Food safe wood stain and sealer?

[Semper Fi]

One word of caution on food dye............. I used it on some toys I made for my newest grandson and, of course, it ended up in his mouth. The toy plans called for this method of coloring, but he never actually used it on one of his children, I think! If you could get a seal on the wood, it would probably work......... until the sealer gets worn. LOL

ps. Mother wasn't happy with Father for not watching son closer! Gotta love grandkids!

[Semper Fi]

Just a thought............... years ago when I lived in the land of the trolls (Lower Michigan), I bought a blackpowder rifle that was stained with coffee. I sold the gun long ago, but as I remember it, the color was dark, kinda like walnut. Because it was water based, I imagine the whiskers would need sanded down, but I would think it would be foodsafe.

[Kenm810]

Hey Ernie, from one of the troglodytes living in the land of the trolls

We often work with and restore Antiques,
For years it was quite common to use coffee, tea, even berry juices
to repair or color wood products. Some folks still do.
And yes I was a Buckskinner too and use coffee to color my Connecticut Arms 45 cal. Brown Barreled Mountain Rifle.
But thats another story from a life time ago.

[bdehoyos]

What kind of wood would you recommend for a cutting board?

[Router-Jim]

What kind of wood would you recommend for a cutting board?

Use any of the closed grain hardwoods. Maple, cherry, walnut are three of my favorites. Avoid the open grain woods like red oak or mahogany as there is the potential for bacteria to get in the pores.

I wrote a tutorial for another forum on creating end grain cutting boards if you're interested. (Lots of pictures)

http://woodworkerszone.com/wiki/inde...Cutting_Boards

[bdehoyos]

Thanks , Very interesting !!!

[Kenm810]

I like Hard Maple for the cutting boards I make,the grain carves crisp,
without a lot of chip outs when you use a little draft
and it doesn't leave a ton of fuzzes the patterns or text.
I've carved both single piece boards and I've glued up 1" x 3/4" strips and alternated the grains and colors
to make up a butcher block type cutting board. Then finished them all by rubbing in some butcher block oil.

[leesheridan]

Wood cutting boards have been around for ever and yes they are still used today. But do to the pores in all woods they are not the item of choice by any health department. If you were to cut raw chicken and then wipe it "clean" it still would not be clean. You have a great chance of spreading salmonella poisoning. And to put a food safe finish on it still will not take care of the problem. Again, do to the pores in all woods. They look great, they work good, but any proper cleaning method will either remove the finish or just not do a good job of cleaning.

[Eagle Hollow]

Wood cutting boards have been around for ever and yes they are still used today. But do to the pores in all woods they are not the item of choice by any health department. If you were to cut raw chicken and then wipe it "clean" it still would not be clean. You have a great chance of spreading salmonella poisoning. And to put a food safe finish on it still will not take care of the problem. Again, do to the pores in all woods. They look great, they work good, but any proper cleaning method will either remove the finish or just not do a good job of cleaning.

Someone in the last few months posted a research article showing that wooden cutting boards are much safer than other materials. Interesting that any remaining bacteria remaining on the surface after cleaning, are captured below the surface. HotPop posted the article. It should be read by all of us who make cutting boards.

Here it is:http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/fa...ttingboard.htm

Thanks HotPop

[bdehoyos]

Someone in the last few months posted a research article showing that wooden cutting boards are much safer than other materials. Interesting that any remaining bacteria remaining on the surface after cleaning, are captured below the surface. HotPop posted the article. It should be read by all of us who make cutting boards.

Here it is:http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/fa...ttingboard.htm

Thanks HotPop

Wow an eye opener

Thanks !!