Oil for cutting boards

[R. McCarthy]

:confused: What would be the best oil to use on a cutting board (both initially and over time) and roughly how often should they be treated. I was a little bit surprised to read that olive oil seems to be a no-no.

[Kev Y.]

Hi there,I have just completed several chopping boards (mountain ash 50mm thick) and finished them off with generic grapeseed oil from Coles.

I have been told that grapeseed oil will not go "sour" like some other oils.

regards Kev.

[R. McCarthy]

Originally posted by Brudda
Hi there,I have just completed several chopping boards (mountain ash 50mm thick) and finished them off with generic grapeseed oil from Coles.

I have been told that grapeseed oil will not go "sour" like some other oils.

regards Kev.

Thanks Kev - I'll give that a go.

[col2]

Hi R

grapeseed oil was the one used and recommended by the craft and timber place at Ulmarra (near Grafton) where we bought camphor laurel chopping boards last January. As Kev wrote, it is supposed to not go off like olive oil.

cheers

Colin

[Suresh]

I have been using pure tung oil on my chopping boards, works an absolute treat. It is dirt cheap, about $15 a litre, made by Sceneys in Sunshine melbourne and available through paint shops. Takes quite a while to harden but this can be accellerated by putting it in direct sunshine. I make and finish the board then expose it for a day and leave it alone for week or so before using it. Penetrates quite well even into Ironbark and leaves a finish that does not go bad, peel or deteriorate.
Suresh

[R. McCarthy]

Originally posted by Suresh
I have been using pure tung oil on my chopping boards, works an absolute treat. It is dirt cheap, about $15 a litre, made by Sceneys in Sunshine melbourne and available through paint shops. Takes quite a while to harden but this can be accellerated by putting it in direct sunshine. I make and finish the board then expose it for a day and leave it alone for week or so before using it. Penetrates quite well even into Ironbark and leaves a finish that does not go bad, peel or deteriorate.
Suresh

I agree that Tung oil is a superior wood finisher but have reservations about it's interaction with food, particularly contact with raw meat, chicken etc. even very briefly.

Can't seem to find very much on the web about this - someone out there has probably researched it in depth however.

[Gumby]

try
http://www.organoil.com.au/
they have a 'Wood Wipe' oil for just that purpose.

[Neil]

Do we have to revisit this one again? Paraffin Oil It is the only tryely safe oil to use and is sold extensively in the USA etc as salad bowl oil. Anything that seals the timber like tung oil also takes away the timbers natural ability to fight bacterior.

[JackoH]

I'm with you Neil. Why won't you buggers use the search button, to get to the best library of advice available on the web? 99% of these questions have been dealt with at least once over the last few years.
Besides it would save having to sort through pages and pages of posts after being away for only a few days !!!
Better still if you want to know how to finish anything made of wood, get a copy of "The Polishers Handbook" by you know who.:mad:

[DIYer]

I have tried unsuccessfully to purchase this product and have been informed that the company that makes it, Organoil had a fire at their premises last November. They are "apparently" not producing anything at this time. If anyone can assist in locating a local supplier in Victoria, I'd be greatly appreciative

Cheers

[gatiep]

I have seen some this week at Carbatec in Perth

www.carbatecwa.com.au