• The forum upgrades have been completed. These were moderate security fixes from our software vendor and it looks like everything is working well. If you see any problems please post in the Forum Technical Support forum or email us at forum_moderator (at) aawforum.org. Thank you
  • February 2026 Turning Challenge: Cookie Jar! (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Matt Carvalho for "Red Mallee Folded Form" being selected as Turning of the Week for February 9, 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.

Wood suggestions for salad forks..?

Joined
Dec 5, 2015
Messages
1,075
Likes
565
Location
Seattle, WA
Looking for some experiences here....

Salad forks to be bare wood that would be least likely to react with salad oils. Or, if there is a recommended food safe coating that'd be okay too..

From wood I currently have the choices are: white oak, red oak, eastern hard maple, walnut or sapele. What would your choice be?

Thanks.
 
Of your list, go with the closed-grain hard maple.

Alternate choices for the PacNW would be Western Big Leaf Maple or fruit woods (cherry, apple, plum, etc.). I made a set from Sycamore this past summer and they worked great.

Since they’ll be washed after uses, make sure you raise the grain with water a couple of times as you finish up the sanding/smoothing.
 
Looking for some experiences here....

Salad forks to be bare wood that would be least likely to react with salad oils. Or, if there is a recommended food safe coating that'd be okay too..

From wood I currently have the choices are: white oak, red oak, eastern hard maple, walnut or sapele. What would your choice be?

Thanks.
maple, Teak, Tigerwood, ebony, rosewood
 
Maple is probably your best bet. I have made sets from sapele and they sell well for me and never had any complaints or returns. Cherry is another great wood for wooden utensils. I would think white oak would be good also As to a finish I always use Mahoney's walnut oil the same finish I use on all my utility bowls. When they dry buff them through the first two steps (beal buffing system) ending with white diamond. The close grain woods will develop a wonderful low gloss sheen.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top