Finishing Bowls

[Bernie Weishapl]

My DIL wants me to maker her some salad bowls either out of mesquite or Black Cherry. What kind of finish do you use on bowls that are used to eat? Also what speeds do you run turning a bowl after being roughed? Thanks

[Mark Cothren]

Not answering your question, Bernie... but related... I was told once that Black Cherry contains a bit of cyanide... anybody know if that's true? If so, I'd want a good sealer of some sort for a finish if I was gonna eat out of it.

[Andy Hoyt]

....What kind of finish do you use on bowls that are used to eat?.....

Bernie - I never eat my bowls. I get plenty of fiber by eating what's in them.:cool:

For what it's worth, we have many wooden kitchen utensils, bowls, and so forth. Some I've made, some acquired. For the ones I've made the finish of preference is sanding to as high a grit as possible; burnish with shavings; and you're done. After years of use, I think mine are holding up better and look sharper than the store bought pieces.

Speed? - As fast as the lathe and the item will allow. For me - that's a snoodge below Warp Factor Three.

[Jim Becker]

I like Andy's method or mineral oil. I generally don't prefer any kind of film finish on a bowl that will be actively used for food. (And I never wash them with soap...just warm water)

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks for the comments. I am kinda concerned about Mark's comment about black cherry having cyanide. Any comments? Don't want to make eating utinsels if that is true and it is unsafe. Are there any other woods to stay away from as far as ones to being used in the kitchen?

Also I was looking at a finish by Behlen which is suppose to be FDA approved for eating utinsels and children's toys. It says after 72 hrs. of drying it is food safe. Does anyone have comments or has anyone used this product?

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the comments. I am kinda concerned about Mark's comment about black cherry having cyanide. Any comments?

New one by me...


Also I was looking at a finish by Behlen which is suppose to be FDA approved for eating utinsels and children's toys. It says after 72 hrs. of drying it is food safe. Does anyone have comments or has anyone used this product?

ALL finishes sold today are "food safe" once fully cured...you're looking at marketing materials... ;) (and consider that shellac is the coating on certain medications and candy...)

[Ron Ainge]

Bernie

I think that the information that you have been given by the other responders is very good, the only thing that I will add is that almost all finishes you can put on wood is food safe if it is cured properly. Most of the finishes we use on wood are used in the food industry to coat or stabilize food with. If people knew what was in there food they may think about eating prepared food for a while.

[Adam Howard]

Lately I've been using a 1:1 mixture of BLO and Polyurehthane. It gives excellent protection from liquids, makes the bowl shine, and does not leave that plastic look.

Just apply a thin film and let stand for 1/2 hour or so, then wipe off with a cloth. Repeat two or more times. It gives super water protection and is also easy to re-apply if there is ever a need.

Mineral oil is my second choice. Never a vegetable oil, as it goes rancid.

On cherry wood.....it may contain cyanide, but the levels are extremely low. Cyanide levels are much higher in the leaves, flowers, and the stone pit of the fruit. The leaves and flowers are by far the most toxic, and it must be injested in quantities (ounces) to make you sick. Contact of food with wood will be no problem. People have used cherry-wood bowls for centuries. In other words, it's more dangerous eating the fruit (especially bitter ones) and accidentally swallowing the pit than eating out of a cherry bowl.

No worries....

[Bernie Weishapl]

Thanks for the info. I appreciate all the answers and the help.

[Doug Jones]

I think this is what Mark was refferring to;


Like all stone fruits, cherry leaves, flowers, and especially seeds and bark contain toxic compounds which generate cyanide, which is of course toxic or lethal in large doses. However, in plant tissues, cyanide is low enough in concentration to be considered therapeutic, particularly for cancer (tumor) treatment, and has been used for this purpose since at least 25 BC. P. serotina, the wild black cherry, is the most dangerous species in the Rose family. It is native to eastern North America. Children have been poisoned by chewing twigs, eating seeds, and making tea from leaves. All classes of livestock have been killed from eating leaves.

http://www.uga.edu/fruit/cherry.htm