Dave's board butter on maple Boos block

[goatgolfer]

I finally applied Dave's Board Butter to my Boos maple edge grain board last night. It had started to split between stays but all the sites said this is normal so I just decided to feed it. Boy, was it thirsty like a drunken sailor. I like the looks of it better and some of the smaller cracks have closed.

1. Does the BB dry thoroughly (it's still a bit wet) maybe I put too much on but scraped all of it off with a bench scraper last night???

2. Shoiuld I still fill the larger cracks with cellulose wood filler?

 

[ThEoRy]

At work we just planed our 65 year old 6 ft long block at the mill. After a couple applications of plain mineral oil once per night for two nights I followed up on the third night with Dave's butter. The next morning the oil had mainly absorbed leaving a slight waxy residue on the surface which I then buffed in with a clean rag. I filled in some old screw holes with straight bees wax.

Now she's good as new.

 

[FryBoy]

The Board Butter should not be put on so thickly that it needs to dry. BB is a mix of bees' wax and mineral oil, and I assume it's the mineral oil that the board is drinking like a drunken sailor.

Before applying the BB, you should first apply just straight mineral oil. The first time you apply mineral oil, apply enough coats until it stops being absorbed within an hour or two. After that one coat when it starts to look dry should be sufficient -- don't over oil it.

After oiling the board, I usually leave it overnight, then apply a LIGHT coat of Board Butter the next day, buffing it with a dry cloth as you would fine furniture. A tub of BB should last you at least a year.

 

[Marko Tsourkan]

Very similar answer to FryBoy.

Wax/mineral oil mixture is a top coat for conditioning a board. For preventing a board from cracking, use straight mineral oil. I apply 2-3 generous coats over a period of a couple of hours and leave the last coat overnight. Then I apply the top coat wax/mineral oil mixture and buff. I do this about once a month and I wash my board in sink every time it needs to be washed, i.e. after cutting garlic or onions.

Some people get a mixture of wax/mineral oil in semi-liquid form and facilitate absorption by applying it warm.

M