Thread: The monstrosity!!

Very nice work, what did you finish it with?

Thank you, finished with enough coats of Organoil to soak through to the bottom then let sit for a week before flipping and putting a few coats to even out the bottom.

I then hit it with a 400 grit disc on the ROS until a slurry formed and filled the grain then kept the ROS on at speed to heat the slurry and really get it deep into the pores then hand buff with a cloth to remove any residue. Takes a few hours each side but it ends up perfectly smooth and blemish free and no food or liquid will penetrate the surface.

for such a great result!!!!

Originally Posted by missionaryman

Thank you, finished with enough coats of Organoil to soak through to the bottom then let sit for a week before flipping and putting a few coats to even out the bottom.

I then hit it with a 400 grit disc on the ROS until a slurry formed and filled the grain then kept the ROS on at speed to heat the slurry and really get it deep into the pores then hand buff with a cloth to remove any residue. Takes a few hours each side but it ends up perfectly smooth and blemish free and no food or liquid will penetrate the surface.

Thanks for that. I don't want to start a war on safe finishes, but how does the organoil go as far as food safe?

In the past, all I have ever used on pine cutting boards is a cheap (homebrand) vegetable oil and have never had anyone die because of it.

Lots of posts saying it can go rancid, cause problems etc, but this has never been my experience.

Originally Posted by Geoff Dean

I don't want to start a war on safe finishes, but how does the organoil go as far as food safe?

I think they only recommend their hard burnishing oil as foodsafe.

Thanks Groggy.

Originally Posted by Groggy

think they only recommend their hard burnishing oil as foodsafe.

And what is safe on a bowl is not safe for a cutting board......

The internet is full of wonderful finishes for cutting boards, going as far as sealing, staining and varnishing your board or painting it white and distressing it with steel wool and wire brush.

However, the only finishes recommended by the US FDA are Mineral (Parafin) Oil, Grapeseed Oil and Walnut Oil.

Good point Cruzi, I was only repeating Organ Oil's recommendations.

Originally Posted by Cruzi

And what is safe on a bowl is not safe for a cutting board......

The internet is full of wonderful finishes for cutting boards, going as far as sealing, staining and varnishing your board or painting it white and distressing it with steel wool and wire brush.

However, the only finishes recommended by the US FDA are Mineral (Parafin) Oil, Grapeseed Oil and Walnut Oil.

Walnut oil: I wonder how many people with nut allergies that's sent to hospital...
Grapeseed oil: has no standards governing its manufacture as yet so unless you cultivate it yourself and keep it contaminant free there's a chance you are not actually getting grapeseed 100% oil
Mineral (Parafin) oil: sure as long as you keep coating it regularly because it is naturally drawn out to the surface as the fibres on the surface are washed out and dry, leaving you with a bare wood surface. This can happen even if you let it soak right through as it's non curing.

I think there are 3 criteria for regarding a finish as food safe:
1. Inert - wont react with anything that it may come into contact with during food prep
2. It won't leech or expel anything into the food
3. Water tight - wont let liquids susceptible to bacteria in past the finish

Is hard burnishing oil all these 3? no one will put it in writing for me but they tell me if I machine burnish it it will be 100% safe for chopping boards, salad bowls and other food contact wood surfaces.
I have tested a few for years now with no issues, that of course means nothing because issues could arise years later.

This point of contention could go on forever and not be resolved, I think I've done enough research and testing to feel comfortable I'm not going to harm anyone.

Originally Posted by Geoff Dean

Thanks for that. I don't want to start a war on safe finishes, but how does the organoil go as far as food safe?

In the past, all I have ever used on pine cutting boards is a cheap (homebrand) vegetable oil and have never had anyone die because of it.

Lots of posts saying it can go rancid, cause problems etc, but this has never been my experience.

Vegetable oil can go rancid depending on what vegetable it's sourced from (usually a palm olive) but more importantly - PINE as far as I know should not be used for chopping boards.

My understanding is that wood chopping boards are naturally the healthiest because bacteria can't live inside the cells. That is if the cell structure is that of a hardwood and the more dense the hardwood the more difficult for bacteria to survive.
I may very well be wrong, it has happened before

Originally Posted by missionaryman

Vegetable oil can go rancid depending on what vegetable it's sourced from (usually a palm olive) but more importantly - PINE as far as I know should not be used for chopping boards.

Most vegetable oils will eventually go rancid and we eat plenty of it every day. There is far more rancid vegetable oil eaten by people every day direct from sources like poorly stored oil bottles and oil left on poorly washed dishes and cooking and eating utensils than will be ingested from a cutting board. The natural oils in many foods go rancid over time eg Coffee bean oil starts to go rancid from the moment the beans are roasted no matter how well they are stored so there's plenty of rancid oil floating around in your coffee. Pine and many softwoods have also been used for millenia as chopping boards to no know ill effects.

My understanding is that wood chopping boards are naturally the healthiest because bacteria can't live inside the cells. That is if the cell structure is that of a hardwood and the more dense the hardwood the more difficult for bacteria to survive.

Yep all wood is naturally antibacterial but it does not matter if it is hard or softwood although hardwood is better because it is generally less likely to go mouldy.

But let's get our risks in proportion here. The main risks of becoming ill from food preparation are (starting with highest risk factors first) dirty hands, bacteria moulds and parasite arriving with food, poor food storage, inadequate cooking of food, cross contamination of food that is eaten cooked and that which is eaten raw, inadequately cleaned cooking and eating dishes/utensils, inadequate cleaning of raw food. On the lists of risks taken, the type of wood and oil used on a cutting board are by and large irrelevant.

So it's been 6 years since I made this board and the customer emailed me asking if I could refinish it for him. I haven't seen it yet but I'm told it's still together, flat and as good as it was the day he received it albeit very scratched up.

Good to know for my own personal satisfaction in my work.

Any update on this?

Enquiring minds would like to know etc

So Missionaryman what glue did you use in gluing up the board? Thanks Rod