We finish our cutting boards in one of two ways; using food grade mineral oil is our most common finish however on occasion we will finish a board with Salad Bowl Finish (aka SBF). Before explaining the differences in the finish we’d first like to identify the similarities: Both finishes are food safe Both finishes will protect the wood surface without detracting from the natural healing and anti-bacterial properties of end grain boards. Both finishes are applied over several days with multiple coats Both surfaces will in fact require periodic maintenance Now the differences. Mineral oil is applied to saturate the wood from one side through the board to the other whereas SBF provides a harder layer of finish that doesn't penetrate...
If you followed our blog post at the end of January and planted your seeds then you should be ready for replanting. If you didn’t plant seeds yet and still have a desire, it’s not too late. I planted tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers; various types of each, and all but one yielded multiple seedlings. Once theses seedlings reach 3 - 4 inches it’s time to replant them. I transfer them into a slightly larger pot with the intentions of doing another replant in a month or so. If you desire, you can plant your seedlings directly into your large containers that will hold your plants throughout the growing season. My reasoning for going into smaller containers is two-fold: The smaller pots...
It’s pretty clear that we woodworkers love our wood and for me in particular I get the most satisfaction out of making end grain cutting boards. They are beautiful, functional, durable, forgiving to your knife edges and, perhaps more importantly, they are far more bacteria resistant than the more common (and less expensive) plastic cutting boards. Of course there are other surfaces that you can use to cut on, however materials like glass or stainless steel are completely unforgiving to your knife edges. If you value your knives, you will choose wood; if you value your health, you will certainly choose wood! **We’ve attached some research articles to back up our claims so don’t just go off my opinion, however...
I’m not the greatest at keeping my shop immaculate as my workday progresses but I do take the time to clean up at the end of the day so I get a fresh start the next day. One area that I’m pretty faithful in, however, is in keeping my tool blades clean. Even without having the blades sharpened (professionally or DIY) you can improve the quality of your cuts by keeping your sharp edges free of residue buildup. If you read my previous blogs you know I don’t have the biggest shop so a lot of my equipment is either smaller or of the “benchtop” variety. That said, I still produce fine quality products using a variety of hardwoods by investing a little...
During a recent visit to our retail market space we were talking to one of the managers who has been very supportive of our work. One of the particular items she pointed out was the long display rack I created and on which we hang our handcrafted kitchen utensils such as wood spoons, spatulas and pot strainers for outdoor markets or retail display. She asked if we could make a similar “scaled down” version for a limited space kitchen. My wife and I began to look at options for those who want access to their favorite utensils without having to dig in a drawer or pull one out of a crowded bin. Our design was fairly simple but took into consideration...
