# Bread Boards



## Oscar36 (Feb 23, 2019)

An easy way to use off cuts and odds and ends. Wife already claimed the maple one on the end. The other two are destined as gifts.

Species used are oak, walnut, maple, mahogany, and purple heart. 

Finish is tung oil and wax. Should be food ready in about a week to start cutting bread on it.


----------



## Chris Itin (Oct 15, 2019)

Very nice!


----------



## difalkner (Jan 3, 2012)

Nice work, Oscar! And yes, a good way to use up smaller pieces.

Have you ever used just mineral oil on these? That would be food ready the next day and be easy to rejuvenate with a fresh coat every 3-4 months.

David


----------



## Bstrom (Jan 2, 2020)

difalkner said:


> Nice work, Oscar! And yes, a good way to use up smaller pieces.
> 
> Have you ever used just mineral oil on these? That would be food ready the next day and be easy to rejuvenate with a fresh coat every 3-4 months.
> 
> David


Yeah, I wondered the same thing - am using Mineral Oil on my boards. Didn't/Don't know - is Tung Oil food safe? As a rule, plant based oils are not...


----------



## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

As far as I know, PURE tung oil is food safe. Unfortunately, a lot of what is marketed as tung oil is not pure and in some cases contains very little tung oil.


----------



## Oscar36 (Feb 23, 2019)

David,

Thanks. Mineral oil is what I usually use. 

For the other folks, 

I misspoke on the original entry. It had been a while since I had used tung oil for food stuff and memory not what it used to be. 

Tung oil is food safe "after" curing (15 -30 days). I normally go for a month before using with food. You do have to be careful but I have never had an issue with it personally. 30+ years of woodworking and I have never seen or heard of anyone getting sick from properly cured tung oil. 

This was a new finish I wanted to try. Three coats of tung oil and then wax while still tacky. The finish is different. It very satiny. I like it but will probably not be something I use regularly. 

Next cutting boards will have mineral oil.


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Huh. How times change. Never saw anything like that for cutting bread. What we had when I was growing up was something along these lines.

Oh yeah, we used a bread knife also. Long, thin, serrated edge, specifically made for cutting bread. Of course ours did not have Chinese on it.


----------



## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Oscar36 said:


> David,
> 
> Thanks. Mineral oil is what I usually use.
> 
> ...


I just picked up a 4liter container of Minersl oil at Mohawk finishes, for $65 Cdn. The pharmacy is currently charging upwards of $10 for a 250ml bottle. So quick math; 16 x250ml = 4 L..._16 X $10 =*$160!*_

Paid for my ferry trip into Vancouver plus gas.


----------



## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Theo; that's slick! Maybe use a piece of polypropylene cutting board for the bottom cutting surface?


----------



## Oscar36 (Feb 23, 2019)

JOAT said:


> Huh. How times change. Never saw anything like that for cutting bread. What we had when I was growing up was something along these lines.
> 
> Oh yeah, we used a bread knife also. Long, thin, serrated edge, specifically made for cutting bread. Of course ours did not have Chinese on it.


Its only for the fancy nights where you want to show off your artisan bread you just baked in your stone oven. lol. Not really.

I have a cheap bread maker that makes fresh bread that I cut up on a cheap plastic cutting board. This makes for a nicer display if sharing bread and cheese with friends or family on special occasions. I still use the long serrated bread knife for carving up the bread. I say carving because chopping up a fresh loaf of bread takes skill I don't have.


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

DaninVan said:


> Theo; that's slick! Maybe use a piece of polypropylene cutting board for the bottom cutting surface?


Nope, the bottom was just some sort of hardwood. The serrated edge was plenty sharp enough to cut bread, but not sharp enough to cut the wood. It was nice, no rough cuts, just straight sided bread, both sides. Made the bread look a lot better than freehand cutting, and made excellent sandwiches. Sometimes the good old days are really better. Of course we also had homemade jelly and jam, which added a lot, and way better than store bought. Sometimes I miss part of the old days.

Almost forgot. Nothing like some fresh homemade butter on a thick heel of fresh homemade (still warm) bread. Wonder how many of you have even heard of such a thing, let alone eaten any.


----------



## thomas1389 (Jan 4, 2012)

My dad, born 1911, worked in bakeries all of his younger years until he owned one. Our family, 10 kids, never ate store bought and we were never allowed white bread. We always had unsliced loaves and as youngsters, if we kept whining for more, mother would cut what she called "a bloody doorstep", (her British birthplace, I guess) to shut us up till next mealtime. Dad would make 5 pound bars of Christmas cake, baked in wooden boxes, tons of hot cross buns and a vast assortment of other seasonal goods. Black rye and dark rye breads, warm with butter, couldn't be beaten.


----------



## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

+1 on the Rye and Pumpernickel! Pumpernickel and borscht; definition of 'comfort food'.


----------



## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

You guys are making me hungry! I too grew up without machine sliced white bread. Slide the loaf out of the bag and cut it to whatever thickness desired. My favorite is pumpernickle, but seeded rye and oat were, and are still, perfectly acceptable. 

I guess I'll have to get the bread machine out of the closet now. Wife won't make it. We get "store bought" versions unless I take the time to make it myself.

Charley


----------

