Cutting board

[Greg Labacz]

I was able to get some ambrosia maple for $3 bf and was wondering if I could use it to make a cutting board for my wife ? is it a hard enough wood and if so could I use a blo and shellac finish or go with a oil finish:confused:

[Chris Fournier]

Usually Ambrosia maple refers to either red or silver maple which is not the preferred sugar/rock hard maple for cutting boards. If you are making an endgrain board you may get away with it. BLO and shellac are a poor choice for finish as BLO has nasty additives and shellac while building a film will not hold up to the wear, tear and water. Mineral oil is a better finish, mineral oil and a wax, even better.

[Lee Koepke]

Maple is plenty hard enough. I use soft maple for my cutting boards. Most of my cutting boards are long (edge) grain, if you glue up that way or endgrain you'd lose the feature of the ambrosia. Face grain cutting boards don't hold up as well to cutting, but can look real nice.

BLO is NOT a good recommended finish for food surfaces. Mineral oil is my preferred choice, its inexpensive and food-safe.

[Tony Joyce]

I was able to get some ambrosia maple for $3 bf and was wondering if I could use it to make a cutting board for my wife ? is it a hard enough wood and if so could I use a blo and shellac finish or go with a oil finish:confused:

FYI:
181428This is the Ambrosia beetle that carries the fungus,
that causes Maple to look like this.181429

From Professor Gene Wengert:
"The insect that carries in the ambrosia fungus on its feet into the wood (the fungus is food for the insect's offspring when they hatch) prefers wood that is not soaking wet, but that has begun to dry. It will not infect dry wood."

You can get "Salad bowl" finish for cutting boards from Woodcraft or the BORG.

[Steve Schoene]

Yes, BLO contains metallic driers. They could hurt you if you drink it, but they really won't leach out of the BLO once it is fully cured in a month or so. I don't recommend it for cutting boards particularly, but the driers aren't the reason--BLO hasn't used lead as the drier for a very long time.