# Cutting board wood question



## Barry747 (Jun 16, 2011)

Last fall, while attending a woodworking club meeting held at a lumber yard, I picked up 4 small pieces of Angelim Pedra. I never heard of it before but it's a pretty wood and the price was right. I did a little research and found that it's frequently used for flooring. It's hard with a Janka Hardness of 3,160. 

My daughter asked me to make a small cutting board, shaped like a cat, to be used for cutting something like an apple. It's a present for one of her coworkers who has been helpful to her. It'll probably be around 8 x 10. I have all of the usual woods that I make cutting boards from but I was thinking trying the Angelim. Before I do, I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with this wood and whether you would recommend it for a cutting board.


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Found the following. Note the underlined, which suggests it might not be a good choice:

Sometimes called “The Tree of Angels”, Angelim Pedra is commonly used in the construction industry throughout parts of South America where the tree is prevalent. It isn’t used as an ornamental. A very large tree with good woodworking capabilities, it has yet to break into the international trade in a large capacity thus far. Although it’s normally used in construction, with its natural beauty it’s only a matter of time before Angelim Pedra is used in more decorative fashions. Many confusions of the name are common. It has a cousin named Angelim Vermelho which many people commonly mistake as the same species. 

_One major difference is when the wood is cut or machined, Angelim Vermelho has a very pungent odor._ Pedra will pose no real difficulty to those with experience in the woodworking industry. The beautiful grain pattern, wonderful color, and immense sizes available make this wood slab a talking point any time people gather around the table.


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## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Barry I did find one reference to toxicity but the was a reference to the dust when machining and that it only affected some people. It gave no specific type of allergic reaction. It is in the legume family.


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## Barry747 (Jun 16, 2011)

Thanks guys. I think I'm going to play it safe with this board and stick with hard maple. I'll continue to look for something to make from the "angel" wood.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

With a Janka Hardness twice that of Maple, I'd guess that it'd be brutal to kitchen knife edges.
https://www.wood-database.com/angelim-vermelho/


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

MEBCWD said:


> Barry I did find one reference to toxicity but the was a reference to the dust when machining and that it only affected some people. It gave no specific type of allergic reaction. It is in the legume family.


That's true with all woods I think Mike. If someone developed an allergic reaction it would have to be something like a peanut allergy reaction. Even if someone was prone to a reaction from it just making contact with the wood would be unlikely to cause a reaction. Ingesting it would be the same or only slightly worse. Dust would be worst because it gets into the bloodstream in the lungs and that might require prolonged exposure. Yew is listed as one of the most toxic woods yet it was the wood of choice for making the old English style longbow and there are no associated stories I've ever heard of that it killed some of the bowyers making them.
That means that usually other factors are more important. Two things I read about that wood was the unpleasant odor it gives off when worked (or possibly cut and scratched) and that it was very porous. The porosity would make it a poor choice alone.


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## blakeluby (Dec 22, 2018)

ok


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

blakeluby said:


> ok


What does that mean?


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