Timber and finish for salad bowl.

[Nozzle]

Hi guys im after some advice,

Ive been asked to make a salad bowl.
now what is the best timber to use? (beech,sycamore?)
the customer is quite picky as to what timber and colour it will be so what are the best choices to reccomend to them?
also what finish to use, i have food safe oil but after reading what people have said about it not curing and being washed away after time has put me off a bit. (the customer wants it very durable, so to not do much maintenace to the bowl after a while).
so what about something like Acrylic laquer or Plastic coating? because to me after a finish has cured they are pretty much safe anyway, apart from wax etc... and stuff like shellac which isnt waterproof.
thanks for your help
regards
Paul

 

[cambournepete]

Beech would be fine.

As for the finish, ordinary vegetable oil isn't exactly difficult to reapply every few months or so.
Alternatively don't put a finish on it and it will develop a suitable patina.

 

[paulm]

Has the customer specified whether they want a lighter coloured bowl or darker ? You say they are quite picky but don't know if they have expressed a preference >

Beech or sycamore would both be fine if a lighter coloured bowl is wanted, as would ash and probably others I can't think of at the moment ! If they want something darker then walnut is good if you can get hold of some.

Any oil finish, including the food safe one which is mainly mineral oil/liquid paraffin, will darken the timber to some degree. Not sure what you have read on the food safe one, it is perfectly suited to the job, in fact specifically designed for it. Any oil finish will need reapplying periodically frequency depending on amount of usage and how the bowl is cleaned, but is easy enough to wipe on with a cloth, wipe off surplus a few minutes later, job done.

Other veg oils can be used but many will stay sticky and attract dust and fluff, even go rancid, which the customer definitely won't like !

Cheers, Paul

 

[Jacob]

.........
Other veg oils can be used but many will stay sticky and attract dust and fluff, even go rancid, .....

Cheers, Paul

Only if over applied and under used. I've got elm and sycamore salad bowls and they get a wipe over with olive oil every now and then , after washing and drying. No problem.

 

[CHJ]

I use Beech whenever asked for salad bowls, we have many ourselves, both servers and personal users.
5-6 years old now and still going strong.

I always use Food Safe Oil, as paulm said it's liquid paraffin, that sold specifically for for the purpose is Light Grade which is thinner than the grade obtainable at the chemists, penetrates quicker and dries off quicker than the thicker varieties.

I don't use kitchen oils because of not knowing allergy details of users.

 

[woodyturner]

No mater what finish you use it will need to to be maintained at some point in my 20 years of making bowls I have only ever use Teak or Danish for gloss or satin finish on my bowls that that are intended for food I always apply 6 coats and tell the customer it will need a wipe over occasionally depending on how often it is used and washed and never yet had one complaint as for wood type most hard woods will do depending on the required colour or wood grain busy or plain good luck and happy turning

 

[Nozzle]

Has the customer specified whether they want a lighter coloured bowl or darker ? You say they are quite picky but don't know if they have expressed a preference >

Beech or sycamore would both be fine if a lighter coloured bowl is wanted, as would ash and probably others I can't think of at the moment ! If they want something darker then walnut is good if you can get hold of some.

Any oil finish, including the food safe one which is mainly mineral oil/liquid paraffin, will darken the timber to some degree. Not sure what you have read on the food safe one, it is perfectly suited to the job, in fact specifically designed for it. Any oil finish will need reapplying periodically frequency depending on amount of usage and how the bowl is cleaned, but is easy enough to wipe on with a cloth, wipe off surplus a few minutes later, job done.

Other veg oils can be used but many will stay sticky and attract dust and fluff, even go rancid, which the customer definitely won't like !

Cheers, Paul

Thanks for reply,
when i say the customer is picky i dont really mean in terms of colour cause he hasnt a clue about timber from what he told me. he is just awkward at times if you get my meaning? like he has so many ideas at once he cant choose nothing but from pics ive showed him he seemed to like sycamore best. but i was really just checking about safe timber to reccomend to him.
regards
Paul

 

[Nozzle]

No mater what finish you use it will need to to be maintained at some point in my 20 years of making bowls I have only ever use Teak or Danish for gloss or satin finish on my bowls that that are intended for food I always apply 6 coats and tell the customer it will need a wipe over occasionally depending on how often it is used and washed and never yet had one complaint as for wood type most hard woods will do depending on the required colour or wood grain busy or plain good luck and happy turning

Thanks for the reply also.
I use food safe oil from Chestnut on fruit bowls and the like, its just when the customer asked for a finish that didnt have any maintenance i thought of hard wearing stuff like Plastic coating.
but the overwhelming thing so far on this post seem to be definetly food safe oil am i right?
just as an aside is plastic coating actually any good for things like inside of bowls?
regards
Paul

 

[woodyturner]

No mater what finish you use it will need to to be maintained at some point in my 20 years of making bowls I have only ever use Teak or Danish for gloss or satin finish on my bowls that that are intended for food I always apply 6 coats and tell the customer it will need a wipe over occasionally depending on how often it is used and washed and never yet had one complaint as for wood type most hard woods will do depending on the required colour or wood grain busy or plain good luck and happy turning

Thanks for the reply also.
I use food safe oil from Chestnut on fruit bowls and the like, its just when the customer asked for a finish that didnt have any maintenance i thought of hard wearing stuff like Plastic coating.
but the overwhelming thing so far on this post seem to be definetly food safe oil am i right?
just as an aside is plastic coating actually any good for things like inside of bowls?
regards
Paul

Plastic finishes are OK and food safe Paul but not so easy to maintain for a non woodworker as Oil is
Regards Vic

 

[Jacob]

...... is plastic coating actually any good for things like inside of bowls?
regards
Paul

No except it'll keep it nice n shiny in the shop or on the shelf if it's never used. No good for a bowl regularly used - oil is best.

 

[duncanh]

Easiest to create and maintain - just burnish the outside with shavings. Whatever finish you apply (especially to the inside) will degrade over time if not re-applied. To make it easier for the owner just have them wash it in warm soapy water and dry immediately.

If the purchaser queries this tell them that most woods have anti bacterial properties - I recall posting a link to a research paper some time ago which discusses this

 

[woodyturner]

That is a nice idea but if no finish is applied wont some of the foods stain the wood permanently and when it is washed wont that raise the grain and make it rough again ?

 

[CHJ]

That is a nice idea but if no finish is applied wont some of the foods stain the wood permanently and when it is washed wont that raise the grain and make it rough again ?

Yes, that's called patina, the raised grain is very slight with dense woods like Beech and soon smooths out with regular use.
Stains from such as Beetroot in salads fade over time as do any imparted from soups etc.
Most vegetable base dyes are not colour fast without the use of a mordant to set them.

Main thing is not to use soap or detergents when swilling, they rapidly remove the oils used to reduce water penetration.
Wipe with a damp kitchen towel or worst case swill under tap and dry off.

 

[Jacob]

According to Robin Wood the bowl man, the best finish for a utensil (if intended to be used a lot) is fresh from the chisel/gouge/knife. i.e. with no sanding or anything applied.

 

[Nozzle]

Thankyou very much for your replies

 

[Terry Smart]

Plastic finishes are OK and food safe...

Really? I'm not saying this because I want to promote our Food Safe Finish, that's already been done and thanks...and whilst I don't want to suggest that it isn't safe, the last time I checked with Rustins they didn't have certification for their Plastic Coating...