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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    Melbourne
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    39
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    Default Wood for end grain cutting board

    Hi all,

    I have a couple of question about end grain cutting boards.

    First one: would you use wood found on the street to build a cutting board? Is there any risk that the wood could be "contaminated" or dirty inside? Is there a way to recognize a bad wood?

    Second one: which hardwood would you suggest for an end grain cutting board here in Australia? Would the Tasmanian oak wood that bunnings sells be ok? Is there any other cheap alternative?

    Thanks
    Jekkil

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Perth W.A
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    720

    Default

    I would personally be wary about using anything found on the street, a dog may have peed on it or somone may have contaminated it with weed-killer. You never know !
    I don't make many but have used jarrah and Tasi oak in the past.

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Perth WA Australia
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    828

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    If you're planning on selling them or giving them away as gifts I'd steer clear of anything made from "reclaimed" lumber or found off the streets. Wouldnt be worth the liability if one of your recipients decided to seek legal action against you. If you're making them just to try your hand out and not to be actually used then no issue.

    Only way of telling if the wood is bad is sending samples of your wood to a lab and have it inspected. You'll need to know what you're looking for as labs generally don't have a "covers all chemicals" test and each chemical they test for will require a separate sample. Which kinda goes back to point above where probably isnt worth it.

    In terms of cheaper alternative... not really unless you can source your own lumber there's no real point making them with anything cheaper as they just won't last.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    932

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    Cheap is relative. If you have the tools to mill rough sawn boards, buying rough sawn is definitely cheaper. Bunnings Tas Oak 185mmx19mmx2.4m works out to around $7,000 per cubic metre. To put that in context, I can get 300x38 select grade rough sawn spotted gum or blackbutt for just shy of $6,000 per cubic metre. I believe the Tas Oak rough sawn in that size is around $5,000/m3.

    The Bunnings stuff is all dressed and ready for use (assuming you pick the ones with least distortion) though... so if you can't do the milling it's an option. I'm sure there are timber yards in Melbourne that would sell you S4S boards - unfortunately I'm in Brisbane so no help to you.

    I wouldn't eat stuff I found on the street, so I'd probably not use it for a board either.

  6. #5
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Canberra, Australia
    Posts
    306

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    Quote Originally Posted by Alkahestic View Post
    To put that in context, I can get 300x38 select grade rough sawn spotted gum or blackbutt for just shy of $6,000 per cubic metre.
    from where???

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Brisbane
    Posts
    932

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by yoboseyo View Post
    from where???
    My prices are from my last order - which was 18 months ago This is from Bootle Timber in Brisbane. Nice folks, the only caveat is they don't have an option for picking out your boards, basically you get what you get. That said, the select grade stuff has been pretty clear and the NFG stuff has been decent as well, NFG isn't some horrible knot ridden mess.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Perth WA
    Posts
    2,035

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    Yes I would use timber pick up off the street. If you are that worried about it being contaminated, which it probably won't be, then wash/pressure clean it. And then it has to be dressed so any surface contamination will be removed.

    Any timber is suitable for cutting boards and even more so in the end grain configuration as the timber is harder.
    Experienced in removing the tree from the furniture

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    St Georges Basin
    Posts
    1,016

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    Be careful with pallet timber, some are methyl bromide treated and I wouldn't use that. On a whole pallet there are codes which tell you what sort of treatment has been used but not on the individual pieces.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Hobart, Tas
    Posts
    1,211

    Default Wood for end grain cutting board

    There is often poorly maintained timber furniture on gumtree for give-away prices, which could be fairly easily repurposed. That’s a lot of work though, so more suitable for someone time rich but cash poor.

    Edit. Forgot to add, there is a Russian fellow on YT called MTM Wood, who makes lovely “crazy” pattern boards from scraps, so you don’t even need large stock if you can scavenge.

    Lance

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