I am batching out a bunch of these and variations of them for Christmas presents for different family members. Have you ever heard of a problem with these things as far as wood movement? I don’t want to have to hear everybody complain in a couple of years, although I’m not letting the fear of that stop me from making them now.

keep up the great work… you and your wife are both hard workers and your funny

thanks again

patrick melchior

In general, the board will go through a lot of surface changes in the first few months. As the board goes from wet to dry to wet to dry…….the grain gets raised and the glue lines become more evident. So usually I wait about 6 months, then I take it back into the shop for a light sanding and refinish. This 6-month wear-in period almost has the same affect as pre-raising the grain before finishing. So that once you clean up this second time, it will stay smoother and the glue lines will be less likely to show up. Now the fact that you are using mineral oil does muddy things up a bit, literally. When you take it back to the shop, you’ll find that your sandpaper gums up pretty quickly. Just do the best you can to sand the surface smooth up to 320. And you don’t necessarily need to get down to bare wood.

Now since mineral oil still does allow moisture to absorb into the board, you will be more likely to have the roughness return than if you used the varnishing method. But as hard as it is to remind yourself, it is just a cutting surface so a little roughness is to be expected.

I also would try to avoid adding mineral oil a month or so before bringing it back in the shop. You want the board as “dry” as possible.

Hope that helps.

I am new to wood working and must say that I enjoy your website. I DID in fact make the cutting board, but the question I have is the finish. I have applied 4 or 5 coats of mineral oil and have wiped it all down. I was so proud of the cutting board, it actually looked like the one you made in your pod cast. In fact, once I put the cutting board in the kitchen, my wife wasted no time in putting it to use, I about had a heart attack…I didn’t want her to use it… just look at it in all its beauty. I got over it quick as she sliced through the tomatoes…anyway, after she hand washed the board and let it dry, the surface was rough. I sanded the board up to 320 grit ( smooth like glass) when I made it. Did the water when she washed it raise the end grain? I would think thats normal but was not prepared for the feel of the board after.

Thank You

Patrick Melchior

Now on to your question. When it comes to cutting board, most times its better to play it safe. While I’ve seen lots of different woods used in cutting boards (including exotics), I usually try to keep it as simple as possible. I’ve been using purpleheart for a while now and feel its just as safe as maple. But many other exotics have a good amount of natural oil in them. Personally, I am concerned about what else might be in that oil. So if the wood is oily I don’t use it. Now it is also a good idea to avoid open pored woods like oak, ash and possibly even walnut. But I have seen hundreds of boards using walnut……

Bottom line is its a gray area. There isn’t a whole lot of info out there so that’s why I like to play it safe. If you are looking to try a colorful wood, do a bunch of research to determine if there is some allergy or toxicity concern. And of course it best to just avoid the odd ball exotics. And as tempting as it is to use this system to make fancy colorful patterns, it might not make the best material for a surface that will be in contact with food.