Recommended Finish for Trivets?

[Al Launier]

I'm making up a dozen or so Trivets as Christmas presents (early start) and am using both Mahogany & Poplar for contrast, Mahogany on one side, Poplar on the other, and face glued together. The Trivets will be 6" sq. x 1/2" thick & machined with "see through" arched slots routed through the face of each, to penetrate just beyond the half thickness point, and which will allow seeing both woods at the same time. These pieces will be ready for finishing shortly, but I wonder what finish would be best for appearance and to withstand hot temperatures if something hot(?) is placed on top of the Trivets. Or, "wood" it be better to leave unfinished - am concerned about warpage if left unsealed???
Pictures to follow.

Appreciated your suggestions.

[Prashun Patel]

I would finish them with a couple coats of Danish oil or other oil/varnish blend. Sand them up to a high grit - like 600, and then put on 2-3 coats. Don't worry about building a film; just seal it. The oil/varnish offers a little more protection than just oil and will have to be refreshed marginally less frequently.

A trivet will be subject to hot and scratchy contact with pots. A film-forming finish will ultimately fail. An in-the-wood finish as above will look better longer as long as it's not routinely subject to prolonged wetness.

Sanding it to 600 - or even higher - will produce a silky finish that will look satiny, but will grace the user with a wonderful feel every time they pick it up.

I use a lot of cut offs in the kitchen for trivets and cheese boards and the like. More than other furniture, I notice that there's a lot of user interaction (at least by the host) with these items. Therefore, I prefer a finish that has as much tactile as visual appeal.

The other nice thing is that refreshing the finish if you wish is simple.

[Al Launier]

Thanks Prashun.
Now I have to demonstrate my lack of knowledge regarding finishing, but................ I have some BLO & some Minwax Wipe On Poly clear satin. I might not be able to really work this into the slot corners with a rag, unless using a brush. Would a mix of this work satisfactorily? If so, what proportion? If not, what product(s) & blend mix would you recommend?

[Prashun Patel]

I am an not scientific about the mix: Maybe 75% WOP and 25% BLO.

If your trivets are not that big, you can make a pan of the mix, and then dip them. Let them soak for a few second, drip off the excess into the pan for a couple minutes, and then buff dry with paper towels.
Let dry.
Repeat.

[glenn bradley]

I use mineral oil just like I use on cutting boards.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Al, have you determined that the woods will withstand the temperatures they will be subjected to without burning ? I made wooden trivets some while back and put stone on the top.

[Al Launier]

Al, have you determined that the woods will withstand the temperatures they will be subjected to without burning ? I made wooden trivets some while back and put stone on the top.

No Yonak, I haven't. It was my "assumption" that these trivets, most made of Mahogany & Poplar, and a couple made of Walnut & Hard Maple would work.

These pictures are of the fixture & test piece used to work out & balance the spacing of the slots.

I have yet to machine the double-sided plates & the framing members as shown on the TS. This is the first time I've worked with Mahagony and so far I really like this wood, both the fine grain & color.

I think there was a reference in a previous posting (weeks ago?) that gave the temperature that various woods could withstand. I'll try to search it out. If any of you know please advise. However, I only have these woods available for this project. Hopefully I don't have to place a protective cover of some material when in use???

[johnny means]

No finish, burnish them.

[Yonak Hawkins]

Well, when I do a search for "wooden trivet" I see loads of them so I guess it's not a problem.

[Al Launier]

Well, when I do a search for "wooden trivet" I see loads of them so I guess it's not a problem.

Thanks Yonak,
Good to Know - Good to Go!

[Robert Parent]

I made a bunch of trivets for gifts a couple years back and used mineral oil. Some of them get hard use and still look fine today. I just soaked them in a pan of oil for several hours, drained them for an hour or so, and then wiped them down.

Robert

[Prashun Patel]

I have burnished some utensils. I made a set of wooden serving spoons and micro meshed them up to a glossy sheen without any finish.

The he problem is that as soon as any moisture gets on it, the grain raises and it gets rough. Even if you pre raise the grain and they do get staining from use. So I would use some kind of finish in there. Ymmv though, my one data point should inform but not negate johnnys reco.

[Al Launier]

Well, that's two for Mineral Oil. Any particular brand and how durable is it to protect against potential wear & heat from hot dishes?

[Al Launier]

For some reason I couldn't find mineral oil in the local stores. So, I'm thinking I might use a 25% BLO/75% WO Poly blend followed by a couple coats of Polycrilic as a final coat assuming the Polycrylic will hold up to heated dishes better. What do you think???

Just finished gluing the last of the trivets. Let me say I really don't like gluing up a project as it has a time limitation which could cause the project to go south on me. These trivets are now curing & held down by a weight, ~20 lb, to keep them flat. I'll let them set overnight & hope for the best.

I found out the hard way that despite precautions to mill both sides to minimize warpage, and being very careful to clamp evenly & with uniform pressure, some of the trivets "sprung" when the clamps (including a strap clamp) were released. These pieces did not have any weight on them when the glue set up. Lesson learned, but the time spent on making these was significant.

So, how to salvage the warped trivets??? Would soaking them in water, then appling a heavy weight on top do anything? I'm concerned that the Titebond III glue would break down???

Also, I have to overall sand all the trivets. Looking to find an easier way would planing them work, lining them hard up against each other to maintain the minimum 12" length recommended on the planer. OR would I be committing project suicide by planing all the different grain directions at once? Seems that sanding could lead me to a similar problem. What would be the best sander to use - a palm sander??? So many questions that I should have addressed BEFORE starting this project. Another lesson learned!

[Prashun Patel]

My advice is to skip the polycrylic.