Cutlery Divider...

[David Schnegg]

I wanted everyone's opinion for the best finish to apply to a cutlery divider.

I plan on building one similar to this one:




I remember reading that as long as it's fully cured, any finish can be considered food safe. My concern is with durability, since silverware and knives will constantly be banging around in the drawer.

The wood I choose was Aspen... which might be too soft for this use. I have never worked with it before, but it appears to be in the poplar family of tree species.

[Jim Becker]

Mine is finished with shellac. No problems.

[Larry Fox]

I second Jim's vote for shellac. Another option is just simply a coat of wax. I read about this in a post a while back by Nancy Laird and tried it on a dresser I built and the results were very, very nice - a year in, no problems whatsoever. However, for an enviroment where it might be exposed to water, solvents, grease etc (like a kitchen) I think a coat or so of shellac is your best option.

[David Schnegg]

Thanks for the help guys. I will use the shellac.