. *No hazards expected from swallowing small amounts incidental to
normal handling operations. *Ingestion may cause gastrointestinal
irritation.

If this is starting to make you nervous, take heart, the cutting board
you are using now probably came from China where they're using the new
lead-based glue-extender.

And there's hope:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...1014193722.htm

I ran across a number of places where a particular glue was listed as
either non-toxic...or maybe not. *This sitehttp://askville.amazon.com/wood-glue-diferent/AnswerViewer.do?request...
gave the plastic resin glue (urea formaldehyde) a non-toxic in its
cured state rating. *I think I'll take that and call it good and worry
about some other stuff that will kill me.

R- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

[RicodJour]

On May 5, 10:51*am, mac davis wrote:

IMHO, if "food safe" is that important, drill the suckers for through bolts and
just worry about rust..

I'd worry more about the bacteria and other goodies that grow in cutting boards
than in the glue used.. YMWV

Nice - way to rain on the "sky is falling" parade. It's killjoys like
you that insert pragmatism and rational thinking into such threads
that take all the fun out of scaring the poop out of people.

R

[SonomaProducts.com]

Walnut oil is totally safe for everyone not allergic to nuts!

On May 5, 7:03*am, (Doug Miller) wrote:
In article , "Leon" wrote:

Actully if you take all of the precautions that you mentioned and build a
butcher block style cutting board, "with end grain pointing up" the likely
hood of the joints *and or wood splitting increase dramatically. *The end
grain will soak up enough liquids and oils that it will eventually swell and
can crack.

Indeed that's true -- which is one reason I don't build cutting boards that
way. The other reason is I don't like the look.

I have a mobile butcher block that I build almost 30 years ago
that split for the reason mentioned after about 6 years of use. *Rods added
through the center have prevented this from reoccouring.

Yep, I can see that. More trouble than it's worth IMO -- easier, and (again,
IMO) better looking to use strips, with the edge grain up.

If your cutting board uses the side or edge of the wood for the cutting
surface glue is all that you should need.

Agreed.



Finish with *vegetable oil

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Most vegetable oils will become rancid in fairly short
order. Finish with mineral oil, or with walnut oil.

That is not true. *My wife has never used anything but vegetable oil on the
butcher block and there has never been a problem with anything going rancid,
at least in the last 30 years. *While mineral oil and or a butcher block oil
may be a better choice, vegetable oil has done just fine for us.

OK, perhaps I should have said "may become rancid". Still better to use an oil
that eventually dries; walnut, being a food product, is of course completely
food-safe. Or leave it unfinished, and dress it with a card scraper every now
and again.

[Lew Hodgett[_5_]]

"Leon" wrote:

That is not true. My wife has never used anything but vegetable oil
on the butcher block and there has never been a problem with
anything going rancid, at least in the last 30 years. While mineral
oil and or a butcher block oil may be a better choice, vegetable oil
has done just fine for us.

Let's see now, my slab of plastic doesn't need to be oiled, will go in
the dishwasher if desired, doesn't damage knife edge during use, can
be sterilized with household bleach.

That just about covers all my needs for a cutting board, but as a work
of art, it sucks.

Lew