Making (food) chopping boards out of leylandii

[Pete Franklin]

Just had a large Leylandii cut down in my garden. I have split most of it into logs for seasoning and burning but i have several large trunk sections that i was going to keep intact (mostly because i couldnt be bothered to chop any more).

I was wondering if i could cut section down to 2 inch thick rings and use it as a carving/ chopping board for food. I imagine the wood would be ok for this as it has densly packed rings, only concerns are the resin. would i need to season the wood before use? and how long for? any reasons why i couldnt/ shouldnt do this?

[MOTORVATOR]

I don't see any reason why you shouldn't but I'm not too sure how well you'll do with a crosscut section. Whilst it's good structural timber it's not reknowned for stability so any variation in water content would likely produce a radial split.

Full of resin so stick it in the oven on gas mark 2 for a few days whilst the missus is out to tempt it out.

[Simpo Two]

Try one and see what happens.


(which wasn't a warning, but 'I don't know but you have nothing to lose by trying')

[Flintstone]

Too soft I would think?

[singlecoil]

Flintstone said:

Too soft I would think?

I agree. They don't call it softwood for nothing.

[Bonefish Blues]

...soft and very smelly/resinous, too.

[anonymous-user]

singlecoil said:

I agree. They don't call it softwood for nothing.

I have made chopping boards before out of allsorts! just make loads, use them a few times then chuck them in the fire!

[richyb]

I do quite a lot of milling and from experience I would say cutting a ring off the the log will almost definitely split as it dries out. Sycamore is the wood of choice for chopping boards or butchers blocks.

[MOTORVATOR]

singlecoil said:

Flintstone said:

Too soft I would think?

I agree. They don't call it softwood for nothing.

I bet this softwood is harder than a lot of hardwoods.

[Simpo Two]

MOTORVATOR said:

I bet this softwood is harder than a lot of hardwoods.

Balsa being a hardwood

[MOTORVATOR]

Indeed and a prime time to say angiosperms and gymnosperms. :childishsnigger:

[richyb]

Deceptive names but of course relating to conifers or deciduous trees.

[singlecoil]

MOTORVATOR said:

singlecoil said:

Flintstone said:

Too soft I would think?

I agree. They don't call it softwood for nothing.

I bet this softwood is harder than a lot of hardwoods.

And softer than a lot of others, I expect. I have to admit I have no direct experience of leylandii in this context, so will take your word for that it is harder than the average softwood. Though probably not as hard as yew.

[Simpo Two]

MOTORVATOR said:

Indeed and a prime time to say angiosperms and gymnosperms. :childishsnigger:

richyb said:

Deceptive names but of course relating to conifers or deciduous trees.

Now that's a red rag to a bull chaps... I'm declaring with C3, C4 and CAM (Crassulacean Acid) metabolism. You can work out which is temperate and which is tropical. Thank you and good night

[MOTORVATOR]

singlecoil said:

MOTORVATOR said:

singlecoil said:

Flintstone said:

Too soft I would think?

I agree. They don't call it softwood for nothing.

I bet this softwood is harder than a lot of hardwoods.

And softer than a lot of others, I expect. I have to admit I have no direct experience of leylandii in this context, so will take your word for that it is harder than the average softwood. Though probably not as hard as yew.

You are aware that the terms softwood and hardwood have nothing to do with the hardness of the timber but rather how they propogate?

The Leylandii being sterile could even be argued to be neither softwood or hardwood. Just wood

[singlecoil]

MOTORVATOR said:

You are aware that the terms softwood and hardwood have nothing to do with the hardness of the timber

Yes, I am.

[Pete Franklin]

Think i'll give it a bash.