food safe wood

[DWFII]

Hey all,

I live in the States and I'm wanting to turn some salt and peppermills. But researching the subject I have gotten advice to be a bit leery of using woods that might have toxic dust or oils in the wood. Here in the States we might not worry about walnut or maple or cherry but would shy away from any of the rosewoods, etc..

But what I'm wondering is waht native Australian or New Zealand woods would you fellers use to make a salt or peppermill? What non-native woods would you use?

Thanks...

DWFII

[DWFII]

:confused:

I don't know what I said, but I'm sure sorry if I offended anyone. There's so much expertise on this forum. I thought I might get a different perspective or an answer I wouldn't get elsewhere. [sigh]

I'd sure welcome any response, though.

Thanks for all the fish

:D

[echnidna]

Even the dust from wheat and oats are unhealthy yet they are foods.
Timbers recommended for cutting boards would almost undoubtedly be foodsafe.
But timbers that produce toxic dusts are not necessarliy unsafe for food.
e.g. Australian Blackwood (acacia melanoxon) produces unhealthy dust but its safe as cutting boards and bowls etc.
Sorry I cant help with a list especially of US timber but most timbers are ok. Try a google search and the us forums where there are people with good knowledge of your native species.

[journeyman Mick]

DWFII
I'm not a turner but i would stay away from Black Bean as it's pretty toxic (well termites won't eat it). Red Sirus/Mackay Cedar/Acacia Cedar can be highly irritating also. Do a search on this BB for "Bad Woods".

Mick

[DWFII]

Bob, Mick,

Thank you for responding.

Let's go at this from another direction. Both of you have been turning for some time, I presume. If you wanted to make a set of Salt and Peppermills (admittedly a pretty elementary project, but I'm relatively new...only been turning 3 years and then only as a hobby) what wood or woods would you choose/use?

Thanks again

[echnidna]

Tas Oak, Aussie Red Gum, Vic Ash, Stringbark, Jarrah, Fruitwoods, Monterey Pine which is very common here and known locally as Radiata Pine (Dont think theres much in the US where its native to). Sugar Gum, Aussie Blackwood, Black Wattle, Silver Wattle, Manna Gum, Most of the US oaks should be ok as booze is seasoned in them.
Keep away from Western Red Cedar and treated timbers.

[Robert WA]

What Australian wood can you get in the US?

Bowls and other food related items are often made from the wood of our Eucalypts.

I understand that a timber (lumber) called Lyptus has become readily available on the US market. That is sourced from Central or South America and is from plantation forests of Eucalypts introduced from Australia or, possibly, Australasia. If you can locate a source you may be able to try your hand with that wood.

Lyptus being available in the US, there would be information available there as to whether it is safe for contact with food.

Rob

[DWFII]

Bob,

Thank you, that's exactly the kind of info I was looking for. Anyone else?

Robert in WA,

I see woods on Ebay from Australia and some of the exotic wood dealers here in the US (Cook Woods in Oregon, for example) sell some Australian and SE Asian woods.

I also have some rimu and some Black Maire and some kowhai (?) from NZ (although nothing big enough for pepper mills) which I am curious about.

The real problem is finding two turning blanks 2.5" X 9" which are dry and ready to turn. Most everything I see is either 2"x2" or green.

thanks again.

[rsser]

I've used Jarrah, English Elm, and Silky Oak (Grev. Robusta). The latter was a mistake in my view as it's a timber that causes problems for a number of turners when they work it. And as the top of the grinder rotates against the body it will in time shed some particles, and they're going to end up in your mouth or nasal passages.

Definitely do a google on 'bad woods' as Mick suggests, or 'wood toxicity' - they are a number of lists out there.

A good local supplier of native and exotic timbers who will also give you useful advice is www.thewoodsmith.com.au

Other woods to consider include the desert and other acacias, like mulga, gigee, ironwood and beefwood. (The first three are hard mind ;). And also look out for swamp mahogany (Euc. Robusta) and Myrtle Beech (Nothofagus Cunninghamii).

BTW Thanks for your list Echidna - I had been wondering what Euc. were worth turning, apart from Redgum and Jarrah. Do you know of suppliers of seasoned turning blanks of these? Or is it a matter of scrounging?

Cheers,

Ern

[echnidna]

I live in 145 acres of messmate forest and there is always the odd dead limb of something or other laying around if I want something. The house wreckers are a source of air dryed stuff though you are generally limited to redgum oregon and hardwood , (much of which is messmate).

[Neil]

A good rule of thumb is to avoid all timbers that produce natural oils like Huon pine, rosewood (Australian), sandalwood, etc. Also any timber that has a strong, pungent odor, most others are considered to be reasonably ok.

[macca2]

DWFII....I have used Sheoak for salt and pepper mills along with Jacaranda. Any of the fruit trees. i.e. olive, apple, lemon, etc should be OK and are nice to turn.

Macca

[darley]

Bob,

and some kowhai (?) from NZ (although nothing big enough for pepper mills) which I am curious about.



Hello DWFII look at this site and you can probably order some blank the size you want Rick is very good .


www.thewoodturnersstudio.co.nz

Cheer
Darley

[DWFII]

Thanks to all for the help and advice on choosing wood for peppermills, etc. It helps... and is appreciated.

[Bob Willson]

The real problem is finding two turning blanks 2.5" X 9" which are dry and ready to turn. Most everything I see is either 2"x2" or green.
Glue up your own blanks then.

[chadhaas]

Wanted to provide some information to answer Robert's question about the use of Lyptus as a butcher block. John Boos (http://www.johnboos.com/) will be launching a line of Lyptus blocks and Bally Block Company already has a line of Lyptus products, which you may view at their web site (
http://www.mapleblock.com/countertops.html).

Here is an insert from their web site:


Wood Welded Lyptus - A Whole NEW WORLD





http://www.mapleblock.com/woodphoto2.jpghttp://www.mapleblock.com/b.giforn on a plantation, Lyptus is one of the most beautiful and functional hardwoods to be introduced into the United States in many years.
Rich reddish-brown hues suggest the elegance of Mahogany or Cherry but in a renewable natural resource. Phenomenal growth of these trees is constantly being monitored by technicians. Matching growth to harvest permits an endless supply.

Now, through an alliance between the WOOD WELDED Companies of Michigan Maple Block Co./Bally Block Co, and The Weyerhaeuser Co.; this lovely wood is being offered in Butcher Block. Wood Welded Lyptus can be fabricated into a wide variety of beautiful and functional products. The deep variegated tones of Lyptus are magnificent as kitchen counter tops, kitchen island tops, dining table tops, shelves and benches. The strength and hardness of Lyptus even makes it the perfect choice for stair treads.

What makes Lyptus even more appealing is the fact that Lyptus is an environmentally sensitive product. Grown on plantation, interspersed with indigenous species to preserve the native ecosystem the trees are farmed in a renewable fashion. The seedlings are planted, allowed to mature and then cut. The trees then re-sprout from the stump and are allowed to mature again for harvest. This process is repeated up to five times. This reduces greatly the pressure on the worlds rainforests.

Michigan Maple Block Co. and Bally Block Co. have always been good stewards of the forest. The addition of Lyptus to our product line is a natural extension of that stewardship.

http://www.mapleblock.com/woodlyptus.jpgStandard Counter Thickness 1 1/2 <TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD width=75></TD><TD align=middle width=25>18 </TD><TD align=middle width=25>24 </TD><TD align=middle width=25>30 </TD><TD align=middle width=25>36 </TD><TD align=middle width=25>42 </TD><TD align=middle width=25>60 </TD><TD align=middle width=25>72 </TD><TD align=middle width=25>84 </TD><TD align=middle width=25>96 </TD><TD align=middle width=25>120 </TD><TD align=middle width=25>144 </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ff6600><TD align=middle>25" Depth </TD><TD align=middle>x</TD><TD align=middle>x</TD><TD align=middle>x</TD><TD align=middle>x</TD><TD align=middle>x</TD><TD align=middle>x</TD><TD align=middle>x</TD><TD align=middle>x</TD><TD align=middle>x</TD><TD align=middle>x</TD><TD align=middle>x</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#ffcc00><TD align=middle>30" Depth </TD><TD align=middle> </TD><TD align=middle> </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle> </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD></TR><TR bgColor=#009999><TD align=middle>36" Depth </TD><TD align=middle> </TD><TD align=middle> </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle> </TD><TD align=middle> </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD><TD align=middle>x </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Custom sizes available on request.

[kiwigeo]

[QUOTE=DWFII]Bob,


I also have some rimu and some Black Maire and some kowhai (?) from NZ (although nothing big enough for pepper mills) which I am curious about.

[QUOTE]

Saw some pepper and salt shakers turned from both Rimu and Kahikitea (NZ native white pine) last time I was back in NZ.

Martin

[rodent]

some one send this guy a red gum fence post.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Ummm... did you check the date on his post before you replied, Rod? :pointlaugh:

(Nice to know I'm not the only one who doesn't. :D And having just read the whole thread, I'm glad you bumped it up where it'd catch my eye. :wink: )

[harold]

how about mesquite hickory oak apricot apple cherry these should be safe woods:2tsup:

[tashammer]

by crikey that Woodwelded flannel surely has a bit of spin - i wonder what the call being allowed to mature? The business about preserving the native ecosystems is good for a laugh. Don't they know that many, if not all, of the eucalypts produce chemicals in the surrounding soil that dampen competition?

I wonder which species they are using? Don't they have lots of blue gums in California? Kinda a quid pro quo there - we get radiata, they get bluegum.

[rsser]

Yep, think blue gum was the most exported euc species; quick growing and good for burning and making stuff out of. They even tried to deal with the miasmic air around the marshes of Rome with them in the 1800s.

Got kinda nostalgic seeing them lining the streets of Arizona a few years back, and not because of the swamps. You see the odd gum around Kathmandu too (but the blue haze comes from a somewhat different species).

But yep, we should do a swap with the Kaliforni-ays.

[Tony Morton]

Hi All
Harold just mentioned Apricot and Apple yes fruit is safe to eat but both contain posions substances eg apricot kernals contain high levels of arsonic and apple pips contain pectin used in high amounts can be deadly, but from most timbers just how much toxin is contained in the ladel,spoon bowl etc and how much will leach out in any one application or use. but like peanuts they can be fatal in very small quantity to susceptable people just be carefull.
Cheers Tony