black walnut safe for cutting board?

[Ryan Hovis]

I made my dad a small cutting board out of black walnut and maple scraps, sealed it with 5 or 6 coats of tung oil and let it cure. he is convinced he is going to drop dead if he comes in contact with the walnut because he heard it is toxic. I call upon my colleagues to disspel this myth ;)

though I hardly consider gluing up some scraps and rounding one edge woodworking, anyone want to see the thing? :confused:

[Eric Larsen]

I can't speak to the toxicity, but I wouldn't want to run a knife across anything that hard. Aluminum is easier to cut than black walnut.

[Rick Levine]

I'm far from an expert but I'm not sure I would have used tung oil on the board. I think Norm made a black walnut bowl on his lathe and used walnut oil on it. If you can use walnut for a bowl to serve from it should be ok for a cutting board, IMHO. It will be great to hear from more experienced users.

[David Bodkin]

Unless your dad is a horse (toxic to them) or allergic to walnuts I don't think there would be a problem to using walnut. As for the Tung oil, I'm not sure. I'd think that if the cutting board was kept soaked with mineral oil or some other food safe oil you would get very little, if any, walnut oil from the cutting board. I've made a couple cutting boards using walnut, cherry, and mineral oil and no one has died yet.

[Christopher Fletcher]

I made some bread boards for x-mas last year out of peruvian walnut and my family is still alive. I finished the boards (all 6) with salad bowl finish over mineral oil. Turned out just fine, I think...

[Mark Rios]

Walnut wood, as opposed to walnut dust, is safe (allergies and sensitivities notwithstanding) as long as you don't eat it. Walnut is used all the time in cutting boards and other kitchen items.

However, the Tung Oil is another issue. I agree that this wouldn't be a good choice for a board that will be used. Generally, plain ol' mineral oil is used on cutting boards. Some folks like to melt some paraffin wax or bees wax into the oil. Some swear that this gives better life to the surface and some can take it or leave it.

Personally, I wouldn't eat off of a board that had been finished with anything but mineral oil (with or without bees wax :D), except maybe "Salad Bowl Finish" but I don't know much about that.

A wooden cutting board needs maintenance in the form of reapplication of mineral oil when the board starts to get dry or, better yet, on a regular schedule for a board that is used everyday.

hth jmo

[John Keeton]

Walnut dust is a sensitizer to many people and can irritate the eyes, sinus membranes, etc. Prior to getting my DC system, when I worked with walnut I got flu like symptoms - aching, joint soreness, etc. for a day or two. I don't even want to think about what my lungs look like!

On the other hand, I don't think it has any effect for the uses you are mentioning. It is used in food vessel and utensil applications all of the time. And, people have been using walnut furniture, gunstocks, etc., for all long as those things have been in existence.

Edited to state that Mark and I were on the same wavelength - he just types quicker!

[Scott Rollins]

Woodworks had an episode were David Marks used Walnut in his cutting board. He warned against using tung oil though as it may go ransid over time. He recommended salad bowl finish.

[Russ Filtz]

Same thing with any organic based oil, such as the walnut oil mentioned. They may go rancid over time. Best to stay with the mineral oil, paraffin, etc. (or beeswax I guess even though that would be organic?)

[Thomas Pender]

I make cutting boards, etc., every year for Christmas gifts - I use maple (sometimes even birds eye scraps) and walnut together and they are attractive together. However, I finish it with salad bowl finish (which looks super). To my knowledge, no one has been made sick yet:D.

[alex grams]

I've used walnut on cutting boards for a while (good contrast in color with some maple). Finish them with mineral oil every so often and never had a problem.

[Jim Becker]

Unless your dad is a horse (toxic to them) or allergic to walnuts...

Bingo on the first one, and maybe on the second...but not an issue otherwise to the best of my knowledge.

[Don Bullock]

When I took woodshop in junior high school (in 1962) I made a walnut cutting board. My mother used it a lot. Since I'm still alive I don't think your dad needs to worry.;):D

[Barry Richardson]

Ozark West (google for more info) is the industry leader in high end cutting boards, their most popular one is black walnut. BTW someone mentioned that black walnut is hard...it's not, it's about midscale in hardness.

[jason lambert]

As stated unless he is deadly alligeric to wallnuts there is no issue and even if he is I have never herd a issue of a cutting board causing a reaction and I have been doing EMS for 20 years. The tung oil is suppose to be safe when dry, in any case every finish is suppose to be safe once dry. But I would use salid bowl oil next time.

[James Ashburn]

Just google "wood toxicity" and you will get plenty of university and wood research sites that give you great data on what is toxic and not. Walnut wood is not toxic but can be an irritant. Try these sites for documented info. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1148.html
http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/roche/rec.wood.misc/wood.toxic
No one had dropped dead from using one before and the juglone is not water soluable meaning that what he cuts on the board will not absrob juglone anyway. Mostly juglone is toxic to some plants.

[Ryan Hovis]

Woodworks had an episode were David Marks used Walnut in his cutting board. He warned against using tung oil though as it may go ransid over time. He recommended salad bowl finish.

:eek: I disobeyed David! (repents, repents, repents)

[Jim Jones]

... anyone want to see the thing? :confused:

Yes Ryan, please post a couple of pics. Thanks.

[Howard Acheson]

Walnut is not toxic to humans unless one has a specific allergy.

Tung oil does not turn rancid and more than linseed oil does. Nor is tung oil toxic. (Be careful here, I am talking about 100% pure tung oil, not one of the faux "Tung Oil Finishes). Both pure tung oil and linseed oil are hardening oils that polymerize (sort of semi-harden). I would not use either for a cutting board or anything that was going to be used for food however. Both have a characteristic odor that lasts a long time and may not be pleasant close to food.

Minerals oil or a mineral oil and wax mixture is the traditional and most used treatment for cutting boards. The wax can be either paraffin or beeswax and is shaved and melted into warm mineral oil.

"Salad Bowl Finish" is nothing more than a thinned varnish. Because it's a film finish, it's a poor choice for something that will be cut on.

[David Keller NC]

One thing to remember with any "drying oil" sold for wood finishing is that they typically have metallic dryers added to them. Boiled Linseed oil used to be full of white lead (lead oxide), but the lead was replaced by cobalt salts in the 1970s. Without these dryers, most drying oils will take a number of years to cure.

I've heard it stated that many oil paintings done in the late 20th century in museums are still curing because the paint was formulated with raw linseed oil.

This is the only flaw I find in Bob Flexner's argument that any cured finish is non-toxic. Certainly, this is generally true of the organic component of the finish, because the polymers that form when the finish cures aren't water soluble (and thus are unlikely to get into your blood stream). Some of the non-organic components, however, I'd be more hesitant about.

[Peter Quinn]

I guess its all been covered, but add one more vote for Walnut wood as non toxic assuming not a horse and no specific allergies. The horse thing I'm sure about, because a farmer collects the wood chips from the cyclone at work for cow bedding, but can't sell it to horse farmers when we are running walnut. The dust irritates many people, I can't imagine you will create enough dust in use to be a problem for the average person.

The finish is another issue. Pure tung oil is non toxic when dry but not generally recommended for food contact. As noted many things sold as Tung oil are not in fact pure tung oil, and may not be at all safe for food contact. Non toxic and safe to consume are two different levels of distinction. I used to be a professional chef before I got into the wood working business, food safe certified. When in doubt, opt towards caution. The majority of food poisoning incidents in this country happen at home.

Typically we used mineral oil or walnut oil (which dries naturally and does not turn rancid), sometimes a light rub of pure beeswax, though some people have honey allergies, don't know if that carries over into the wax? Don't know if I care to accommodate every person with every allergy known to man either, but if some one close to you regularly has such an allergy be aware.

As to the working properties of walnut, it did not get to be North America's premier cabinet making wood (sorry cherry lovers but walnut is still king) on accident or because cabinet makers are insane and love an impossible challenge. It is fairly soft as hardwood goes though hard enough to be durable, mills well, a bit brittle in spots, and very beautiful. It yields crisp profiles when molded and is a major pain to sand without scratching, but hey, nobody is perfect.

Now black locust on the other hand is a bit like milling aluminum.....very hard aluminum, and I'm told its a bit toxic. Stay away from that one.

[Robert LaPlaca]

My mom and dad have had a Walnut cutting board for going on 25 years, it was (and still is) the go to cutting board anything that needs to be carved. Still looks great and none of our large family has suffered any ill effects from the board.

I will add that the safest wood possible is sugar maple... Only finish I would consider on any cutting board is Mineral oil..

[Kevin Godshall]

I have made and sold several cutting boards with walnut used to contrast lighter color woods. Never had a complaint. (Hope it wasn't because my customers died from the walnut..................... )

PS (J/K for anyone who took it serious).

[Jesse Cloud]

I've been making walnut cutting boards for home use out of scrap for about 20 years and I'm still kicking.

If you actually use the cutting board and wash it with soap and water, any finish is going to come off, so I wouldn't worry about the tung oil.

Having said all that, walnut has a natural insecticide in it and some people and animals are sensitive to it, so if you have an allergic reaction, the walnut may be the culprit...

[walter stellwagen]

Since no one has brought up the allergy as to worst case. My daughter has been in the emergency room on several occasions as a result of getting o close to walnuts . She has a nut allergy and as such things go walnut is one of the worst.

Walt

[Charlie Plesums]

As noted, the walnut dust can be irritating (but so can most dust)
As noted, mineral oil is probably the best finish for food-contact projects
As noted, walnut shavings can be bad for horses (as I understand it, when mixed with horse urine, a toxin is created that is absorbed through the horse's hooves)

But nobody has mentioned the great part of walnut shavings... it prevents germination of most seeds. I save my walnut shavings for gardeners who do plants rather than seeds (especially rose gardens), since the plants grow but the weeds can't sprout. A layer under house shrubs keeps the weeds down for several years.

[Jake Helmboldt]

As noted, the walnut dust can be irritating (but so can most dust)
As noted, mineral oil is probably the best finish for food-contact projects
As noted, walnut shavings can be bad for horses (as I understand it, when mixed with horse urine, a toxin is created that is absorbed through the horse's hooves)

But nobody has mentioned the great part of walnut shavings... it prevents germination of most seeds. I save my walnut shavings for gardeners who do plants rather than seeds (especially rose gardens), since the plants grow but the weeds can't sprout. A layer under house shrubs keeps the weeds down for several years.

So I guess the horse urine and walnut shaving concoction is not a good finish for the cutting board?:eek:

As for mulch around plants; be very careful. It doesn't just kill weeds. There are a lot of plants that die as well. Offhand I know tomatoes won't grow anywhere near a walnut tree. Do your homework before killing several hundred dollars of landscaping with walnut shavings.

[Jeffrey Langdell]

I prefer to use "Preserve Woodenware Oil". It says it is made of 100% non-toxic nut oils. There are no thinners or driers. Preserve soaks into the wood fibers and actually dries. Minieral oil is a petroleum by-product and never dries. Parafin is also a petroleum by-product. Vegetable oils can turn rancid. I just like to keep things simple and natural.

[paul wiser]

walnut is ok for a board. have made several with no problems reported. as far as i know tung oil is not listed as an acceptable finish for products coming in contact with food. i use either walnut oil (mahoneys) or salad bowl finish.

[Frank Drew]

I can't speak to the toxicity, but I wouldn't want to run a knife across anything that hard. Aluminum is easier to cut than black walnut.

If Ryan is using sugar maple, that's a lot harder than walnut.

[David Winer]

Wow, what a lot of divergent recommendations in this thread.

Re several comments to the effect that no one died using the material: This is hardly a convincing argument. Low-level toxicity may have deleterious effects that you don’t want to encounter even though short of fatal! However, I am dubious that cutting board uses of oils recommended in this thread pose much more than hypothetical problems.

I have made cutting boards over the years and finished them with Watco. Supposedly this oil-based product “polymerizes” and is inert for food purposes after some days of application. "No one has died." On the other hand, I’ve seen recommendations for various oils and sort of come to the conclusion that heat-treated walnut oil would be a better for cutting boards. (Available at Highland woodworking, but I have yet to try it.) Now I see Jeffrey Langdell’s note about "Preserve Woodenware Oil” of 100% non-toxic nut oils. I plan to try one of these two oils immediately.

My experience seems to belie the general recommendations that cutting boards require some sort of treatment. Yes, the appearance is improved, but the functionality is not harmed by neglecting to oil the surfaces. All we do is wash and dry cutting boards to remove all vesitiges of food after each use—not to be concerned about the cosmetics. Still, the idea of oiling with a nut oil seems appropriate and I will try it.

I just snapped a picture of a Dansk cutting board given to us as a wedding present forty years ago. It as been in daily use all this time and as far as I know has never been refinished in any manner. The board is thin plywood with end-grain teak (I think) on both faces.

[Lee Schierer]

Tell your Dad not to gnaw on the cutting board and he will be fine. As long as they aren't finely chopping stuff the small bits and pieces that may eventually come off should pass right on through his system. On the other hand the tung oil may not be as forgiving. Only mineral oil should be used as vegatable or other plant type oils can go rancid and leave a foul taste on foods being cut. If the cutting surface starts to look chopped up a short trip past the ROS will take care of it.

As far as dulling knives if concerned, black walnut certainly isn't going to dull a kinife as it is considerably softer than steel.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Chef Peter can chime in on this - Maple is the preferred and safest cutting board surface. Yes, all of the contrasting woods are pretty and attractive, but maple has better natural anti-microbial properties inherent to the wood.

Will other woods kill you or make you sick? No, but if you go and cut raw meat on it, you have a heck of a time neutralizing the bloom of bacteria that can develop. Oh, and that stuff about plastic cutting boards? They harbor bacteria worse than anything.

As for finishes, if you can't put it in your mouth, don't put it on your food prep surface.

[Howard Acheson]

>> I finish it with salad bowl finish

"Salad Bowl Finish" is just an oil/varnish mixture not too much different from Watco or Minwax Tung Oil Finish.

Most makers of "Salad Bowl Finish" use an alkyd varnish and linseed oil and copious amounts of mineral spirits.

On another point, tung oil will never go rancid. Walnut oil however can.

And another point. As already said, dust from Walnut is a sensitizer for some folks but solid walnut is not considered toxic. However, walnut sawdust and chips are harmful to the hooves of horses so should never be used in stables.

[Dan Gill]

Walnut is safe to use, it is not very hard (certainly softer than hard maple), and mineral oil will work very well as a cutting board finish. It will not go rancid as salad oil will. As for bacteria bloom, yes that can happen, which is why lots of folks use the plastic cutting boards. Me, I just wash my boards frequently, scrubbing with an old toothbrush. To each his own.

[Cody Colston]

No, a Walnut cutting board will not make anyone sick.

Mineral oil is the most-used and probably the safest "finish" you can put on a cutting board if you have to put something on it.

As someone else mentioned, we just wash ours and let it dry. It's a utensil, not a piece of art.

[Maurice Ungaro]

As for bacteria bloom, yes that can happen, which is why lots of folks use the plastic cutting boards.

Actually, plastic boards are the worse for promoting bacteria. Here's a quick little read from UC Davis: http://faculty.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/faculty/docliver/Research/cuttingboard.htm

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Yah the tree has a toxicity to it mostly it's to give the seedlings a head start the level of toxicity in the wood will be immaterial unless one is highly allergic or planning on eating the word directly.

[Rusty Elam]

I am not sure, I made a Walnut cutting board in woodshop 35 or more years ago and have eaten thousands of items cut on it. But now that you mention it I have been having a hard time remembering things lately and my eyesight seems to be getting worse. I ll bet its from that Walnut.