Great question!
The general rule of thumb for choosing a particular wood is to look for a wood from a tree with a running sap, hard maple = maple syrup, or a tree with edible nuts. If the products of the tree are edible, then the wood should be safe to use. (I can only think of one I would hesitate to use and that is oak. To porous.)
There is a cosmetics question. If you are looking for functionality, choose maple. If you are loooking to impress, choose walnut. The colors of maple tend to be somewhat bland and the colors of walnut are rich looking.
Wood boards tend to be easier on good edges and end grain boards are the most forgiving to the edges. Plastic is harder and can damage an edge quicker because it is a bit more sticky. And the deep cut marks are harder to sanitize and clean. Once a plastic board is scarred, the only real alternative is to toss it out and it will last almost forever in a landfill. Wood boards can be resurfaced, cleaned and readied for another hard life of use.
I hope this helps.
What to look for? A burnt-in logo on the side that says BoardSMITH![]()
Doug,
Saw a photo of your cherry board on another forum. Still looks great and does not appear to have darkened much at all.
What to look for? A burnt-in logo on the side that says BoardSMITH![]()
Hope the board survived the trip in the luggage.
I tried with the thicker mineral oil from ikea. Too long to get in. Then I tried the John boos mystery oil wch I found out consists of lower viscosity mineral oil plus tung oil. Found out that tung oil( 100 percent natural) will enhance the depth and luster and color of the wood. In addition it is more hardy than just pure mineral oil. I suppose I went overboard as I use a ratio of 50:50 mineral oil to tung oil. Even the wax.. I added tung oil which I use a tooth tick to stir it in. Also tried on other home furniture. Quite pleased with the results..
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