I made cutting boards for a few members of my family this year for Christmas. I read a lot about finishing them and decided to go with the simple mineral oil approach. However, me being me... I decided to amp it up a little.
Most everything I read stated to heat the oil to allow better penetration of the oil and then give the board a good soaking until I started to see some oil come through the bottom of the board. That's what I did... AT LEAST TO START!
After putting 4 or 5 coats of warmed oil on I thought to myself, self they say warm the oil and apply it until it comes through the other side of the board. Let's just see if we can make this a little faster and easier.
I took a half-sheet (a cookie sheet with half inch sides) poured two bottles of oil into it and placed it on top of another half-sheet with water in it. Onto the stove top it went. After the oil had heated in my modified double boiler for 15 minutes or so (temp at 180* per digital thermometer) I gently placed one my cutting boards into the oil top side down. Then I "cooked" the cutting board until I saw a good amount of oil coming out of the bottom 9SEE PIC BELOW). I kept the thermometer in the oil the whole time and never allowed it to go above 185*. Having never oiled a 1-1/4" thick cutting board before I don't know how long it should take, nor how much oil it should be able to hold... But the three boards I made and lubed, all around 1-1/4 x 11 x 15 took two and a half 16oz bottles.
Granted some amount of oil stayed in the paper towels during the initial 4-5 coats, and certainly a minuscule amount stayed in the original sauce pan I used to heat it. But 40oz of oil for three boards was a bit surprising.
After cooking the boards they sat on the counter for two days before I looked at them again. All three had started to bow up. Not knowing what else to do I flipped all of them over. Believe it or not they all flattened out over night, and then started to bow in the other direction through the next day. All the while they are each weeping oil all over the counter.
Obviously I over-oiled the boards to the extreme!!! but how is it that the boards can warp, flatten, then rewarp in the opposite direction. This is wood that I have had in my shop for two years, and was kiln dried when I got it. I think I answered my own question with that... TOO MUCH OIL!
Anyway, if I have it to do over again, I will still do the double boiler thing just for less time. At least that is if this group of boards ever gives up enough oil to become stable and quits warping all over the place.
What's your opinion? Oh, and here's the boards...
Most everything I read stated to heat the oil to allow better penetration of the oil and then give the board a good soaking until I started to see some oil come through the bottom of the board. That's what I did... AT LEAST TO START!
After putting 4 or 5 coats of warmed oil on I thought to myself, self they say warm the oil and apply it until it comes through the other side of the board. Let's just see if we can make this a little faster and easier.
I took a half-sheet (a cookie sheet with half inch sides) poured two bottles of oil into it and placed it on top of another half-sheet with water in it. Onto the stove top it went. After the oil had heated in my modified double boiler for 15 minutes or so (temp at 180* per digital thermometer) I gently placed one my cutting boards into the oil top side down. Then I "cooked" the cutting board until I saw a good amount of oil coming out of the bottom 9SEE PIC BELOW). I kept the thermometer in the oil the whole time and never allowed it to go above 185*. Having never oiled a 1-1/4" thick cutting board before I don't know how long it should take, nor how much oil it should be able to hold... But the three boards I made and lubed, all around 1-1/4 x 11 x 15 took two and a half 16oz bottles.
Granted some amount of oil stayed in the paper towels during the initial 4-5 coats, and certainly a minuscule amount stayed in the original sauce pan I used to heat it. But 40oz of oil for three boards was a bit surprising.
After cooking the boards they sat on the counter for two days before I looked at them again. All three had started to bow up. Not knowing what else to do I flipped all of them over. Believe it or not they all flattened out over night, and then started to bow in the other direction through the next day. All the while they are each weeping oil all over the counter.
Obviously I over-oiled the boards to the extreme!!! but how is it that the boards can warp, flatten, then rewarp in the opposite direction. This is wood that I have had in my shop for two years, and was kiln dried when I got it. I think I answered my own question with that... TOO MUCH OIL!
Anyway, if I have it to do over again, I will still do the double boiler thing just for less time. At least that is if this group of boards ever gives up enough oil to become stable and quits warping all over the place.
What's your opinion? Oh, and here's the boards...
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