Finished cutting board

[tonyps]

Morning all,
Finished this last night. I've been knocking a few of these out for gifts, some tool money as well....seem to go over really well..
1"Tx12"wx16"L
From left to right:
white oak, black walnut,brazilian cherry,american cherry,maca,curly maple,purple heart.
Should have taken the picture outside, darn shop florescent lights..
Tony ...

 

[TracyP]

Good looking cutting board. What do those usually go for?

 

[HMH]

Hey Tony,

That came out nice. Congrats.:icon_thum

 

[RandyJ]

Beautiful choice of woods, Tony! I like the contrast and the finish looks great. BTW, what is the finish?

 

[Howard Acheson]

What Finish???

That is a nice looking but I'm hoping that you did not use a film type finish on it.

Film finishes are not appropriate for cutting boards unless the board is just for show. It used for cutting or chopping, the finish will be quickly destroyed and moisture and food juices will soak into the wood and between the wood and the finish. This will quickly cause the finish to totally fail and flake off.

The appropriate finish for a cutting board is mineral oil, or even much better, a mixture of mineral oil and either paraffin or beeswax. This is what is used on many commercial wood surfaces. It will last longer and be more protective than just mineral oil. Mineral oil can be found in most supermarkets in the pharmacy section or in a true pharmacy. Paraffin is found in the canning section of the store or in a hardware store.

Heat the oil in a double boiler and shave in some wax. The exact proportions are not critical--a 5-6 parts of oil to one part of wax will work fine. Stir the mixture until all the wax is liquified. Apply the mixture heavily and let it set 10-12 hours or overnight. Next day do it again and continue until the wood will no long absorb the finish. Let it set for 10-12 hours and then lightly scrape off any excess. Then buff it with a rag.

Reapply whenever the wood begins to look dry.

Never put a wood board in the dishwasher and don't soak it in dishwater for long periods.

 

[tonyps]

Afternoon,

Thanks for the kind comments and advice. The finish is just plain ole butcher block oil. I managed to catch the light just right after I put a final coat on it.
I typically get $75-$80 for one this size. I was pricing many different models on ebay, shopping sites and other places. Prices ranged all over the place from $35-$100+, depending on the uniqueness(real word?? :icon_scra ), material and size of the piece. I only recall seeing one or two with different species of wood.
We have a few older cutting boards around the house, oak or hickory, one that uses sliding dovetail joints to put it together. I am considering doing one of those next time around.
Regards,

Tony ...

 

[Howard Acheson]

>> The finish is just plain ole butcher block oil.

Fine. BTW, butcher block oil is nothing more than mineral oil. Although, I've seen some in the past year where they have added paraffin to it. But, I would still recommend you use the process I described. You will end up with a much longer lasting treatment.

Again, nice looking boards.