Oiling cutting board

Jeff Horton

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The Heart of Dixie
Not had much interest in making cutting boards. Last week my wife spilled some water on the counter and didn't think to pick up her maple cutting board. The water got under it and it warped really bad. So I whipped out one from some scraps in the shop to surprise her. Oiled it and when she washed it, it raised the grain big time!

Resanded it this morning and oiling it now. Question is, how much or how many coats does it take to water proof the thing??

I have had the same problem with oiled paddles. Grain raised so bad they felt like sand paper on your hands. Resand and oil and same thing when it got wet. Finally gave up and just varnish mine now. Obviously I am not doing something right. I assume not enough coats of oil.
 
I've always used mineral oil on a cutting board. When I first made the one we've been using for nearly ten years, I bathed it in oil -- literally. I applied very heavy coats. let each soak in overnight, rubbed it off and applied another coat. I did this until it wouldn't absorb any more oil. Since then, I wash it after each use and apply a coat of oil about every 20 uses. The board is made of maple with walnut accents.
 
.... I did this until it wouldn't absorb any more oil.

I am thinking that is the key. I just didn't have enough oil in it (or the paddles).

FWIW my sister is a Chef and they use vegetable oil on theirs in the kitchens. She said it works fine and won't get rancid. Plus they always have that in any pro kitchen.
 
When I was making a lot of cutting boards, I'd always spritz them with water to raise the grain after sanding through the grits. Then, once it dried, I'd use 400 or 600 grit to knock down the raised grain, then slather it heavily with mineral oil for at least 24 hours. If the oil raised the grain any more, I'd wet sand (with more oil) with 600 grit until it was smooth.
 
... FWIW my sister is a Chef and they use vegetable oil on theirs in the kitchens. She said it works fine and won't get rancid. Plus they always have that in any pro kitchen.
Vegetable oil might work in a pro kitchen because they use and clean cutting boards all day long every day. It WILL turn rancid according to all other references I have ever seen. I'll stick with mineral oil as recommended.
 
Vegetable oil might work in a pro kitchen because they use and clean cutting boards all day long every day. It WILL turn rancid according to all other references I have ever seen. I'll stick with mineral oil as recommended.
My thoughts (and experience) exactly. How quickly (or indeed if) veggie oil goes rancid depends on various factors, but for a cutting board for a home kitchen, I'd still go with the mineral oil.
 
Vaughn's method is the right track. Water is what will raise the grain on wood and cause the "fuzzies", so for best results spritz with water, let dry and sand with a fine grit, then spritz again and sand once more. Repeat the procedure til no fuzzies appear, and then soak in oil til it won't absorb anymore, wipe and let it dry. I use mineral oil and sometimes mineral oil with some paraffin melted in it in a double boiler.
 
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Ditto on what Vaughn and Norman said.

I've been making quite a few end grain boards lately.

I sand them up to 220, spritz with water, then hit it with the 220 again to knock down the raised grain. Then I slather on plain mineral oil for about a day. Basically, I just keep a rag in a bowl and when the board looks dry, slap some more on.

After that I apply a coat or two of my oil wax mix and then buff it with some paper towels.

It seals the boards, protects it against liquids, gives the boards a nice satin sheen to them and a great tactile feel. Just a really silky smooth feeling that plain oil just doesn't seem to match.

I make up bottles of cutting board oil/parafin mix. About 4 or 5 parts oil to 1 part parafin wax. I just melt the wax and oil together in a mason jar in an old rice cooker.

I know a lot of folks use vegetable oil successfully, but I find this mix works really well without the possibility of rancidity.
 
I've also used a mineral oil/ paraffin wax mix with good results. I melt the wax in the oil and keep soaking/ rubbing it on the board until it refuses the mix. I let it sit for a while and then wipe off the excess. I keep a mason jar of the stuff around for re-coats every so often. If a cutting board warps, it will often return to shape if you just leave it to dry out. It helps to really soak the oil/wax mix into the end grain.
 
Every year about this time (Christmas Presents, etc.) the question of oil on cutting boards comes up and there is a considerable opinion pronouncing going on... weather to use oil or not as some research indicates bare wood has some qualities of destroying bacteria. and some say animal oil will go rancid and make you ill, and vegetable oil will do the same, Tung oil and Walnut oil react to allergies, But mineral oil is a laxative but all natural to our "Green" society... For Decades I have been building cutting boards and having students finish them. several bunches of years ago I began dissolving Paraffin in Mineral oil and making a harder finish that performs (I think) better than Oil alone.

Again the secret is allowing to absorb as much as possible before buffing. I think that canoe paddles would benifit from the water shedding qualities of the Paraffin mix, as well.

Happy Holiday preparations to all, get those projects finished .....:thumb:
 
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