Which Wood?

[Messman]

Ok, I have been asked about making a bread board for someone which, overall, is an easy enough project. But I need to know what are some of the best woods to use and which finish, if any, I should use.

[TheWoodArtist]

The wood you use is really up to you for choice. What you have to worry about is the finish, meaning make sure it's not toxic and is able to be used in food handleing. For that I wouldn't know I guess you could look on the label or search for it on google. I've not made any thing that has to deal with food handling. I know most bread/chopping boards made out of wood I've seen are made out of hardwoods.

[lucky788scroller]

Ive used maple, white oak, walnut , red oak. Pretty much any hard hardwood is good. And as for finish, just wipe it down with mineral oil a time or two.

[wood-n-things]

you could also use a salad bowl finish. Most big box stores have it. I'd stick with tight grained hardwoods such as Birch, Maple, even Poplar. Personally I'd not use Oak as it will get splintery in time I would think.

[NHokpic]

A stated - most hard woods are great for these cutting boards. The latest fad is bamboo wood. But as mentioned by Mike, oak is not a good choice for food projects because it has an open pore feature. If you really like the looks of oak, then you could use ash. It looks like oak but doesn't feel like oak. It lacks the open pores of oak but features a closed grain that looks just like oak.

As for finishes... Mineral spirit and salad bowl finishes are great and safe for food. I use a butcher block oil that is similar. But these finishes have a big flaw. They don't last. If you use one of these, the recipient of your gift needs to have sufficient basic skills and tools to sand down the board every few months and apply a new finish every few months. These finishes are weak and need to be re-done on a regular basis.

I redo all my boards every few months, but I have all the tools and technology to do this. But I did read that you can use polyurethane as long as you let it cure for at least 30 days. Curing something as opposed to letting it dry will supper seal and harden most finishes. Try asking "Minwax" corporation about this claim.

[sawdustus]

I would use hard maple or bamboo which has a very tight grain and will stand up to the cutting abuse that a bread board will get and I would not put any finish on it. No matter how hard or cured a finish you use it will be damaged by a bread knife. Only an oil finish like mineral, peanut, walnut oil etc. which is absorbed by the wood will not flake when cut but these all have a tendency to evaporate or go rancid with time and need constant recoating to keep them fresh looking.

I made a 24" x 24" cutting board for my wife 15 years ago from hard maple and by not putting a finish on it I have been able to sand it clean every few months to renew the surface. I has never splintered the way oak or ash does, is much harder than poplar or walnut, and does not have the open grain that walnut has.

Exotic or unusual woods sometime have irritant or sensitizing properties so I would be careful and do some research if you want to use them.

Hope this has been helpful.

george

[bobtom]

I agree with the above. I have made cutting boards out of maple, and used a
salad bowl finish.
Works well. Mineral oil tends to get rancid over time.

[Wood Dog]

Originally Posted by messman

Which wood?

The iwood of course..............The iWood! - YouTube

[Messman]

Yup I think I will have to use the iwood it is perfect

Ohh and thanks everyone for the responses they have been helpful

[waynemn]

I have made a bread board and used hard maple, not soft maple. No finish on it and am able to sand it once in a while to get a smooth finish again.

waynemn