What glue for chopping boards?

[Chris152]

I plan to make some to sell at an upcoming craft fair. Does anyone know what glue's used in commercially available wooden chopping boards? My interest is to find something that's certifiably food safe, which from my searches seems tricky.

The nearest I've got is glue that's FDA approved for 'indirect food contact' - there's an interesting thread (well, interesting in places) here on the Wood Whisperer's site:
https://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/articl ... afe-glues/
but what 'indirect food contact' means when it comes to chopping boards leaves me wondering. Anyway, Titebond does glue that meets that standard, apparently, once it's cured.
Can't find the equivalent info on glue certification in the UK.

I'm aware that 'most' adhesives are probably fine once cured (etc.) and that we're hopefully talking about a series of tiny glue lines, but want to be as clear as I can about safety for this purpose.
Thanks, C

ps I've read discussions on this site and others, but lots of them resort to 'I've used x and am still alive' etc!

 

[Marineboy]

I used cascamite for my laminated hard maple board which we use exclusively for raw meat. Had it for 20-odd years and not been poisoned yet.

 

[lurker]

You are in the UK not USA therefore FDA is irrelevant .
The comments you are reading on line are just American @£se covering.

Avoid animal glues (you were going to anyway).
Either, Don't worry or don't bother ( to sell them ) life is too short.

For performance I'd go for castamite which I imagine is inert once set.

For a general finish, I use liquid parafin BP, you can get this from equestrian suppliers

 

[ED65]

Something waterproof. Not water-resistant, waterproof. That's it, that's all you need concern yourself with.

Perfectly understandable if you want a certified product given the context but the difference between two similar glues, one certified and one not, is the piece of paper.

It'll be exactly the same as with finishes. Only a handful of finishes are certified food safe – because the manufacturer went and got the testing done and got the cert. The key point is though that it's not because they formulated the product to be this way. It was already.

 

[That would work]

Forgive me if you are aware of this...just in case you were doing anything with oak, Do not use cascamite as it will stain black (reacts with the tanin)

 

[thetyreman]

PVA is fine as well.

 

[Woody2Shoes]

I'd use Titebond 3 https://www.axminster.co.uk/titebond-ii ... ue-ax29225

And Osmo Top Oil https://www.axminster.co.uk/osmo-top-oil-ax944366

Cheers, W2S

 

[woodbloke66]

I'd use Titebond 3 https://www.axminster.co.uk/titebond-ii ... ue-ax29225

And Osmo Top Oil https://www.axminster.co.uk/osmo-top-oil-ax944366

Cheers, W2S

TB3 is good but costs an arm and both legs. Everbuild D4 is equally as good, fully waterproof and is about a third of the price. I question the use of Osmo Top Oil as well; suitable for kitchen work tops (it says so on the tin ) but I wouldn't put it on a cutting board. Much safer to use an oil which is specifically 'food safe'. Personally, I wouldn't put anything on a chopping board except hot water and a scrubbing brush - Rob

 

[stuckinthemud]

You can seal it with sunflower oil, which won't go rancid unlike olive oil

 

[CHJ]

Forgive me if you are aware of this...just in case you were doing anything with oak, Do not use cascamite as it will stain black (reacts with the tanin)

Never had any signs of this and have used quite a bit of Oak in my simple segmented pieces.

Somewhere in distant memory I seem to recall that :-

Cascamite urea resin glue is ideal for veneering because it is non-alkaline, doesn't react chemically with acid woods like oak or mahogany

but don't know where that little snippet came from.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Forgive me if you are aware of this...just in case you were doing anything with oak, Do not use cascamite as it will stain black (reacts with the tanin)

Not quite true, unless you add a third element, specifically, iron. You need water (commonly used make up urea formaldehyde adhesive), tannin (in the oak, and other wood species) and iron, (from steel or other iron sources), e.g., steel sash cramps, cast iron. Slainte.

 

[Chris152]

Thanks for the replies.
Hmm... From what I've seen, some of these glues can become unstable when heat/ steam gets on them and this makes me wonder, some people cut hot food/ meats on chopping boards.
Might leave it, fine for own use but unless I, too, can cover my bottom legally better focus elsewhere.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

You can seal it with sunflower oil, which won't go rancid unlike olive oil

I have to ask - has anyone had olive oil as a finish go rancid? It's only because I have LOTS of old olive oil available. I have used some, but only in the last four months, so it's early to tell.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

Thanks for the replies.
Hmm... From what I've seen, some of these glues can become unstable when heat/ steam gets on them and this makes me wonder, some people cut hot food/ meats on chopping boards.
Might leave it, fine for own use but unless I, too, can cover my bottom legally better focus elsewhere.

Years of abusing chopping boards has never been a problem - washed with super-hot soapy water, hot food, hot pots and pans - never an issue. ***** tourists love putting our chopping boards in the dishwasher, which without fail disassembles them. They can take huge amounts of abuse, but not dishwashers.

 

[ED65]

Forgive me if you are aware of this...just in case you were doing anything with oak, Do not use cascamite as it will stain black (reacts with the tanin)

Not quite true, unless you add a third element, specifically, iron. You need water (commonly used make up urea formaldehyde adhesive), tannin (in the oak, and other wood species) and iron, (from steel or other iron sources), e.g., steel sash cramps, cast iron. Slainte.

The iron can be in the water, plenty of cast-iron pipes still in the system and some water supplies are high in natural iron salts. This is why for certain jobs some sources call for distilled water over tap or well water.

 

[ED65]

You can seal it with sunflower oil, which won't go rancid unlike olive oil

I have to ask - has anyone had olive oil as a finish go rancid? It's only because I have LOTS of old olive oil available. I have used some, but only in the last four months, so it's early to tell.

The answer to this is a definite yes, but I wouldn't take that as the final word on the subject.

Other than your own future experiences you only have anecdotal accounts to go on and unfortunately the info is very conflicting, literally spanning the range from "It's no problem, my family have oiled [stuff] for X years." to "I oiled a board and it started to stink within a couple of months and no amount of sanding would fix it, I had to throw it out."

It's a sure thing that a lot of the variability is down to what 'olive oil' is actually being used, since of course there are many grades, multiple sources, it's a natural product etc. But as a general thing the more refined the oil is the better in this regard, just as will all vegetable oils; refined oils keep better than "raw", unrefined or cold-pressed which is the reason they aren't sold in dark glass bottles when the latter often do need to be for them to have a reasonable shelf life.

Worth noting that, apparently, a great deal of the world's EVOO is fake so that'll further complicate the picture!

One last thing, what is being oiled is also of critical importance. People are often not talking about the same thing at all but still not making a distinction, there's no comparing an acacia salad bowl and implements with an end-grain chopping block made from beech for example.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

The iron can be in the water, plenty of cast-iron pipes still in the system and some water supplies are high in natural iron salts. This is why for certain jobs some sources call for distilled water over tap or well water.

Fair point. That's also a possibility, although I've not experienced it myself, and can't recall any woodworkers I know mentioning the phenomenon. Slainte.

 

[ED65]

Also a fair point. But we're all familiar with dark water stains on oak and some other species so it's not merely a theoretical thing, but obviously something that will vary place to place.