# Wood for Cutting Boards...



## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

A bunch of mahogany and maple fell in my lap...can I use for cutting boards...? Or am I going to wind up with a bunch of boxes...

The pieces are mostly 1x2 and 2x2...maple is unfinished, mahogany seems oil finished...

Thanks in advance...


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Nickp said:


> A bunch of mahogany and maple fell in my lap...can I use for cutting boards...? Or am I going to wind up with a bunch of boxes...
> 
> The pieces are mostly 1x2 and 2x2...maple is unfinished, mahogany seems oil finished...
> 
> Thanks in advance...


No problem with the maple, the oil finish on the mahogany might pose a problem for cutting boards, But you could make some fancy trays out of it and seal any of the oil finish with shellac or lacquer.

Herb


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

The problem I see with wood that's already oiled is that it may interfere with the glue adhesion. Put a drop of water on the wood and see if it soaks in and changes the color of the wood, or does it just sit there. If it soaks in, you can use Titebond or similar. If it doesn't, you'll need to use polyurethane or epoxy. Messy messy . . .


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Maple is harder, mahogany is prettier. Dealer's choice...

maple is harder and some mahogany don't do water well...
some mahogany tends to be more akin to pine in softness but it is very workable...
how ever Santos mahogany tends to be dense and oily...
which mahogany do you have...
could that oil finish be natural oils...
for glue up, suggest you treat it as oily tropical wood...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Nick if you're concerned about what appears to be oil on the mahogany, you could try a couple of things. 

First see what happens when you try and take the oil out with paint thinner or something similar. It might take a few cleanings before it wants to stay clean.

Then try a light pass through your planer and compare the colour of the planed surface to one of your cleaned surfaces. Now you will have an idea of how successful you were in the removal process. That will be your judgment call. Try a 10x eye loupe to get a closer look.

Next, you might try taking 1/16" to 1/8" off one side to see what that comes out like. If it is similar to your cleaning/light planing system, then you should know that the cleaning method is working OK. I don't suppose that you want to waste too much of the mahogany.

If you are still fearful of there being oil in the wood, resort to epoxy to glue it up. That will keep it together.

The maple shouldn't present any significant problems.


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## frankr4ever (Jan 12, 2012)

Mahogany.....denatured alcohol will remove the surface oil,but glue up quickly


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

frankr4ever said:


> Mahogany.....denatured alcohol will remove the surface oil,but glue up quickly


Yes, and therein lies the hitch. More of the oil (depending on how far it has penetrated) will try to migrate to the outside of the wood again if you don't glue it very shortly. Which is why you may well need to repeat the treatment a time or two.

I doubt that most of us would cut or plane something and be gluing up in the next few minutes. Typically, when I'm on a project, I do a dry run first, then disassemble again to do the glueup.

I've never actually tested a piece of oiled wood to see how far it gets into a surface. No doubt it would depend on the porosity of the wood in question. Cocobolo, for example, is so loaded with oils that you cannot get it out. Epoxy to the rescue.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Herb Stoops said:


> No problem with the maple, the oil finish on the mahogany might pose a problem for cutting boards, But you could make some fancy trays out of it and seal any of the oil finish with shellac or lacquer.
> 
> Herb


Thanks, Herb...you've got me started on a new path. I wanted to make something out of some of the wood as a gift to my benefactor...so I came up with cutting board. A tray is a fabulous idea.

I will still pursue a cutting board for SWMBO's kitchen...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Nickp said:


> Thanks, Herb...you've got me started on a new path. I wanted to make something out of some of the wood as a gift to my benefactor...so I came up with cutting board. A tray is a fabulous idea.
> 
> I will still pursue a cutting board for SWMBO's kitchen...


Nick, we'll all be looking forward to seeing what you come up with.


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## billyjim (Feb 11, 2012)

Herb Stoops said:


> No problem with the maple, the oil finish on the mahogany might pose a problem for cutting boards, But you could make some fancy trays out of it and seal any of the oil finish with shellac or lacquer.
> 
> Herb


I agree with Herb. No problem at all with the maple but I would be reluctant to use the mahogany for making any food item.

Bill


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

cocobolo1 said:


> ...you might try taking 1/16" to 1/8" off one side to see what that comes out like. If it is similar to your cleaning/light planing system, then you should know that the cleaning method is working OK.


Great idea Keith...and you're right...since the pieces are small I'd rather not have to slice too much off. My original idea was to joint cut the edge side a bit at a time on the router table to see how far I'd have to go. There are some waste pieces (ugh, heresy) that I can cut up...I might be able to tell when I cross cut some of it.


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

billyjim said:


> I agree with Herb. No problem at all with the maple but I would be reluctant to use the mahogany for making any food item.
> 
> Bill


This is the exact point I was thinking of ,not the glue-up,but the unknown oil finish might not be suitable for an edible surface.

Herb


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Herb Stoops said:


> This is the exact point I was thinking of ,not the glue-up,but the unknown oil finish might not be suitable for an edible surface.
> 
> Herb


Agreed, definitely better to be safe than sorry.


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Nickp said:


> Great idea Keith...and you're right...since the pieces are small I'd rather not have to slice too much off. My original idea was to joint cut the edge side a bit at a time on the router table to see how far I'd have to go. There are some waste pieces (ugh, heresy) that I can cut up...I might be able to tell when I cross cut some of it.


Hey, there's bound to be a little waste. 

I'm a great fan of using a 10x loupe for looking at bits of wood, or chisel or plane blade edges. It's really surprising what things like this look like even just magnified by this small amount.

I bet that such a loupe would identify exactly how far that oil had penetrated.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Nick; here's some more ideas of wood gift ideas...trivets are the first thing that came to my mind:
https://www.google.ca/search?q=wood...&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=Uu6wVsL7IMm0jwP4gL2oCw


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> Nick; here's some more ideas of wood gift ideas...trivets are the first thing that came to my mind:
> https://www.google.ca/search?q=wood...&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=Uu6wVsL7IMm0jwP4gL2oCw


So...you're not just another pretty face... :dance3:

Great idea...will be able to take advantage of the smaller pieces...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

"So...you're not just another pretty face..."

Don't often here my name and "pretty face" in the same sentence.


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

A combination of cutting boards and trivets. A great compromise for the stash.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

JFPNCM said:


> A combination of cutting boards and trivets. A great compromise for the stash.


trays and spoons too....


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

DaninVan said:


> "So...you're not just another pretty face..."
> 
> Don't often here my name and "pretty face" in the same sentence.


You don't suppose there could possibly be a reason for that, do you? >


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

:thank_you2:...and the winner is...TRAYS... :thank_you2:

Yup...trays it is...the size of the pieces lends itself to some easy tray making...thank you, @Herb Stoops

Then on to trivets...thanks @DaninVan


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Nickp said:


> :thank_you2:...and the winner is...TRAYS... :thank_you2:
> 
> Yup...trays it is...the size of the pieces lends itself to some easy tray making...thank you, @Herb Stoops
> 
> Then on to trivets...thanks @DaninVan


don't forget to spline...


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Stick486 said:


> don't forget to spline...


Absolutely...was thinking about it last night...

Will probably use the router table for splining the bottom pieces and the table saw (bevel) to groove the sides and their mating bottom piece (all blind)...I want the sides to be at an angle to the bottom...thinking 1/8" spline as the width of the pieces will be 1/2"...don't think it'll carry tools 


Pardon the crude drawing...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Nick's got 'some 'splining to do'...


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> Nick's got 'some 'splining to do'...


Yes, Ricky...


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Nickp said:


> Absolutely...was thinking about it last night...
> 
> Will probably use the router table for splining the bottom pieces and the table saw (bevel) to groove the sides and their mating bottom piece (all blind)...I want the sides to be at an angle to the bottom...thinking 1/8" spline as the width of the pieces will be 1/2"...don't think it'll carry tools
> 
> ...


Thats my kind of drawing only my lines aren't that straight. I just need a hand drawn drawing with a couple of dimensions to get the idea, no fancy cad stuff.

Herb


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Herb Stoops said:


> Thats my kind of drawing only my lines aren't that straight. I just need a hand drawn drawing with a couple of dimensions to get the idea, no fancy cad stuff.
> 
> Herb


Yup...haven't quite caught up to the fancy shmansy Sketchup yet...still on pencil and paper...oh, well..._maybe when my pencil runs out of lead_...

Thanks, again...


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

When 'my pencil runs out of lead' i doubt I'll be spending the extra time in the shop...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Nickp said:


> Absolutely...was thinking about it last night...
> 
> Will probably use the router table for splining the bottom pieces and the table saw (bevel) to groove the sides and their mating bottom piece (all blind)...I want the sides to be at an angle to the bottom...thinking 1/8" spline as the width of the pieces will be 1/2"...don't think it'll carry tools
> 
> ...


Aw jeez...here we go again. 

Is that your tray or a Mexican jail window?


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

cocobolo1 said:


> Aw jeez...here we go again.
> 
> Is that your tray or a Mexican jail window?


Well, let's see...since I'm still looking for ideas, a mexican jail window could make it to the list... LMAO...


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

DaninVan said:


> When 'my pencil runs out of lead' i doubt I'll be spending the extra time in the shop...


well,,,,,,uhhhhhh...ummmmmmmmmm...


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## cocobolo1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Nickp said:


> Well, let's see...since I'm still looking for ideas, a mexican jail window could make it to the list... LMAO...


Nah, just kidding. Stick with the trays and trivets and whatever else catches your fancy.


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