How do you make a butcher block cutting board?

If you are using the cutting board for show then a polyurethane would work, if you use it for cutting, then a good rub down on a periodic basis with vegetable oil works well. The oil resists water but won't contaminate your food. I use mineral oil. My wood cutting board care instructions recommended this. I use it about once every 4-6 weeks as the wood looks dry. I have always used Danish oil on my cutting boards when first made. Answer== Just make sure whatever you use is food grade mineral oil.

Food grade mineral oil is preferred, as vegetable oils can go rancid.

Mineral oil is the most common treatment. Adding beeswax to the mineral oil is also effective. Vegetable oil needs to be cleaned and re-treated much more frequently as it is organic. Wooden Butcher Blocks and Cutting Boards I'm glad others agree that wood is the ultimate cutting surface! There is nothing like the feel and the beauty of cutting on wood. Its too bad so many people still use mineral oil though. Mineral oil is a petroleum by-product that never dries. You either eat it or wash it away. Preserve Woodenware Oil is a 100% non-toxic product that dries naturally. It fills the pores and helps exclude bacteria. It is made of edible nut oils that dry (vegetable oils and mineral oil never does).