Another question from the peanut gallery

[Rich]

As most of you know I have been makinf cutting boards, mostly from oak. I get my wood from machinery pallets. Most all of it is very rough and I have to do some work to get a square and even surface to start from. once I get the wood square then cut and glue it I find that even after 24 hours of clamping my slabs seem to start to seperate. My question is this, is the wood still "green" and the moisture content still to high or am I not waiting long enough for the glue to dry? I also notice that if I put more pressure on the clamp I get substantial glue squeeze out.

Thanks for your help

Rich

[Rumpty]

All pallet wood is green or partially air dried. Go buy some KD 1 or 2 common for your project.

[Ron]

I wouldn't use pallet wood for food; you can't tell where its been and what's been stored on it, like pesticides and chemicals. Like Rumpty suggests buy some clean wood. Ron

[Rich]

GOOD POINT!!! Thanks I didnt realize that!

Rich

[Bob Bonn]

I agree with the previous replies, and also, I wouldn't use oak for a cutting board because it's too porous. Maple works very well. Walnut and cherry are good too. You can mix them together and get great-looking results.

[Frank Ketchum]

Most yellow glues only need to be under clamp pressure for an hour or so. Then the joint should sit overnight before it is stressed. As others suggest, I would just get some new wood!

Frank

[Rich]

I do appreciate the constructive criticism and learning that I have been recieving from you guys You bring up points that up till now I have not been aware of. \ \Thanks again Rich PS, this troll guy keeps getting through with his crap. How many different way is he going to spell things?

[Doug Miller]

See my sig...

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[Silvan]

I work in the trucking industry, and let me just reinforce what has already been said. If you use pallet wood for food, you're out of your freakin' mind. There could be ANYTHING on that wood, from ant poison to zebra urine.

The point I haven't heard mentioned is your choice of woods more generally. Oak for cutting boards? Conventional wisdom says that's a poor choice.

[Rich]

Boy, I sure wish some of you in here wouldn't be too critical towards me, I am just learning. My crates come from food warehouses and John Deere Tractors. I had no idea about using oak for cutting boards. I now know why not to use oak. Thank you for letting me know.

Rich

[Mark Hopkins]

They are just jealous cause you got better tools than they do - OR - you get more free wood than they do.... hehehehe I'm still chuckling over ant poison to zebra urine.... Wonder what they use that for?

[Rich]

Well, I know MOST of the people in here are helpful without being sarcastic or just plain mean about things. \\

Rich

[Puff Griffis]

Camel urine was used at one time to patina copper topped buildings. Puff

[Tony]

[Michael Baglio]

Growing a thicker skin is a small price to pay for admission to the largest free database on the planet. I'm still learning this, and I've been online since the days of dialing a rotary phone and setting the handset into a modem cradle to connect to bulletin boards.

In the snow. Uphill. Both ways. ;>

Don't sweat the small stuff, you'll be just fine.

Michael

Sure seems like that was back around the Carter era, when it was actually as recent as the early Clinton years...

[Silvan]

Oh c'mon man, I was being serious with a silly touch, as has long been my style. Everything from A to Z. Well, what could be on a pallet from A to Z? Ant poison is a real possibility. Zebra urine is not so likely, but Z is a hard letter. It was a play on those Centrum commercials. "Everything from A to Zinc."

It's not like I made a personal attack and called you an idiot or anything. I don't think you're an idiot at all, and it wasn't my intention to hurt your feelings. I just didn't want you coming back in a few months telling us about your brush with death and protracted hospital stay from the horrible and rare disease you contracted as a result of having used one of those cutting boards.

Use the oak for something else by all means. It's plenty good for any number of other things, though, as you've discovered, you might need to let it dry for a bit before it's stable enough to stay put. Get yourself some more sutiable (ie closed-grained, *clean*) wood if you want to make cutting boards. That way nobody gets sick, and you can keep wrecking wood and hanging out on the Wreck for a long time.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

"Everything

There is a lot of truth to this. Domestic pallets are not muchof a problem. Imported goods on pallet are another matter though, as crate and pallet wood must be certified free of insects, larva, etc. We import some materail and when youopen the container is smells like a drum of Raid was spilled in it. Could be Zebra urine for al I know, but I'd not use the wood for any food applications. I have used the wood though. Let it sit for at least six months to dry more as pallet wood is not usually top grade kiln dried stuff. Ed

[Rich]

I know, it was an attack on you either, just a general comment. I look forward to the criticism trust me. I am just learning the wood wrecking. Sometimes it's just hard to differentiate (sp) how things are meant to sound via wrriten word. Took me awhile to figure out that all caps is classified as yelling.Thanks for letting me know about the stuff that could be on pallets, that really never crossed my mind! I just though wood was wood, boy I guess that comment could start a thread and a life of it's own. With my steel mill pallets I do find alot of bearing grease and the John Deere stuff has inks stamps on it. I do leanr alot from you guys.

Thanks again

Rich

[Cape Cod Bob]

How the heck did they get the camels on top of the buildings?

[Charlie Self]

Cape Cod Bob asks:

Short buildings.

Charlie Self "Health food makes me sick." Calvin Trillin