Epoxy help

[Tom from Clayton]

I'm making an end grain SYP cutting board out of some wood I rescued from an old church that was torn down. It has a couple of visible knots knots that i would like to fill. I've found some food grade epoxy but it comes in rather large containers and is very pricey--too pricey. I've also found some small amounts but I'm pretty sure they are white because they are used in the dental industry. I'm sure that all expoxies are inert after they have fully cured and if I was making it for myself I would use System Three but I am making this cutting board to be sold at a craft show in the fall. Anyone have a thought on what I could use that would be cost effective AND labeled as food safe?

 

[MarkE]

Don't mean to throw a wrench in the works, but I would not use pine for a cutting board. It is too soft and would not hold up well.

 

[Tom from Clayton]

I have had this SYP laying around for a long time and was watching an episode of This Old House and guess what they made? You guessed it, an end grain cutting board out of old SYP and the craft show is being held at the same church the lumber originally came from so it was a aha moment for me. I agree with you and normally wouldn't make a board out of pine but if it was good enough for the This Old House crew it's good enough for me.

 

[Jeff]

While SYP is an unusual choice for a cutting board it's not unheard of or verboten. The fact that it's end grain instead of face grain goes in your favor to some extent because the hardness is comparable to end grain hardwoods and that orientation is generally easier on knives (like cutting into a vertical bundle of spaghetti).

You could simply leave the knots as they are and take a chance that they'll be fine or use the West epoxy. Googling "food safe wood cutting boards" came up zilch, but lots of hits about "food safe finishes"

 

[Tom from Clayton]

This is kind of a darned if I do and darned if I don't kind of thing. I found lots of food grade epoxy on smile.amazon.com and elsewhere but the testing required for the claim seems to double the price and the volumes involved are huge, at least for my use level.

 

[nn4jw]

Just curious, but could SYP resins cause off flavors, particularly when cutting meats?

 

[Jeff]

Just curious, but could SYP resins cause off flavors, particularly when cutting meats?

I suppose that's possible but probably very improbable. If it happens a little resin would probably go unnoticed because the food itself is the predominant flavor.