Heck no!!! I don't us any sort of soft wood for a cutting board and if you do, don't use anything treated.
Is treated pine safe for a cutting board?
A buddy of mine told me not to use treated pine for cutting boards, and things you use in food. I wasn't sure about this, so I did some reasearch and found that it's apparently some sort of pesticide. Is it safe for us humans to use/eat off of? I plan on using cutting boards rather than having them as art.
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Nope! Besides, it would make a chitty cutting board (IMO, of course).
First off what is the Pine treated with. Is it a preservative or is it some sort of product that makes the wood harder?
Preservatives are generally toxic but well cured wood hardeners are probably tolerable just as most wood finished and oils are OK after they are cured and dry.
It would be a bit unusual to find Pine that has been treated with a preservative which is usually used to resist insects, fungus, and molds.
For cutting boards the best option is a hard wood with a closed grain, Maple, birch, white oak, beech and the like. Pine, Douglas fir, cedar, redwood, popular, are all soft woods not suited for this type of use. There are also colorful tropical woods that work but a few can have toxic qualities so check them first. Walnut is often used but it does have some open grain; however the tannin in it is also a natural antibiotic so "germs" don't grow well on it.
Cutting boards are usually treated with oils and waxed to resist moisture and stabilize the wood. All of them require periodic reapplication. Mineral oil is popular but it never really dries. Processed (heat treated) Walnut oil is my favorite…the heat process removes any allergenics. There are lots of commercial mixes available.
Preservatives are generally toxic but well cured wood hardeners are probably tolerable just as most wood finished and oils are OK after they are cured and dry.
It would be a bit unusual to find Pine that has been treated with a preservative which is usually used to resist insects, fungus, and molds.
For cutting boards the best option is a hard wood with a closed grain, Maple, birch, white oak, beech and the like. Pine, Douglas fir, cedar, redwood, popular, are all soft woods not suited for this type of use. There are also colorful tropical woods that work but a few can have toxic qualities so check them first. Walnut is often used but it does have some open grain; however the tannin in it is also a natural antibiotic so "germs" don't grow well on it.
Cutting boards are usually treated with oils and waxed to resist moisture and stabilize the wood. All of them require periodic reapplication. Mineral oil is popular but it never really dries. Processed (heat treated) Walnut oil is my favorite…the heat process removes any allergenics. There are lots of commercial mixes available.
I wouldn't use PT for a raised veggie garden so definitely not a cutting board.
Walmart has a really nice Acacia wood cutting board, and for around $25, it's a steel. It's 12×18 inches, a perfectly serviceable size for most people, and looks really nice (Acacia is a darker hardwood with some lighter accents here and there). I bought it about eight months ago and it's held up really well. You should oil your cutting board with mineral oil (food grade mineral oil), then put a coat of beeswax on it, or even better, mix the two together and apply to the board. You only have to do it a few times a year, at least if you want your cutting board to last a long time.
Western Red Cedar here. I also vote no to the treated wood on anything that could be near food, including a picnic table.I wouldn t use PT for a raised veggie garden so definitely not a cutting board.
- hotbyte
Essentially you are talking about metals, and chemicals that do the treating, and none of them are items used in the food industry, nor should they be. You could get some freaky results.
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Green PT lumber was that color from being impregnated with CCA - Chromated Copper Arsenate. Arsenic isn't flushed from the body and when you reach your lifetime total dose limit, you die.
CCA treated sawdust is considered HAZMAT and cannot be left on site when building playgrounds, etc.
Sawdust is all endgrain and endgrain leeches rapidly. Just like it would in a cutting board.
The FDA also requires "tight grain" like hard maple and not the spongy pores of pine.
Having been informed of the risks in a public forum you would be remiss to use it.
CCA treated sawdust is considered HAZMAT and cannot be left on site when building playgrounds, etc.
Sawdust is all endgrain and endgrain leeches rapidly. Just like it would in a cutting board.
The FDA also requires "tight grain" like hard maple and not the spongy pores of pine.
Having been informed of the risks in a public forum you would be remiss to use it.
A neighbor of mine found out he had a brain tumor started behind his nose. The doctor told him it was most likely from sawing pressure treated wood as he was building decks etc with it. Some nasty stuff. Though I have another neighbor that I wouldn't mind gifting him a pressure treated cutting boardGreen PT lumber was that color from being impregnated with CCA - Chromated Copper Arsenate. Arsenic isn t flushed from the body and when you reach your lifetime total dose limit, you die.
CCA treated sawdust is considered HAZMAT and cannot be left on site when building playgrounds, etc.
Sawdust is all endgrain and endgrain leeches rapidly. Just like it would in a cutting board.
The FDA also requires "tight grain" like hard maple and not the spongy pores of pine.
Having been informed of the risks in a public forum you would be remiss to use it.
- Madmark2
I've watched several farm table build youtube videos where they used PT for the legs and bases. I would never do that, nor use it for raised beds as hotbyte posted.
In my opinion, PT wood has it's uses, and not in the home or a veggie garden is two of them.
In my opinion, PT wood has it's uses, and not in the home or a veggie garden is two of them.
CCA hasn't been approved for construction of playground equipment or most residential use since the end of 2003.
CCA-treated lumber is not what you will find in most home improvement stores today. Most PT lumber today is AC2 or ACQ (I think "AC2" may actually be a trade or brand name for ACQ.) ACQ is Alkaline Copper Quartenary; it does not contain arsenic like CCA. ACQ is not considered toxic under normal contact conditions like CCA is.
I've read several university studies about use of ACQ in gardening. CCA use in gardening is a definiite no-no. The studies I've read indicate that ACQ is safe to use.
Still, it's not suitable for a cutting board.
CCA-treated lumber is not what you will find in most home improvement stores today. Most PT lumber today is AC2 or ACQ (I think "AC2" may actually be a trade or brand name for ACQ.) ACQ is Alkaline Copper Quartenary; it does not contain arsenic like CCA. ACQ is not considered toxic under normal contact conditions like CCA is.
I've read several university studies about use of ACQ in gardening. CCA use in gardening is a definiite no-no. The studies I've read indicate that ACQ is safe to use.
Still, it's not suitable for a cutting board.
nope. just nope.
not only should food never be eaten that has touched treated wood, treated wood shouldn't ever be used for a project that's meant for indoors.
not only should food never be eaten that has touched treated wood, treated wood shouldn't ever be used for a project that's meant for indoors.
People are advised to not even use the stuff for picnic tables, because merely resting your arms on the table can cause dermatitis. If it should enen touch your ski, you wouldn't want your food in contact with it. Especially since the liquid in the food would leach far more chemical out than would just the moisture on our skin.
NO!!!! AS STATED ALREADY. sorry for yelling…....nooooooooooo!!!!!1
but hey welcome to lumber jocks.NO!!!! AS STATED ALREADY. sorry for yelling…....nooooooooooo!!!!! but hey welcome to lumber jocks.
- pottz
Wood should not be used for a cutting board on any account. Even a bread board. Bacteria gets into the cuts. It may not be as pretty, but HDPE or Acrylic is all that should be used as they can be cleaned with soap and hot water. ( A DW is safest)
Yea, yea, yea, we are woodworkers. We love our segmented bowls, cheese boards, and the like. But keep them ornamental or at the most just for serving. Salmonella does not care about aesthetics.
Yea, yea, yea, we are woodworkers. We love our segmented bowls, cheese boards, and the like. But keep them ornamental or at the most just for serving. Salmonella does not care about aesthetics.
I cook a lot. There isn't a meal prepared in my house that doesn't touch a wood cutting board.Wood should not be used for a cutting board on any account. Even a bread board. Bacteria gets into the cuts. It may not be as pretty, but HDPE or Acrylic is all that should be used as they can be cleaned with soap and hot water. ( A DW is safest)
Yea, yea, yea, we are woodworkers. We love our segmented bowls, cheese boards, and the like. But keep them ornamental or at the most just for serving. Salmonella does not care about aesthetics.
- tvrgeek
No food poisoning hear. Ever. Going on 20 yrs.
He's a good buddy….you should hang out with him more often.A buddy of mine told me not to use treated pine for cutting boards, and things you use in food.
- Douglas!
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