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Butcher block wood finish. Need Advise

Started by LAZERDAN, March 28, 2009, 09:17:56 PM

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LAZERDAN

We just built a rolling kitchen cart, with a butcher block top, (It's 24"x30")  maple flatsawn.  Since we will be cutting food on it.  Does anyone have a viable choice of Finish, other than polyurathane?  I see theres always people working with wood cutting boards  on this forum.  I'm looking to get 6 months at least out of a finish, longer the better.  Please let me know if anyone has found some things that work well   Thanks in advance            Lazer     

magone

We use to make cutting boards in school and used a generous amount of vegetable oil.  When it starts to look dry put another  coat on the top.  Just what worked for us.


Mooseherder

I would use Mineral Spirits  Oil which is Food Grade for your finish and periodically refinish with another coat after cleaning every six months.
I put my cutting boards in the dish washer because the temperature is high enough to kill pathonalogic bacteria. :P

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CHARLIE

Use mineral oil as previously suggested. Apply it liberally, let it soak overnight and then wipe off any excess if there is any.  Repeat a couple of times a year or sooner as needed.

Some people warm up the mineral oil so it will soak into the wood deeper.

Some people warm up the mineral oil and melt a tablespoon of beeswax or parafin in it. They then apply that. The wax helps seal the wood.

Don't ever use a topical finish like varnish. It just lays on top of the wood and is once you cut it, it won't protect anything.
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

thedeeredude

I have used Holland bowl mill beeswax finish with good success. 

http://www.hollandbowlmill.com/xcart/product.php?productid=17&cat=2&page=1

No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.

TheWoodsman

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LAZERDAN

Thanks for all the info.   Charlie  or anyone :   Do we know the ratio mineral oil to bees wax?    Thanks for the web site Thedeerdude Do you know how far the bee oil finish will go (sq. ft./8 oz.)    Thanks  Lazer         

thedeeredude

I'm not sure how far it will go for square feet, but it only takes a light coat and a bit of friction helps it into the wood pores easier.  I used it on the lathe for a rolling pin and I used an old rag and took a couple swipes of the bees oil form the container and held it on while the pin was spinning.  My guess is that much (8oz) could go for a good amount of cutting boards.  It'll easy be enough for the top of your cart.  I'm not sure the ratio they use, but I'm pretty dang sure its just mineral oil mixed with beeswax.  It gives it a nice luster.

John Bartley

Something to consider :

QuoteBoards sold to homeowners typically come from the factory treated
with mineral oil. "That treatment is intended to make the wood more
impermeable - like plastic," Cliver says. The bad news is that
It does make wood more like plastic....In every one of our tests,
if the wood had been treated to retard the penetration of moisture,
the bacteria survived longer."

The quote above is taken from this document :

http://list.uvm.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=SAFETY;AYbw2g;19960605135132-0700A

I used to have a link to the original research document but I can't find it. I can say however that I have never used any sort of sealer on any of the cutting boards that my wife and I have used, and we have now been together for 31 years (almost 32). We have been using one of our two boards for that entire time, and that particular board came from her Dad, who had it for as long as my sweetheart can remember. Her dad never sealed it either .... just washed it regularly with soap and water. We've never owned a dishwasher, so they've never gone that route either.

cheers

John
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Champion 25hp band mill, 20' bed
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fbelknap

Mineral oil is the way to go, if you use regular cooking oil it will turn rancid.  There is a salad bowl finish they sell in catalogs but have never used it, it is suppose to work good.

CHARLIE

LAZERDAN, try using about 10 parts mineral oil to 1 part wax.  Just carefully heat the oil until the wax melts. Keep stirring.  You can experiment with the ratios. It's not a perfect science.  :)
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

turningfool

veggie oil and bees wax melted as one on a low fire works for me,rub it ib good..you want to keep it food safe

LAZERDAN

We'll finally got to it.  I'm going the charlie method 10/1 mineral oil to bees wax.  melted in the wax, it mixed very well, it made the maple very dark.  Don't know if the little lady will like it?   Warming it up and gonna hand rub it in.  Gonna let it sit overnight, and rub it off wed. morning.  Do ya-all think more than one application would help, or Done is Done?            Thanks  Lazer    sorry no pic's                         

CHARLIE

Well, I keep putting it on until refusal, but I'm sure one good coat will be fine. You can always apply more later when it looks like it's drying out.

I never use vegetable oil because I've heard it can turn rancid over time.  Mineral oil won't turn rancid.
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

LAZERDAN

WOW did that 10/1 work well.  Did not turn the wood dark.  all soaked in with in 4 hrs.  B. E. A. U. T. FULL  Thanks again   Lazerdan

CHARLIE

Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

Handy Andy

  I made some sealer one time, from paint thinner, boiled linseed oil and parrafin.  All I had to heat was the parrafin, and just poured it into the thinner and stirred it up.  No problem mixing it in at all.  And it was pretty good stuff.
My name's Jim, I like wood.

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