I'm doing a couple trivets for setting a hot pan on.  Not sure how well that's going to work, but we'll see.  I was wondering what kind of finish to put on it.  I'm sort of thinking about just using mineral oil, that would soak in pretty good you you really wouldn't have a finish build up setting on the surface against a hot pan.  Is there anything that sounds more heat proof to you?  This goes along with my what to do with scraps posting.

Roy, don't know if it would be any better than the mineral oil, but I remember sometime back Keedy made some and put BLO on them. In the center he put a tile that they picked up out west somewhere. Maybe he will jump in here and post a picture of those he did. They were pretty sharp and would be a good project for that scrap. You could probably pick up some single tiles pretty cheap at either a flooring store or one of the big box store.

 

 

that corian stuff would work as well as a piece of sheetmetal.

 

Maybe you could get a nice piece of 1/4 inch steel or aluminum for the top?

If your just using it for putting cooked dishes on right of the oven or off the stove, I gotta tell ya I don't think you need to do anything special at all. The wood itself is heat proof enough, it would take red glow metal to damage the wood. Over time you might develop some darker areas on the trivet from continued heat and use, but that just adds character. Now if your looking for something to make the trivet grain pop or look better, then any oil should do. I might stay away from BLO, I think that might smell a bit when heated, if your going to do an oil, I would go with regular cutting board oil.

Just my two cents, and MHO.

I would apply no finish at all.

I do want to see the grain pop up a little, so I want to put something on it.  These first couple are going to be oak and walnut, maybe a jarrah border.  I haven't worked much at all with BLO so I don't know anything about it other than we mixed it with shellac and alcohol to use on lathe projects at school, so I'll probably just hit these first couple with mineral oil.  I'll post a picture of them when I get them finished.

Roy,

I have made a lot of cutting boards and trivets and the only finish I use is mineral oil. Inexpensive, easily renewable, food safe and works very well dealing not only when cutting things up but also with hot pans and dishes. Also note that heat may cause the trivet to "weep" a bit when the mineral oil is fresh.You will run into this more in endgrain designs rather than side grain designs. So when you do apply mineral oil to your trivet, make sure that you give it some time to fully absorb the oil in your shop with multiple wipe downs when you first do it before bringing it in the house and also a day or two after you have brought it in the house as the temp/humidity changes can cause the wood expand/contract which can cause a bit of weeping as well. I have found it best to put on some type of rubber feet on the bottom of my cutting boards and trivets (prior to oiling). This keeps them from sliding around as well as allowing air flow all around the wood so it breathes well and dries when wet. My wife has 4 cutting boards/trivets of different sizes and designs setting up on the kitchen counter for display and they all get used as  cutting boards and trivets depending on the size of the pan. The large one goes under the Crock-Pot when it is cooking (put a fine crack in the Silestone counter top the first time due to the heat the month after it was installed) as well as on the table. When you first make a cutting board, you should oil it once a week for a month and then once a month or whenever it gets looking a bit dry. Always hand wash them without full immersion and dry them with a towel and the set them out to fully dry. Never put them in a dishwasher as the high heat and detergents can cause the wood to dry out and crack.