Sorry if this is a stupid question but here goes. What is the best way to finish an end grain cutting board? I have done wood work for 50 yrs and this is my first cutting board. Lately I have been using Odies oil for some of the stuff I’ve made but I’m not certain how food safe it is. I’m just trying to avoid yellowing as much as possible. Thanks for any help.
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My jar of Odies Oil says it’s food safe. I use it on snack trays …
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Yeah, I just wondered if anyone had ever used it for cutting boards or if there was something better. I was going to use it then I started worrying about how safe it was.
I use this with a heat gun to melt the beeswax into the wood.
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I have made my own mixture of mineral oil (readily available at Walmart) and melted bees wax bars (cheap on amazon). It works well, rubs in easy and is food safe. It probably should be reapplied on occasion which is simple.
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I use the Walrus Cutting Board Oil which has food safe certification. Its Coconut Oil, Mineral Oil, and Beeswax. I don’t do enough to buy bulk and mix up my own. Used on my daily use cutting board and the dog’s food bowl stand. The latter gets slobbered on and wiped down with soapy water several times a day. It isn’t glossy so not great for show pieces. Yellows a little bit over time on light wood (maple) but not much. End grain may soak up a lot.
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I use Howards Cutting Board Oil on all my end grain boards
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Jim: same here. I use Walnut Oil and bees wax, mix it 1:6 Wax - oil, some few drops of lemon essential oil, call it “wood butter”, and put it in tin containers. Walnut oil does not get rancid. Yes, I know mineral oil is ok for contact to woods. But I grew up where even booze was made from leftovers of oil refineries, and try to use plant products now. Coconut oil should also be good, I just got a gallon of Walnut oil from a retiring carpenter. Walnut oil is double the price of coconut oil. So coconut oil also should do it, can get rancid though, very slowly, but eventually. 1:6 is pretty firm in basement temperature, so I warm it up carrying in my pocket some hours, and it is nice and smooth.
Edit: Ups: just got a mail: walnut oil can very well go rancid… (my carpenter friend told me wrong, his container obviously was several years old, and in my basement now for >2y, does still not smell at all, and is clear…) However my few cutting boards do not smell. Yet.
2nd edit: the walnut oil must be refined walnut oil, then it does not get rancid, but cures on wood.
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Here you can see how i do it.
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This was worth a watch for me a while ago:
I don’t think any of the others were bad here, but had some good data presented in.
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Pure Tung Oil works well. Once it fully cures, it is food safe.
Make sure it is pure and not the cheaper stuff that has lacquer in it.
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I have a end grain cutting board that’s just about ready to be refinished. In the past I’ve applied Howards Butcher Block Conditioner to this board. Can Tung Oil be applied over the Howards?
Its on end grain so how heavily should I cover it and how long should it setup? It’s for my daughter in law, so I want to make sure it do this correctly.
I just soak mine good in mineral oil and it holds up very well with no issues
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I have been using food grade mineral oil and beeswax … like others I use a heat gun to help get it deep into the pores… I have used this technique for years on my end grain boards… my daily use board gets re-oiled and wax every 3 months…. The current board is at least 7 years old and still looks great… be sure to use food grade mineral oil… not all mineral oil is graded to food safe…
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I have used walnut oil on projects but was told that people with nut allergies may have a reaction to the nut oil. But then I heard that once it is cured it should be OK. I don’t have a answer but thought I would muddy the waters a little bit.
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Haha, muddy water is why I asked.
I like the WW content (i.e. miter gouge video), but this this video is misleading. Near the beginning he says “mineral oil is the worst finish”. However, during his tests and discussion, he says that pure tung oil performs the best, mineral oil is second, walrus oil is third and Tried and True finish is fourth.
So, 2nd place of 4 is not “the worst”. Also, per his video, the tung oil product he uses costs 4x as much and is not available at any supermarket, pharmacy or hardware store like mineral oil. Lastly, his test process shows tung oil leaving distinct white film on the acrylic test piece. I would have been interested to know what that looks like on a finished cutting board. Last thing I’d want is to give someone a cutting board with a cakey finish. So, use tung oil if you want, but don’t follow the advice to “stop using mineral oil” if you have been happy with it.
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I’ve done a ton of cutting boards both end and edge grain, chaotic to patterned and have used exclusively mineral oil as the first seal coat and let it drip / air dry for a day or two then applied the beeswax, mineral oi and a tiny bit of carnuba wax mixture I make and buffed it in with a buffing wheel. I haven’t had any negative feedback. you will have to reapply the wax from time to time but that is for any finish including Odies oil, I initially started with that and though the lemony smell from the wax was nice I find it too expensive to give out with my cutting boards.
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OSMO!!! This is 100% plant based, food safe, SUPER easy to apply
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