mineral oil over Danish oil

[leonard haag]

I have recently been doing some work with butcher blocks and cutting boards, I am about ready to start on a larger butcher block table from a large pile of Cherry I have been sitting on, my question is, if I use a cherry Danish oil can I follow up with Mineral oil and still be food safe? any help would be appreciated..Thanks!!

[Tim Grace]

If your plan is to use as a cutting board, I would not use the Danish oil.  

The mineral oil does not seal the wood, nor would it keep the Danish oil from leaching even if the mineral oil was mixed with parafin.  

Your best bet may be some food safe coloring mixed with the USP mineral oil. I haven't tried coloring on the butcher blocks I've refinished, but I have heard it being done.

[leonard haag]

my only reasoning behind the Cherry Danish oil is to try to darken the Cherry a touch, maybe I should just leave the wood out in the sun for a few days

[James P. Cottingham]

The cherry will darken on it's own. I would be afraid that if I colored it, it would get too dark after a while.

[Jay Boutwell]

Leonard from experience of many years and several butcher block later I would not use any thing that would darken the cherry wood and or make it rancid.  I have used mineral oil in the past but found that there is a better finish that seals the wood better and is food safe.

What I use is Behlen Salad Bowl finish.  A quart cost is about the mid twenty dollar range and will go along ways.  The reason I use the salad bowl finish is that it is very durable and will withstand hot dish washer washing and will serve even better on a table top.

[leonard haag]

after seeing a fellow woodworkers Cherry projects, and seeing how it darkened on it's own, I believe I will go that route with either Howards mineral oil or the Behlen finish that jay recommended, thanks all