Cuttingboard finish - YOUR experience

[Gary Kittleson]

Ok, I do realize that there are different opinions out there, and as I'm preparing to finish my FIRST cuttingboard, I will not pretend to have first-hand knowledge. I am making the "woodwhisperer" board out of maple & purpleheart, and need to decide how to finish it. I also am aware that the topic can be a bit controversial. So, rather than ask "which is better", I want to hear your opinion about the finish you used. As for me I know that:

1. I seriously doubt that I would re-oil my board every month. Knowing myself well enough, I just don't think it would happen regularly.

2. I'm leaning 'twords the Salad Bowl Finish.

So, let me know what you DO like about the finish you chose, and what you do not like. If you used the salad bowl finish, do you regret it?

Looking forward to your opinions, (but please, no bashing others if their opinon differs)

Gary

[Todd Burch]

I use mineral oil. Probably the same thing as a salad bowl finish, but cheaper and easier to find. My cutting board, maple, (and island chopping block, locust, - I did not make) both do dry out, over the course of 6-9 months, and I re-oil them. I do not do it monthly - what a hassle that would be. Re-oiling takes every bit of 4 minutes.

Todd

[Philip Rodriquez]

I have made a bunch of them. Originally, I went with the salad bowl finish... but I found that the finish doesn't keep it's luster. Fortunately, you can just apply mineral oil over the top of it. Now I only use mineral oil. $.97 at the Walmart pharmacy!

[Montgomery Scott]

When given as gifts I smear on the lemon oil wax for appearance. For my own use I put no finish on at all. I don't see the point of doing so as I'm not concerned about appearance and other than that oil has no useful function.

[Sam Stephens]

Salad bowl finish is thinned varnish -usually polyurethane. look up the msds. Here's a link to GF's, but they're all basically the same.

http://www.rockler.com/tech/RTD20000058AA.pdf

it is food safe after the finish has cured, but realize the you'll cut right through it the first time you use the board thereby nullifying any protective effect from moisture. Here's a good recipe for oil/wax:

From Howard Acheson:
An excellent treatment for wooden food preparation surfaces like cutting boards and butcher blocks is 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 liquefied. 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 longer 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.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

End grain or long grain? I think it makes a big difference.
Sorry to go against the mineral oil guys, but my end grain boards got severly warped using the cheapo "medical grade" mineral oil. I originally went with Minwax butcher block oil. I kept having to sand and refinish, so I sanded it all off, and tried mineral oil. It just kept getting absorbed by the end grain, and I decided 5 or 6 soakings was enough. But it was not. After a few days of use, it got warped pretty bad. I let it dry, and it returned to a semi normal state. I then refinished it with the original Minwax Butcher block finish, which is a hardening oil. works much better. You do have to refinish. I'm currently testing out Mike Mahoneys walnut oil. Seems to be all he claims to be. I originally did not want to use a fruit/nut type oil, since some say it goes rancid. But Mike has stuff in it to harden and keep it from going rancid.

The wife uses the boards every day, drops it in the sink full of water, so if youre making minimal use cutting board, like a bread board which wont see water, you can use something else.

Hope this helps. Just my $0.02.

[Jim Riseborough]

I have always used mineral oil. I usually let it soak overnight in the oil, then let it dry. After a week, apply again, then at about 1 month, then yearly. Never dishwash a board, and if giving as a gift, give them a bottle of oil too.

[thomas prusak]

I used General brand Salad Bowl Finish ( which I believe you are referring to ) and found that 1. It holds up very well 2. It has and maintains a semi gloss sheen and 3. Wipes clean very easily

[Howard Acheson]

What do you mean by Minwax Butcher Block Oil? As far as I know and can determine, Minwax does not market a product by that name or a product specifically intended for a cutting board.

The reason that non-hardening oils are used on cutting boards is that they "heal" the penetration of a knife blade. A hardening or drying oil will be damaged with every cut allowing water and juices to be absorbed into the wood.

[Gary Kittleson]

When given as gifts I smear on the lemon oil wax for appearance. For my own use I put no finish on at all. I don't see the point of doing so as I'm not concerned about appearance and other than that oil has no useful function.

What difference does this make...a better sheen? If so, how long should I expect it to last? How about these products from HD ?

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202500132/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=butcher+block+oil&storeId=10051

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202097756/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=butcher+block+oil&storeId=10051

[Ted Calver]

Here's my take on end grain boards. I use Watco Butcher Block Oil as an initial pore filler. It's very thin and soaks into the end grain, often going all the way through the board before I have a chance to turn it over. I follow mfg's instructions. After it dries I apply a paste wax made from Mahoney's Utility Finish (Walnut Oil) and beeswax at a ratio of one part wax to four parts oil. My theory is that the butcher block oil soaks into and seals the end grain and the oil/wax gives it a nice sheen and a renewable top coat. My oldest board has seen daily use for going on five years and with an occasional reapplication of the oil/wax mix still looks like new. YMMV
http://www.lowes.com/pd_43860-90-000000000000241758_0__?productId=3153369

[Ellen Benkin]

Mineral oil is cheap, safe, looks good, and is easy to apply. However, it almost never dries. Salad bowl finish is safe, looks terrific, and is easy to apply. However, I've found that it does not hold up well if the board is actually used and not just a display piece. If you are doing end grain boards make sure the first coat soaks all the way through. Subsequent coats should not soak through.

[Kent A Bathurst]

My version of reality:

Double boiler, set on moderate heat. Mineral oil into the pot. Let it warm up.....you want to be sure you aren't going nuke on the heat - bad things happen. Let it get reasonably hot - you can still stick your finger in it without screaming, but you don't want to leave the finger in there for too long. Flood the endgrain cutting board both faces. The temp of the oil thins it a bit, and it absorbs faster. Stand it on edge. As the min oil cools, it weeps out. And weeps out. And weeps out. Wipe it down every so often. Couple days.

While you are going through this noise, back to the double boiler. More min oil. same warmth. shave off fat curls of beeswax into the oil + stir it around. I dunno the "correct" proportions........but when it is cooled, it is about the consistency of good paste wax - maybe a bit thinner. Pour it off into mason jar[s]. Let it cool completely before you put the lid on it.

Last step: when you are done with the weeping & wiping, take just the bottom pan of the boiler, on mod heat, 1/2 full of water. Set an open mason jar of wax/oil mix in it. It will liquify. Cotton rag, and apply this liquified goop to the board. Let it cool/congeal. Wipe.

Done.

Then, to refresh the board, you can reheat the goop, or just use it at room temp out of the jar like paste wax.

When I have made boards as gifts, I always include [a] a pint of goop, and [b] lifetime sanding/flattening service.

[Rick Potter]

Does anyone know what they use on a cutting board you buy at a store?

Rick Potter

[Jim Neeley]

My experience: M son and I made an end-grain cutting board for mamma two years ago this Christmas.

At that time we applied a blend of ~3 parts MS to ~1 part oil-based poly.

Flooded the surface until it soaked clear through (didn't take long) they wiped the surface clean.

Let dry, applied second coat; none ran through. Wiped off and let dry.

I noticed the other day the surface was getting pretty cut up so we will sand and re-finish it again this Christmas break.

I'm *expecting* to see little soak-through since I *expect* the dilute poly got carried through the body of the board along with the MS the first time so the re-finish will be mostly cosmetic.

Other than a regular washing with dish soap and hot water, that's been the maintenance.

Just my $0.02.. YMMV.

Jim in Alaska

[Alan Lightstone]

I've settled on mineral oil and beeswax. Nice finish, easy to apply, relatively durable. I keep a bottle of it that I just need to heat up and use.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

[QUOTE=Howard Acheson;2014801]What do you mean by Minwax Butcher Block Oil? As far as I know and can determine, Minwax does not market a product by that name or a product specifically intended for a cutting board.
QUOTE]

Ah sorry, its Watco butcher block oil. I could have sworn it was Minwax that made it. So many products. Watco makes good products too. My bad.

[Montgomery Scott]

I choose it because it's not messy like liquids, smells nice and brings out the colors as well as oil with a flat sheen. I won't buy mineral oil so I won't comment on those.

[David Helm]

We are talking about a cutting board. Sheen is irrelevant. Gets a lot of knife marks. I only use extra virgin olive oil, applied sparingly and wiped off. Reoil every six months or so. Been using the same cutting board (hard maple) for 15 years.

[Jeff Bartley]

Walnut oil is the only nut oil that will not get rancid.....there's nothing wrong with mineral oil but I personally like using a nut oil instead of a petroleum product. Walnut oil will definitely dry (so will mineral oil) but it does take longer than a regular finish. I put a couple coats of straight walnut oil and then the last coat is a oil/beeswax blend. Any re-freshening coats get the oil/wax blend. Re-freshening is a function of use----more use, more frequent re-freshening!

[Michael Heffernan]

I make a lot of cutting boards, mostly edge grain out of cutoffs in my shop. I always finish them with a mix of mineral oil and beeswax. Make sure you warm it up before applying. Three or four coats on all my new boards. I recommend to clients to rub in a couple coats of mineral oil every few months after that.
I got tired of making my own 'mix' so I now use Howard Products 'Butcher Block Conditioner'. It's a mix of mineral oil, beexwax and carnauba wax. Put a bottle in some hot water until warm and then rub it in. Wait 15 minutes, wipe off the excess, then re-apply (for new boards). Easy peasy.
You can get 12oz. bottles at Home Depot or online
http://www.homedepot.com/Paint-Interior-Paint-Stain-Stain/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xhmZbbbo/R-202097756/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051

[Montgomery Scott]

Re-oiling is irrelevant. it does nothing useful for the wood.

[Jeff Bartley]

Montgomery- with daily use the oil/wax will wear off making it easier for water to soak into the wood. Re-oiling (or re-oil/waxing) protects the board. I'm not tryin to argue but I can't understand how re-oiling is 'irrelevant'??

[Don Williams Michigan]

I have just completed an order for 40 edge grain boards. I decided on the mineral oil beeswax blend to finish them. One thing is that I found a supplier for a thinner viscosity food safe mineral oil. Much easier to use than what is purchased in pharmacies and appears to absorb better than the thicker mineral oil.

Three good coats and then buff with a soft rag. This works for me.

[Erik Christensen]

I use BLO - reapply every 6 months - works for me but I don't put the boards in the sink - just rinse & wipe dry.

[Gary Kittleson]

Ok, so I gave my wife the cutting board, which she loves. Here is what I did, what I think I messed-up on, and what to do....?...:

What I did: I purchased the Howard oil/wax from Home Depot. I warmed it up, and applied 3-4 coats (can't remember now).
Messed up possibly: I'm thinking I should have applied a couple of coats of oil only, then the oil/wax mixture....

The reason I think I should have done that, is because before use, it was baby-butt smooth. After a use, and subsequent washing, the maple (maple/purpleheart board) grain has risen, giving an uneven, rough cuttingboard.

So...what to do. I am assuming a re-sanding is in order here. But, I have never attempted to sand something that has been oiled with mineral oil (After finding the rough surface, the board has been coated a few times with oil-only Howard oil)...

I could use a bit of advise here, please...

Thanks!

[Gary Kittleson]

Ok, so I gave my wife the cutting board, which she loves. Here is what I did, what I think I messed-up on, and what to do....?...:

What I did: I purchased the Howard oil/wax from Home Depot. I warmed it up, and applied 3-4 coats (can't remember now).
Messed up possibly: I'm thinking I should have applied a couple of coats of oil only, then the oil/wax mixture....

The reason I think I should have done that, is because before use, it was baby-butt smooth. After a use, and subsequent washing, the maple (maple/purpleheart board) grain has risen, giving an uneven, rough cuttingboard.

So...what to do. I am assuming a re-sanding is in order here. But, I have never attempted to sand something that has been oiled with mineral oil (After finding the rough surface, the board has been coated a few times with oil-only Howard oil)...

I could use a bit of advise here, please...

Thanks!

[Mike Heidrick]

I used General brand Salad Bowl Finish ( which I believe you are referring to ) and found that 1. It holds up very well 2. It has and maintains a semi gloss sheen and 3. Wipes clean very easily

+1 - Maybe not the best but I like to use it and I agree with the post above about its quality and sheen.

[Tom Scott]

Messed up possibly: I'm thinking I should have applied a couple of coats of oil only, then the oil/wax mixture....
So...what to do. I am assuming a re-sanding is in order here. But, I have never attempted to sand something that has been oiled with mineral oil (After finding the rough surface, the board has been coated a few times with oil-only Howard oil)...

I could use a bit of advise here, please...

Thanks!

Gary,
It's not a big deal and you didn't mess up. It's not unusual for the grain to raise after washing and then drying. Simply knock it back down with some 220 or higher sandpaper. You might even need to do it again after another few washings. I will wash mine (and other wooden utensils) with a scouring pad, and that takes care of it also.

[Tom Seaman]

Gary,
I raise the grain once and knock it back lightly with 220 or 320 grit paper before putting on a finish (I use walnut oil on edge grain boards, salad bowl finish followed by walnut oil on end grain boards). I also generally raise the grain again after a coat of finish is on, and knock it back by wet sanding with more walnut oil. This does the trick. It is more work to do it this way, but I do it so the gift recipient or customer doesn't have a fuzzy board after one use. So, you should have no trouble smoothing it by wet sanding with your oil/wax mixture you originally used.

[Bob Falk]

Walnut oil is the best IMO...cheap, natural, totally edible (you buy it in the grocery and the rest of the bottle can be used for salads, etc.)...if you want more sheen put some beeswax on after the oil dries....I think mineral oil ok, but as has been said, its slow to dry. I have serving boards and salad bowls I have made (used regularly) that are 25 years old and look nearly new as I put a new coat of walnut oil on periodically (every year or so, or when the wood looks dry). My $0.02

[Jay Park]

Agree with Kent, beewax and mineral combo works best. Used it for many years.

Jay

[Clay Fails]

I used General brand Salad Bowl Finish ( which I believe you are referring to ) and found that 1. It holds up very well 2. It has and maintains a semi gloss sheen and 3. Wipes clean very easily
+2 on the GF salad bowl finish. I've used it on many boards given as gifts with no issues that i know of.

[JimT Thompson]

We are talking about a cutting board. Sheen is irrelevant. Gets a lot of knife marks. I only use extra virgin olive oil, applied sparingly and wiped off. Reoil every six months or so. Been using the same cutting board (hard maple) for 15 years.
Ditto except applied liberally then wiped off. Maple and purpleheart. We scrub it in hot water pretty much daily, oil it regularly every few months when it seems to need it. Gets daily use.

[Jeffrey Langdell]

I'd like to add some clarity to this long string of comments. This info comes from studying the MSDS (safety data sheet) of each product. All of the products I have studied fall in to these categories....

Pure mineral oil- This is the most common "cutting board oil". The advantage is that it is the cheapest. The disadvantage is that it never dries and requires the most maintenance. Also, anyone interested in "natural, non-toxic" wont like the fact that this is a petroleum product. It is sold by countless names. Boos Mystery oil is mostly mineral oil.
Mineral oil blended with wax- The wax adds more protection than plain mineral oil. It will also wear off (on your food) and require maintenance. Once again, the mineral oil is safe, but it is a petroleum product. Howard butcher block and cutting board oils are common.
Salad bowl "finishes"- These are pretty much standard varnishes that have been thinned. They claim to be "safe after 72 hours". This is because they have added mineral spirits, Naptha, benzene, or other solvents to thin the varnish. The advantage is that they offer greater durability. But since they are a surface coating, they will eventually dull and are difficult to re-oil with anything else. Also, they smell bad and are truly toxic until the solvents are fully evaporated. Examples include Behlens Salad Bowl finish and General Finishes Salad Bowl finish.
Nut oils- There are only a few oils that truly soak into the wood fibers and dry. Avoid vegetable oils since they can go rancid. Tung oil and Walnut oil are two that will slowly dry in the wood fibers. They are non-toxic as long as you aren't hyper-allergic to nuts. You can use the cutting board right away and allow it to fully dry over time. "Masters Blend Preserve" makes a blend of nut oils for this purpose.

In Summary- We all have our preferences due to our needs. A factory will use the Solvent based finishes because they dry quickly and look nice on a shelf. A craftsman prefers to see the depth of grain that comes from any oil finish. And if you are "green", organic, healthy, you may prefer the Masters Blend Preserve. Keep up the wood work!

[Wade Lippman]

I use BLO - reapply every 6 months - works for me but I don't put the boards in the sink - just rinse & wipe dry.

Good for you! It bewilders me why people use mineral oil, olive oil, walnut oil, and so many other strange things when BLO is so much more effective.

[Dave Aronson]

I use mineral oil and after than I rub in bees wax I get from a local beekeeper. It seems to make the luster last and it smells great. Every once in a while I re-apply the oil and rub in more wax. For the few boards I have made I give a small bar of wax with the board. BTW, they are end grain boards. I can't believe the amount of long grain boards I see people buy. It makes me sad.

[glenn bradley]

Another mineral oil only guy here. I flood the board till it won't take anymore and then wipe it off like I changed my mind. I come back every hour or so and keep wiping until the weeping stops (this can be a few days with end grain boards). I give an 8oz bottle of mineral oil with the boards and have several that have been in heavy service without issue (I use Titebond-III for glue). Most folks who cook know how to take care of their tools but, I include a 'care and feeding' sheet with each board as well.

[roger wiegand]

Either walnut oil or pure tung oil (not a tung oil varnish), whichever is close to hand. Re-apply about once a year, every few years scrape the surface to get rid of stains and accumulated whatever and re-finish.

Curious #36 in what way BLO is "so much more effective". I've also used it and can't really tell the difference once it dries, aside from it smells so nice (to me, others don't seem to like that smell in the kitchen, which is why I don't use it).

I've never understood cutting boards finished with a film forming product-- one cut and you''re done.

[cody michael]

I found a finish at "menards" I really like it, it is mineral oil with beeswax, works alot better then the straight mineral oil I use to use, lasts longer, and water beads up on top of the cutting board.

[Prashun Patel]

The key to your 'failure' was not the finish you used. Don't think that by using a different finish next time, you'll completely avoid what has happened.

Don't also think that you did anything wrong or that this situation is hard to fix.

Just take more of your finish and wetsand it in with 320 or 400 grit sandpaper. You'll get back to baby butt right skippety.

[Rich Engelhardt]

It bewilders me why people use mineral oil, olive oil, walnut oil, and so many other strange things when BLO is so much more effective.Probably because we don't much care for putting heavy metals inside our bodies.
Boiled linseed oil isn't boiled. Metallic driers are added to raw linseed oil to make it dry - with the term "dry" meaning, more or less dry.

There is a food grade version made from flax oil that you can buy. If you really want to use linseed oil, that's the stuff you should be using.

[Bob Falk]

Walnut oil is the only nut oil that will not get rancid.....there's nothing wrong with mineral oil but I personally like using a nut oil instead of a petroleum product. Walnut oil will definitely dry (so will mineral oil) but it does take longer than a regular finish. I put a couple coats of straight walnut oil and then the last coat is a oil/beeswax blend. Any re-freshening coats get the oil/wax blend. Re-freshening is a function of use----more use, more frequent re-freshening!

+1 walnut oil. I have a 10 year old salad bowl that is used almost daily that looks almost new. I recoat a few times a year. Key is, you have to dry them off after washing, and I use dish soap. My cutting boards take a little more abuse and I recoat a little more often, but results are the same. Walnut oil is relatively cheap and available in most grocery stores.

[Bob Glenn]

Mineral oil here. I wouldn't use olive oil as a previous poster suggested, because it can become rancid, IMHO.

[Wade Lippman]

Probably because we don't much care for putting heavy metals inside our bodies.
Boiled linseed oil isn't boiled. Metallic driers are added to raw linseed oil to make it dry - with the term "dry" meaning, more or less dry.

There is a food grade version made from flax oil that you can buy. If you really want to use linseed oil, that's the stuff you should be using.

Can you document there is a danger? It is hard to believe there is any danger unless you oil it daily and eat scraping from the cutting board. Even then, I suspect the metals are tied up in the hardened oil and pass through the body harmlessly.
But I could be wrong... Any documation?

I wonder what Flexner recommends for cutting boards?

[Mike Cutler]

I just use GF Salad Bowl Finish for cutting boards. It's easy, has an MSDS sheet ,and is an approved FDA finish. Bread boards have no finish.
Believe it or not, the FDA has chapters of Federal Regulations concerning cutting boards and finishes. ( They're not big fans of end grain cutting boards though.)
The best finish for a cutting board in daily use is no finish at all. The cellular structure of wood acts as a capillary system to absorb water. Bacteria is greater than 90% water. Absorb the water, and you kill the bacteria. Using soaps to clean cutting boards impedes the ability of the wood to do it's job absorbing water.
A board used for breads and pastry has no finish. You need the flour to stick to the board and act as a bearing surface for the dough.

[Brian Henderson]

I use mineral oil. Probably the same thing as a salad bowl finish, but cheaper and easier to find. My cutting board, maple, (and island chopping block, locust, - I did not make) both do dry out, over the course of 6-9 months, and I re-oil them. I do not do it monthly - what a hassle that would be. Re-oiling takes every bit of 4 minutes.

Rockler sells a Butcher Block Oil (http://www.rockler.com/butcher-block-oil) that I've used and it works just fine for me. It doesn't get rancid, it's absurdly simple to apply, if the cutting board is messed up at all, I'll take it out, sand it down quickly and re-oil, maybe every couple of months, whenever I think it needs it.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I wonder what Flexner recommends for cutting boards?He (wisely) skirts the issue and never really does say.
Documentation?
Sure - just look up the MSDS for boiled linseed oil, look at the label on the can - it will say inedible - look up cobalt, cobalt drier, manganese and manganese drier.
As far as drying goes. just pour a little BLO on a piece of glass and set it aside and check out how long it takes to dry. It will skin over, but, it will never dry completely.

As I mentioned above, if you want to use linseed oil, then simply switch over to food grade flax seed oil.
It's the same price as BLO and if you pick up a small can of driers, you can make your own "boiled" linseed oil out of it.

[Lee Schierer]

Long ago I read an article that said that wood cutting boards are naturally resistant to bacteria growth due to the tannins present in most woods. Cleaning with hot soapy water is the best way to clean them. I have several cutting boards that I made for my wife and some were oiled with mineral oil and some were not. They all look the same and none have ever bee re-oiled. My cutting boards are maple so the grain is fairly tight and doesn't have pores that woulds soak in liquids from things being cut on them. I've used salad bowl finish and it looks great until someone uses a sharp knife on it a few times then it starts to show cut marks.

I would avoid using nut oils as some people are allergic to nut products. All vegetable oils go rancid after a while and can impart taste to items that touch them.

[Jim Wheeler]

I don't use any finish on my cutting boards. They get scrubbed with a brush and hot, soapy water - then rinsed, stood on edge, and allowed to air dry. Occasionally I disinfect them with clorox bleach - especially the one I reserve for raw meats.

Jim

[Steve Milito]

Pure tung oil.
After it's in use I soak then with mineral oil when they look parched.

[Peter Hartman]

Check this guy out. I don't think he ever uses soap...


http://vimeo.com/47809670

[Jon Grider]

I'm with the mineral oil and beeswax crowd. However I don't bother with the double boiler set up, I just use a pint size mason jar filled 2/3 full of mineral oil and put a few chunks of beeswax in. Microwave on high for one minute intervals, stirring until the beeswax melts. This creates a nice goop when cooled. Before I treat my boards, I warm them in a sunny window or place them in the oven on lowest setting for JUST a MINUTE or TWO. I get the impression the warm [not hot] boards soak up more 'goop' than cold ones.

[Mark Bolton]

I'm with the mineral oil and beeswax crowd. However I don't bother with the double boiler set up, I just use a pint size mason jar filled 2/3 full of mineral oil and put a few chunks of beeswax in. Microwave on high for one minute intervals, stirring until the beeswax melts. This creates a nice goop when cooled. Before I treat my boards, I warm them in a sunny window or place them in the oven on lowest setting for JUST a MINUTE or TWO. I get the impression the warm [not hot] boards soak up more 'goop' than cold ones.

I do similar but just with a 1LB coffee can on the stove on low. Couple bottles of oil, big chunk of wax, melt, cool. The result is a half a can of creamy paste that I just stick a rag in, snap the lid on, and leave it. When its time to use I pop the lid, grab the rag, and slather liberally. The wax (to me) keeps a much nicer sheen than just straight oil which (again to me) is only better for re-sale/gift giving because over time the items are going to look no different than an oiled board. If its a gift I usually give the person a ziploc sandwich bag with a bit of goop in it. If its for re-sale, they fend for themselves.

[bill tindall]

Have used it successfully for decades. It is always at hand for quick renewal. Over time it polymerizes some so it doesn't bleed forever like mineral oil. It, or any oil, will darken the wood.

The rancid oil objection is baloney. If you actually use the board it is going to pick up oil and fat anyway. The chemical composition of any vegie oil not materially different from walnut oil, linseed oil or any other plant product with oil in its name. They only differ significantly in the details that enable them to polymerize more or less.

If fearful of the faint cutting board odor that a used board will acquire then avoid cheese or anything fermented for these items smell as the result of the same kinds of chemicals.