Use Ipe for Cutting Board??

[Gilbert Vega]

Has anyone used Ipe for a cutting board? I was wondering whether the wood is toxic when used for food items. Thanks.

[Steve knight]

I have wondered that too. the dust is pretty nasty and it is a oily wood so it will never glue up great so it may not be a good idea.
as far as I have tried you can't get a stronger then the wood joint when you glue ipe. so it may not hold up to the moisture issues in a cutting board. but it may also dull knives faster too since it can be full of silica. I have had some where you can see it sparkle in the light.

[Jack Camillo]

Not only will it dull your knives, it'll wear out all the tools you use to make the cutting board- saw blades, planer and joint knives, handplanes. I have some ipe I started to work with, but now I'm looking for another use for it aside from woodworking. I tell you, though, it'll hold up. I made a 3/4 inch by 3/4 inch ten foot pole with it five years ago and attached a birdhouse to it and stuck it in a one-foot deep pipe in the ground. It's gone through hurricanes and the like for all these years and shows no signs of breaking. But in my opinion, it's just not worth the tool replacement cost to do woodworking with it.

they oughta make baseball bats out of it. the guys wouldn't need steroids

[John Shuk]

It would probably make a kick but end grain cutting board.
I've never heard anyone talk about toxicity but a google search might pull something up.

[Bill Huber]

You guys are always coming up with something new that I have never even heard about and this is another one.

I did a Goggle on it and that is some really neat wood but I bet it would sure be had to work with.

[Justin Bukoski]

I tried this once. Its really bad for kitchen knives.

[Jim Becker]

Bill, Ipe is extremely popular for outdoor decks and some outdoor furniture. Heavy, dense, weather and insect resistant. But you do need to pre-drill for fasteners. Most folks use hidden fasteners for deck work and in those few areas that require a fastener on the face, they countersink and plug to maintain the look.

I'm not sure about using this material for a cutting board, however...I'd have to do a bit of research to absolutely insure that there are no sensitivity issues for that species.

[Jim Becker]

I will add that the way the outside blades are ground will affect its ability to perform chip-out free in certain materials. The "better" dado sets (the ones that test at the top of the pack) have a very aggressive ATB grind that slices fibers more cleanly, particularly when cutting across the grain. (The small downside is that these blades also tend to leave tiny over-cuts at the very edge of the groove, rabbit or dado when you look at them from the end--my Forrest set is like that)

In other words...this could be a sharpening issue with your set.

You could also try pre-scoring the cut line with a very sharp knife and/or painter's tape for nasty wood.

[Lance Peck]

Ipe is also called Tahuari in Peru and it is used as a medicinal cure. The bark is used to make a tea so the wood should be safe for a cutting board.

[Ken Glass]

Fellas,
I have not any of the problems with blade dulling and it works well with carbide tipped blades. It plans, And joints well, and I have made several things including many Adirondack Chairs seen below. It is very hard, but also does not splinter at all. It sands like a dream. I usually finish it in Penofin oil stain for a natural oil finish. Oil finish brings out the 6-7 color variations found i the wood. It is very dense and the chair below weighed in at around 100lbs. I don't think using it for a cutting board is a good idea, because it will only glue with urethane glue such as Gorilla Glue, and it is an oily wood. I would be afraid of transfer to the food.

[Steve knight]

In tests and my own titebond 3 works a bit better in gluing it then gorilla glue does. it surprised me when I tested it. but the joint is still nothing to write home about it is not a very strong glue joint no matter what you use.

[Gilbert Vega]

Ken, Steve, do you wipe the boards off with acetone to remove the surface oils before you glue-up?

All the comments has made me re-consider using Ipe for the cutting board. Maybe I'll use the old standby, Mesquite instead. Thanks for the comments.

I plan on making the same board seen previously on the boards. Here is my sample end grain board using Maple and Purple heart.



A couple more prior to glue-up.

[Steve knight]

in my tests I found acetone made the joint even weaker. I think it pulls the oils up. a better joint is made by freshly milling/sanding the wood before glueup.

[Simon Dupay]

I've used Ipe before making stair treads & risers at work. nasty wood to work with, make sure to wipe down with acetone & use titebond 3. YUK I HATE IPE!!!!!