Who better to ask my question about cutting boards.

Is it okay to make a cutting board from white oak?  I have many pieces of QSWO.

Appreciate your knowledge and reply.

Thanks in advance. Danl

Although the pores on white oak are not as open and long as red oak, they still could trap food particles. With quarter sawn, that might not be a problem but I have never used any quarter sawn to know for sure.

Check this out. White Oak wouldn't be my choice. I'd go with Maple.

Google likes it. Part of the suitability of any wood in cutting boards is the orientation: grain horizontal or vertical? Vertical (end grain up) takes more work, but is more resilient.

Mostly going to depend on how it is finished and used. In some cases the open grain could be a problem (say a board for kneeding bread dough or for carving up a roast). In others it wouldn't be - a veg board or a largely presentation board that just sees a few crumbs. I made a board for one person who basically refused to use it - too pretty. That's a lot of the reason I mostly make boards for myself and people I know will use them.

For finishing, if you pack the grain it could do ok regardless. You just don't want a bunch of meat juice soaking into those open pores.