What finish would you use on a cutting board?

Re: What finish would you use on a cutting board?

Jim in River Oaks, Ont.

I use mineral oil, simple.

Take care,

Jim

Mineral Oil

Dustmaker Mike

it is cheap and can be found almost anywhere.

Mineral oil

paul in AZ

found in your grocery or pharmacy.

A few tablespoons of oil can also be used as a laxative.

NO to mineral oil

David Yoho

Ray, I'm sure I'll hear about this from all those that use mineral oil on their cutting boards but here goes. As far as I'm concerned, mineral oil is better used as a laxative! It does not dry and in some instances can turn rancid.

What you don't want is something like the salad bowl finishes that leave a film on the surface where constant use might cause pieces of the finish to flake off and get into the food (not that it would poison you but who wants that in their food).

What you do want is something that goes into the wood, seals it, and won't flake off from cutting. What I like to use is Waterlox. You can thin it slightly if desired to help it soak in better but it's not necessary. One good application should do the trick. Flood it on and let it soak in and then wipe away any excess. That's it - you're done. Down the road, if need be, you can freshen it up with another application. The point is that you don't want a film on the outer surface of the board.

disagree on one point

Bill Tindall

A food grade of mineral oil is about the most inert stuff know to man. It will not chemically alter when exposed to air (turn rancid or anything else). Also it will not dry, it will weep back out and it won't last. I never use it...well I did once and didn't like the result.

I will not repeat what I have successfully used for years because I don't want to listen to all the unfounded objections yet again. But, if you are finishing anything that is going to be exposed to salad oil (like a salad bowl for example) there is a hint of what you could use, and will be inadvertently using, if the wood item is used to contact food with oils.

Mineral Oil/Beeswax combination

Sam

Having made and sold more cutting boards, utensils and bowls that I can remember, my preference is to make up my own wood-treatment concoction using the mineral oil to penetrate the surface wood cells and the beeswax to offer some sealing of the cells.

I like the wax to be fairly soft and oily, applying a fairly ample first application then buff to a non-tacky feel. Some woods will require an additional application before accomplishing a good feel.

My customers get the recommendation to make up their own wax/oil combination or to buy Clapham's Beeswax Salad Bowl Finish or Mahoney's Walnut oil (for those not allergic to walnuts).

claphams.com site has good information on their product.

Re: Mineral Oil/Beeswax combination

Grant Wilkinson

I used Clapham's, too. LV sells large and small sizes.

Ditto

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In Jersey

I cook up a mineral oil/bees wax/paraffin mix that cools to a soft paste. I have also soaked end-grain with a 1 lb cut of shellac which disappears into the pores (no film) as an initial sealer before applying the oil/wax mix. The sealer helps hold the color of the wood.

Depends on use...

John in NM

There are just no simple answers when you ask this bunch!

I made a bunch of cutting boards and salad utensils one year and gave them as Christmas gifts, cheapskate that I am. Very few ever got used, because everyone said they were too pretty to mark up or throw a dead fish on. In such a case, Waterlox makes and excellent finish, as it is trivially easy to get it looking perfect once you have the hang of it, and wear is not a concern (it does not wear well IMHO).

For my own use I have some Tried and True BLO+wax. Bought a little can when it was being hyped by FWW about 10 years ago. Works great for me, since in my arid climate oils cure nicely. But it wears off quickly under everyday use. And here's the important point - every finish will wear off quickly under everyday use. For that reason, I'd go with the mineral oil/wax that Sam suggested. Its easy to re-apply, and cheap to make a bunch you can put in little bottles to go with the boards you sell or give away. You could do the same with BLO+wax if cost is not a consideration.

Also, one of our everyday cutting boards is a piece of cherry that got the BLO+wax years ago. Never maintained it, its all hacked up, finish worn off, and gets daily washing. It's not cracked, rotted, checked, or whatever else is supposed to happen (maybe because the end grain is still finished, seeing no wear). So the point is, this is a board to keep your knife from getting dull, it will do that regardless of the finish on it (or worn off it in this case)

Re: What finish would you use on a cutting board?

Howard Acheson

An excellent treatment for wooden food preparation surfaces like cutting boards and butcher blocks is a mixture of mineral oil and either paraffin or beeswax. This finish is totally non-toxic and will not turn rancid over time. This is what is used on many commercial wood surfaces. It will last longer and be more protective than just mineral oil. Mineral oil can be found in most supermarkets in the pharmacy section or in a true pharmacy. Paraffin is found in the canning section of the store or in a hardware store.

Heat the oil in a double boiler and shave in some wax. The exact proportions are not critical--a 5-6 parts of oil to one part of wax will work fine. Stir the mixture until all the wax is liquefied. Apply the mixture heavily and let it set 10-12 hours or overnight. Next day do it again and continue until the wood will no longer absorb the finish. Let it set for 10-12 hours and then lightly scrape off any excess. Then buff it with a rag.

Reapply whenever the wood begins to look dry.

Never put a wood board in the dishwasher and don't soak it in dishwater for long periods.

Let me further comment that you would not want to use a film forming finish liken a varnish on a "working" cutting board. Cutting and chopping will penetrate the film and allow water and food juices to get under the finish and into the wood. Once the moisture penetrates the finish, the rest of the finish will rapidly deteriorate and begin to peel and chip.

Waterlox is a film forming varnish and would not make for a good choice on a working cutting board.

No Film

David Yoho

Howard, I think you may have missed what I was saying or I didn't make it clear enough. I don't apply the Waterlox in the traditional sense in that I'm building a film on top of the surface. In fact, it's just the opposite. I'm talking about applying it once, letting it soak in (thus the option to thin it slightly), rub it into the wood by hand, and wipe away the excess so there's nothing left on the surface.

I don't think there's such a thing as a treat it and forget it finish for something like this used daily. Most any choice will need to be applied again at some point.

No

Bill Tindall

It will eventually look like a weathered fence post if you do nothing, unless of course you use it for cutting oily stuff in which case it will self-finish from the oil sit picks up. Plus it will be more susceptible to soaking up water whilst washing which is a death threat to cutting boards- see above post on glue joint life.

Mineral oil looks good and it offers acceptable protection. It just doesn't last as long as a vegetable oil, polymerized or not.

Re: What finish would you use on a cutting board?

FredD

We use Howard's Feed and Wax which is a formula of Beeswax and Orange oil and Carnuba wax on our Maple counter top and cutting boards.

When I was installing the counters for Kitchen remodels , I always gave the client a bottle of it.

I have plenty of positive feedback from very demanding women clients on that product and with the possible exception of the oil/sealer John Boos sells ,called Magic Mountain, I believe it is easily superior in application, looks and life ,not to mention it smells like Oranges.

FredD

Re: What finish would you use on a cutting board?

ThomD

Walnut oil is polymerizing, and will dry hard. One simply has to avoid getting the stuff with added vitamin E, or anything else that will be an anti-oxidizer. Sadly the health kick with oils for consumption has affected the availability of drying oils. You can also use tung oil. Just be sure it is pure polymerizing TO.

I have had positive results using mineral oil topped with wax. Richard Raffan makes gallery pieces that way, one of which I have, and the surface has held up over the years. But it does depend on doing it correctly, and on the right woods, looks yellow on maple. And it helps to do it at lathe speeds, and it doesn't hold up to washing.

Re: What finish would you use on a cutting board?

Dave Winters

I've made hundreds of these cutting boards, and I use Mineral Oil, mostly because it darkens the steamed kiln dried walnut to a nice chocolate brown.

Re: What finish would you use on a cutting board?

mdclor

Dave,

This is a great design style. Would you care to share your process, perhaps in another thread so as to not hijack this one?

TIA,

Merle