PLEASE HELP: Wood not to use

[Rian de Bruyn]

I want to make a cutting board for my wife and I am just wandering:
What wood not to use ?????????? maybe it is poisonous or it wil give a bad tast to food !!!!!!!!
PLEASE HELP

[Todd Burch]

Oily woods are not good. Open grain woods are not good. Soft woods are not good.

I'm not aware if any woods are poisonous, but if there are any, obviously, they would not be good.

Birch is a favorite for kitchen utensils and such, because it:


is not oily
has very small pores
is very hard
does not impart flavor into food

[Jay Jolliffe]

My favorite woods for cutting boards is hard maple & purple heart. I've used yellow heart with maple & walnut with maple.....They all look good. You don't want to use soft or open pore woods.....

[Rian de Bruyn]

we have 9 hardwoods in South Africa that is not save for food preparation and 2 that WILL kill you

[Jay Jolliffe]

If you know the ones that are bad don't use them....You can find out what wood are safe on line. Also I didn't see that you are in South Africa....Where about's ?
Someone I work for had a boat built in Cape Town. 64' carbon fiber cat

[Rian de Bruyn]

I am in Bloemfontein its 1000km from Cape Town.
I know of people that got sick from a teakbowl - teak is not on the list -and was just wondering that other wood can make you sick ??

[Peter Kelly]

http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-allergies-and-toxicity/