Cutting Board Newbie needs help

I got this as an engagement gift from a relative who works at the store that sells it. It does have a tiny bit of damage but is a huge step up from my bamboo cutting boards.

I have not used it yet, but I have cleaned it with some damp paper towel. Upon that I noticed it's really rough...

Should I sand it? If so what grade? Would you do it by hand or use a small hand sander?

Should I then use mineral oil and wax? It reversible so just wondering on a method and best practices? I have read some people almost soak it in oil and then apply a wax.

Also what brand of oil and wax do you trust/ use?

I found the below on the products website.

Use
Board should be seasoned with a food-grade mineral oil before first use.
To season the board properly, warm the mineral oil slightly and apply it in the direction of the wood grain using a clean, dry cloth. Allow the oil to soak in and repeat with another application. Allow the board to dry and wipe off any excess oil.
Care
Hand-wash with hot, soapy water. Dry thoroughly.
Do not soak or submerge board in water.
Occasionally rub with a food-safe mineral oil to keep wood from drying out.
To sanitize, wash the board with a solution of one part vinegar to five parts water.
Remove odors by rubbing the board with kosher or table salt and half a lemon. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes then wipe clean with a damp cloth. Remove excess moisture with a clean paper towel and stand the board on end to air dry.
Store in a dry area away from extreme temperatures.

Some more details on the boos board... They original price was about $250 retail...

This beautiful board is designed to ensure a perfectly stable work surface – no matter how vigorously you're chopping. A wooden lip on either side of the board, attached with handsome dowels, anchors the piece securely on your countertop. One side of the board has a well to collect tasty meat juices.
Crafted in the USA from sustainably harvested North American walnut.
Edge-grain construction is gentle on knives – and stands up to years of slicing and chopping.
Use the grooved side of the board for carving and the flat side for chopping.

Boos makes nice boards. Yours is primarily end grain construction, so the instructions to apply in the direction of the grain don't apply.

If your board feels rough, put a teaspoon of mineral oil on the board and sand it with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper using a rubber or wood sanding block. It's crucial that you use a block to ensure that you keep the surface flat. Put more oil on the board as needed.

Mineral oil alone is fine for maintaining your board, though you can use a product with added beeswax to give it some water repellency, or make your own board butter. The ratio I like is four parts mineral oil to one part beeswax, by weight.

Rick

Is try to sand or add something to soften it up. Generally harder cutting boards dull your edge a lot faster depending on your cutting/chopping technique.

Nice board.

HD and Lowes have sanding blocks that have a firm rubber like core that would be perfect for what you need. You'll find them in the paint department. Won't take much sanding to smooth everything out. You can also try a coarse Scotchbrite pad.

osakajoe said:

Is try to sand or add something to soften it up. Generally harder cutting boards dull your edge a lot faster depending on your cutting/chopping technique.

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You think I should just leave it alone then? I was thinking of using the boos mineral oil and then wax it? But most of it is pretty rough?

Actually maybe I should just order the Board Smiths oil and wax? I know he makes great products.

You don't need to order any special products. It's actually quite easy to make your own. I believe the ratio is 4:1 mineral oil to beeswax.

I would definitely give it a light sand as Rick suggested above. Once it's smooth you won't have to worry about it getting rough again as long as you properly maintain it.

For me the "easy button" is ordering a board butter product rather than trying to source beeswax. I've used both DaveM's and Boardsmith's product with good results. (Though making it sous vide is tempting...)

Many craft shops will have beeswax. People use it to make candles. Not hard to source at all. Also amazon has it

Thanks for all the help, I sand it this weekend and start the mineral oil process. I have read some recommendations to season season each side with mineral oil and like it sit for 24 hours then wipe clean and do it again for 5 days?You think this is overkill?

Noice board. I cleaned mine by rubbing it with half of a lemon and salt before oiling it.

Meals said:

Thanks for all the help, I sand it this weekend and start the mineral oil process. I have read some recommendations to season season each side with mineral oil and like it sit for 24 hours then wipe clean and do it again for 5 days?You think this is overkill?

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I think the saying goes, once a day for a week, Once a week for a month and once a month or when needed thereafter.

I bought beeswax at Ikea but I'm wondering if all beeswax are foodsafe.

Clarence said:

I bought beeswax at Ikea but I'm wondering if all beeswax are foodsafe.

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Beeswax should be food safe. However, although I believe what Ikea sells is food safe -- is it their Behandla finish? -- I think it also contains linseed oil, and don't know whether it's boiled or raw. The latter is food safe. http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/article/food-safe-finishes.aspx

I would be careful with natural oils like nut oils. I believe they can go rancid when put into a board. Although generally I don't care much for mineral oil, I would suggest it for board use for that reason. As mentioned, if it's well impregnated inside with mineral oil, a bit of beeswax on the outside should keep a whole lot from penetrating. But don't over-do it...I think a little bit of water absorption is good, it will suck juices from chicken into the center and kill bacteria. As long as your board isn't constantly wet you should be OK to cut meats on it IMO.

For refinishing, depends on how bad the surface is, but I think 220 grit sandpaper should refresh it and smooth nicely. You can use 400 and 600 grit to really smooth it out, finished by some steel wool, but I don't think any higher than 220 is necessary.

"Boiled" linseed oil isn't boiled -- hasn't been for a very long time. It has "driers" added that greatly speed up polymerization, usually metals in various forms that are NOT safe for food. Raw linseed oil is fine, but will take a few weeks to completely harden, so it may be sticky for a while. It's a food item -- naturally found in flax seed -- so use on food preparation surfaces is OK so long as it's really pure raw linseed oil.

Vegetable oils are fine too, but they will go rancid and can transfer nasty flavors.

Peter

droshi said:

I think a little bit of water absorption is good, it will suck juices from chicken into the center and kill bacteria.

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Not sure to understand what is supposed to happen here. Could you please elaborate?

Benuser said:

Not sure to understand what is supposed to happen here. Could you please elaborate?

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he is saying not to put a heavy coat of beeswax on the board since it will not allow for moisture to be pulled into the board. when you use your wood board to cut raw meat the leftover liquid will be drawn into the center of the board where it is dry...dry environment will kill bacteria like that from chicken. its one reason why a wood board is more sanitary than a plastic board since on plastic the juices are drawn into small cuts and can harbor their. that said i use plastic for meats but i put it in the washing machine.

Wow, this is new to me. Good to know.

DaninMD said:

he is saying not to put a heavy coat of beeswax on the board since it will not allow for moisture to be pulled into the board. when you use your wood board to cut raw meat the leftover liquid will be drawn into the center of the board where it is dry...dry environment will kill bacteria like that from chicken. its one reason why a wood board is more sanitary than a plastic board since on plastic the juices are drawn into small cuts and can harbor their. that said i use plastic for meats but i put it in the washing machine.

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Thanks for clarifying Droshi's thoughts. Not so sure if it is that safe, though.

Benuser said:

Thanks for clarifying Droshi's thoughts. Not so sure if it is that safe, though.

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studies have shown wood is safer than plastic if they are sanitized the same way...however...like i said plastic can go in the dishwasher which i think is better. obviously not an option with wood.

I have a ton of end grain cutting boards that I made for myself, but as soon as I tried one of those synthetic rubber boards from japan, I replaced all my boards with them except the one for chopping bones. Korin carry these boards as well

I used mineral oil and beeswax for my end grain board before, but it still cracked a lot for in my desert area. then I changed to the Japanese synthetic board, like the board they use in the sushi restaurant, much easy to use, and it doesn't dull your knife as fast as the wood board.

pkjames said:

I have a ton of end grain cutting boards that I made for myself, but as soon as I tried one of those synthetic rubber boards from japan, I replaced all my boards with them except the one for chopping bones. Korin carry these boards as well

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Do you have a link to the board you mention? Looking at the Korin site they carry several that are made in Japan.

http://korin.com/Kitchenware_2/Cutting-Boards_2