Hello: I have a request to build a cutting board out of Mahogany to match some other items. I don’t think that is a good choice for such an item, am I correct? What other wood is close in appearance and suitable? If it has to be Mahogany what should/can I do to finish it that would help? Filling the grain would be necessary and I imagine something to give a tougher surface if possible.
Thanks, Duke
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Well, if your customer is one who truly uses their kitchen (and cutting board) then the only choice would be to go ahead and build it from Mahogany, maybe using end-grain only.
On the other hand, if their home cooking uses the freezer and microwave, then make them a beautiful piece that matches the style of their cabinet doors. It'll never see a knife anyway.
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Duke
I agree that mahogany is not a very durable cutting board, but it is their choice. Applying products to harden the board is not a good idea in terms of food safe finishes. If you want to suggest a wood that is a better choice, try to find and choose some jatoba that is in the right colour tones. Some people call it South American cherry. I would not use end grain for a cutting board. It is too porous and has increased risk of retaining food particles and juices that could turn and cause illness. The only finish should be mineral oil or bread board oil or something similar, sparingly used. JL
Only islamofacists would make a cutting board out of Mahogany.
:::grin:::
Seriously though... the Jatoba suggestion is a good one if you can find some light enough in color to look reasonably close. It's a very dense wood and that would be preferable for such an application.
Personally I'd be more inclined to try something like Lyptus. In laymen's terms I'd say that it's every bit as hard and dense as Jatoba but it's lighter in color and is marketed as a Mahogany substitute.
As for a suitable finish, You might give Mahoney's heat-treated Walnut Oil a try. [ http://www.bowlmakerinc.com/ ] Mike Mahoney recommends it for wooden salad bowls, which he turns some stunning examples of. Seems to me that it'd be a novel, food-safe finish for your project too.
I've just recently purchased some and am still playing around with it as a way to highlight figured wood under lacquer. So far I like it. It imparts a noticable very light golden cast to figured Maple. And of course it looks great on figured Walnut. There it just seems to slightly highlight the warmer tones already present in the wood.
Thanks, all; if it is Mahogany what about filling the grain? Without doing that I think it would turn to s**t real fast. I have some red Mahogany filler that is solvent based, would that be safe enough, thoroughly dry and topped with mineral oil? The more I think about it this idea is sounding worse and worser. Sounds like Jatoba for a medium dark cutting board.
Duke
Edit: What about Teak?
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Edited 3/6/2007 10:08 pm by dukeone
Duke
Filler would start crumbling over time as it is repeatedly cut with a knife. Not a good thing. Teak is an interesting thought, but the colour is not even close. JL
JL: Thanks, I'm not going to do it in Mahogany. It goes against my grain :) to build something that won't last regardless of any other condsiderations. Local MacBeath's store sometimes has Teak shorts, I think I'll go that way.
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It is better than mahogany Duke. JL
Kevin
I followed your link to the web site and found it very interesting.
I have seen walnut oil for sale in (dare I say this), Middle Eastern grocery stores and <!----><!---->Mediterranean<!----> specialty grocery stores, though I have never used it for bowls. It sounds like an idea. Mahoney also waxes to add lustre. JL
Jon Arno is the one who first suggested to me right here on Knots that Walnut oil could be used as a finish material. Mahoney insists that untreated Walnut oil like you'd see in the grocery store won't dry. Arno told me that it will. I dunno... It's hard to take someone else's word over Arno's on something like this. But maybe Walnut oil is akin to Linseed oil and also needs the heat to tweak it's chemistry.
In any case, I applied a very liberal dose of Walnut Oil to some nice curly Maple and Black Walnut this evening and I gotta say that I really like how this oil warms up the wood without looking like color has been added. Not unlike Watco or Minwax "Natural" except that this oil is less red and more golden brown than those are. And it's much more viscous too. It's about the consistency of motor oil.
Kevin
I can see heating the oil helping it to penetrate deeper into the wood, resulting in more exposed figure. I will definitely buy some and try it. Natural food stores probably carry it also. JL
Edited 3/7/2007 7:57 am ET by jeanlou
Most Organic/health food sections of any grocery store usually carries walnut oil. Don't choke when you see the price of the smallest bottle.
lamadriver
That is why I use this oil more in the kitchen than on wood products...but it is a pretty finish when all is said and done. It helps to heat the oil a little before applying it to the teak or the salad. :-) JL
I've got a bit of Cumuru (Cumaru ?) that kind of resembles Mahogany. But it's a lot heavier and harder. Though I'm not sure it's even related to Teak it's also sometimes referred to as Brazilian Teak. If you cant find some locally there's usually some listed on eBay.
If you build it he will come.
Doug: Thanks for the advice. I'm going to MacBeath (only two miles from my house) and buy some Maple and Walnut, shorts if available or least expensive boards proper for the work.
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Teak cutting boards
We manufacture teak cutting boards from old-growth teak. We are situated in Thailand and theres an abundance of reclaimed teak.
Teak end-grain boards are by far superior. They leave no knife marks and are maintanance free.
Visit our website at http://www.thai-pepper.com
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