oak for cutting board?

[Birch]

My wood cutting pal gave me a block of wood about 20 X 20 and 4" thick a couple years back-solid white oak. I keep thinking I could cut this down, finish it off nice and make a cutting board for my wife. But you never hear of oak as a cutting board.
What do you guys think. It bugs me to have that beautiful FREE slab of oak just sitting over there under the table saw!. Ha!

[donald37]

Hope oak is ok i just made one 1 3/4 by 24 by 30 looks great

[Mike]

White oak is denser than red oak and is an excellent choice for a cutting board. While any wood can be used the goal is resistance to damage caused by the knife. Hard maple seems to be the overall favorite choice.

[s7horton]

The one thing I don't like about oak for cutting boards is the open grain. That's typically why you'll see maple, walnut, or cherry for cutting boards. THe more open the grain, the more chance there is to collect bacteria.

[bobj3]

Just a note about cutting boards, the best is poly.you can buy the bulk/blank stock and it cuts just like wood plus it's safe, and you don't need to put a finish on it.

You can also buy them done, but it's more fun to make your own with the router

Poly Cutting Boards

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...uct%5Fid=13494

http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/s...ingboards.html

http://www.fantes.com/cutting_boards.htm#poly

Bj

[Birch]

Bob3 be right about poly probably being the best, and we have a couple of them. I have two 36'X36 chunks of it about 1 1/2 thick, gift from a meat packing plant and I'm going to use that in strips for "sliders" and maybe even for quick fences. I want to fool around with the white oak just because its sitting there begging to be fashioned into something.

[PJack]

I just noticed this thread...Use mineral oil to seal the grain and it should work nicely. The only thing I have heard that is used for end grain butcher blocks is mineral oil. Mineral Oil will keep the wood from drying out, and won't get rancid like a vegetable oil. Then you can use soapy water to clean it and re-apply mineral oil every so often. Look into the sealer stuff used by wood turners to seal it as well, since they make bowls and things used for food.

[curiousgeorge]

Birch you might want to take a look at this link on cutting board finishing:

http://www.woodfinishsupply.com/butcherblock.html