We use lemon oil on an oak hutch. Anyone use it for turnings? Realize it's not food safe. Thanks.
-
February 2026 Turning Challenge: Cookie Jar! (click here for details) -
Congratulations to Dean Center for "After Life" being selected as Turning of the Week for February 16, 2026 (click here for details) -
AAW Symposium demonstrators announced - If the 2026 AAW International Woodturning Symposium is not on your calendar, now is the time to register. And there are discounts available if you sign up early, by Feb. 28. Early Bird pricing gives you the best rate for our 40th Anniversary Symposium in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 4–7, 2026. (There are discounts for AAW chapter members too) For more information vist the discussion thread here or the AAW registration page
-
Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.
Lemon oil on turnings?
- Thread starter John Torchick
- Start date
Lemon oil on bare wood? Other than as a fragrance, and generally a cleaning agent (citrus cleaners, some furniture polishes), I can't see any benefit to it as a wood finish. I doubt it cures hard through polymerization.
Your oak hutch, was it already finished (varnish, lacquer, etc.) before using lemon oil on it? In that case, it's acting as a cleaning agent, I'll assume.
Your oak hutch, was it already finished (varnish, lacquer, etc.) before using lemon oil on it? In that case, it's acting as a cleaning agent, I'll assume.
I agree with Steve, unless your turnings are dirty no need to put lemon oil on it.
From Google, "Wood does not need to be "fed" in the sense of consuming nutrients or oil to stay healthy, as it is a dead material
. While products like oils and waxes are marketed to "feed" wood, they actually only protect the surface or improve the appearance, rather than replenishing moisture. Proper care involves maintaining consistent humidity levels."
From Google, "Wood does not need to be "fed" in the sense of consuming nutrients or oil to stay healthy, as it is a dead material
. While products like oils and waxes are marketed to "feed" wood, they actually only protect the surface or improve the appearance, rather than replenishing moisture. Proper care involves maintaining consistent humidity levels."
Oak hutch was bare wood. Thanks and will mark it off the finish list.
Why is lemon oil not food safe?
Out of respect for this conversation so far, and not wanting to get my hand slapped by the mods for saying something uh... derogatory, I'll simply say this-
Bologna.
stryicarvingtools.com
"It does so by replenishing the oils in the wood which are present when it is newly cut."
And on and on...
Bologna.
Lemon oil for wood
Finishing is very important part of every wood working and for wood carving too. And in this blog we want to share with you about lemon oil for wood. Lemon oil for wood A finish is an essential part of any wood project that helps increase its longevity and durability. With so many finishes in...
stryicarvingtools.com
"It does so by replenishing the oils in the wood which are present when it is newly cut."
And on and on...
Oak hutch is about 40 years old. Reminds me, needs another application of lemon oil.
Pure lemon oil is probably food-safe. But products called lemon oil sold for polishing furniture use lemon oil as one ingredient - a cleaning agent and fragrance - in a proprietary mixture made primarily of petroleum or other products. Definitely not suitable for salads.
Old English product label reads 99% Mineral Oil. (on the front)
I’d like to know how you get oil out of a lemon? I want to start using lemons in my diesel tractor.
Given the cons in the blog or article referenced above it would appear that there are numerous other finishes, including other oils, polys, waxes, etc., which would be a better choice.
The oil is pressed from the lemon peels. If you fold a lemon or even an orange peel in half it will spray a little oil. We used to do it towards an open flame and make it flare up.
Just make sure they are small enough to go through the opening in the tank. Recall reading a few years ago where you could buy a unit for $300 to process cooking oil in place of diesel. A bit off topic but a tour boat in Hawai'i used refined cooking oil. Passengers said ti smelled like cooking french fries.