Wood for a cutting board, will sanding make it food safe?
I would like to make a cutting board from some hardwood I have. I'm pretty sure it has been imported, so I think it might have been fumigated or treated for insects/pests at some point. I've tried researching about this but I found very little, but the little I did find suggested sanding it as the fumigation process would only leave chemicals on the surface. Does anyone have any input? It looks like a good beginners project but I want it to be as food safe as possible.
Best Answer
If you think the wood was treated or fumigated, I wouldn't trust sanding to make the wood food-safe. As another answer notes, wood is porous and could very well have absorbed the chemicals deeper than you'll sand out.
I would definitely err on the side of caution here and only use wood that you know is safe to begin with. There is no finish that you can use on a cutting board that will keep the base wood completely out of contact with the food, due to knives being used on it.
I would recommend starting with hard maple. It makes durable, great-looking cutting boards, and is completely food-safe.
Pictures about "Wood for a cutting board, will sanding make it food safe?"
Should you sand a wooden cutting board?
To restore a cutting board, a 150-180 grit sanding will be necessary to remove as much knife marks as possible. If the surface is too damaged or that the marks are too deep, you can use a more aggressive paper (100-120 grit) with a sanding machine.How do you make a wooden cutting board Food Safe?
Rub entire cutting board with several coats of a food-safe finish like mineral oil, walnut oil or beeswax, allowing oil to fully absorb into the wood. Allow cutting board to dry overnight before use. Tip: Most food-safe finishes need to be reapplied regularly.What can you put on wood to make it food safe?
9 Best Food Safe Wood FinishesCan you sand cutting boards?
Yes, you can sand wooden cutting boards. Good to do periodically to flatten, and also remove the gouges where food can get stuck. Also if you spent $$$ on a beautiful black walnut end grain board, then you can keep it looking good by doing this too. The fastest way, is to use a planer if you have one.Food Safe Finish ??
More answers regarding wood for a cutting board, will sanding make it food safe?
Answer 2
Wood is inherently porous, so the big concern with wooden cutting boards is keeping them relatively sanitary after chopping things like meat and fish on them. Some people use mineral oil or bees wax, although I have personally used coconut oil. Straight cooking oil isn't a good idea because it will go rancid.
One thing that you want to make absolutely sure of is that the wood has not been pressure treated or soaked in any kind of preservatives. If the hardwood was ever exposed or intended to be exposed to outside elements then there is a good possibility that it could be treated with highly toxic preservative chemicals.
Answer 3
My brother is a carpenter, and he would suggest using Salad Bowl Finish (http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5344) I can personally attest to the fact that it does a nice job - we used it on all the cutting boards in our kitchen.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA, Vural Yavas, Kaboompics .com, Lukas