FAQ
If the board is a gift, or will be held in storage for any length of time, please remove it from the shipping packaging as soon as possible and store away from direct sunlight. You can place on a bench top, or lean against a wall. If it remains in the shipping packaging, air flow is restricted and the board could be at risk of timber movement.
To remove our packaging, use a box cutter/Stanley knife:
- Cut all 4 taped edges to open up lid.
- Insert blade no more than 5mm.
Remember when your mum told you “don’t put that in your mouth because you don’t know where it’s been!”? Turns out, she was quite right.
Be mindful when purchasing products that are designed for food preparation which are manufactured from recycled or reclaimed timbers. The wood may have been exposed to a number of chemicals over its lifetime as flooring, cabinetry, or in the building structures of some of our most contaminated old factories and warehouses. There may be a residual of chemicals embedded into the grain structure (nasties such as toxic adhesives, insecticides, insect faecal droppings, lead, etc.) which cannot be fully washed away, sanded out or cut off.
If you don’t know the timber’s full history, it’s impossible to know that it’ll be safe for food preparation. Reclaimed timber certainly has a place in the home, but not with food safety. New timbers are by far the best option as their provenance is known from germination and they are harvested in a controlled environment.
A less dense Aussie hardwood will show more marks, but be gentler on your blades. A dense timber will show less marks, but will require more frequent knife sharpening. We find most people choose a moderately dense hardwood, that fall within our ‘3 Star Knives’ category on our Chop ‘O’ Meter.
Every effort is made to create a superior product – our quality control is vigorous. If there is any movement with our boards, it generally has a cause e.g. too close to a moisture or heat source, or too much moisture when cleaning, or the board hasn’t been oiled when required. A properly maintained board should last several years.
Check out our Handy Tips for keeping your board in tip-top condition.
End grain construction is attractive to the eye and your knives will thank you as well. End grain boards allow your knife to cut between the timber fibres (as opposed to cutting against the fibres in edge and face grain boards), thus showing less scoring and requiring less blade sharpening. Have a look at our illustration to see how it works.
All boards will eventually show wear and tear. A good trick is to use a sharp blade for less marks. Basically, the softer the timber, the more marks – but your knives will require less sharpening. The harder the timber, less marks, but you’ll need more sharpening. Consult our Chop ‘O’ Meter for timber hardness.
We’ve found that depending on the use of each board, waxing can range from weekly to monthly.
Although the boards are sealed with the burnishing system, the addition of Livos Oil provided with the Care Kit is an important part of board maintenance. If the board becomes rough or furry to touch, it means the oil seal or film has broken down, allowing moisture into the grain, ‘raising the grain’ (a timber reaction when exposed to moisture, hence furry to the touch). In this case, wax the board as soon as possible.
Have a look at Board Care for more information.
Burnishing is a process whereby the loose and broken fibres are removed (through very fine sanding), leaving the best possible finish the timber species can offer. This process combined with oil will produce an extremely moisture resistant surface. This is a very important process, as moisture is timber’s worst enemy.
Clean and dry the board after use. Never submerge your board in water or apply excessive moisture, clean it with a damp cloth or sponge. Sanitise your chopping board by wiping over with suitable anti-bacterial surface cleanser wipes. Ensure the board is completely dry before storing or reusing.
Choppa Blocks should be waxed when required, to seal the grain against bacteria. Don’t be tempted to use your household cooking oils as these can go rancid, promote mould growth or become sticky, attracting dirt and dust.
If you’ve been working with pungent foods like garlic, onions or fish, eliminate the odours trapped in the board by wiping a fresh lemon wedge on the surface area after you’ve cleaned and sanitised.
Check out our Handy Tips for keeping your board clean.
With correct conditions, bacteria will grow on any surface quickly. Bacteria in the kitchen mostly comes from food and can multiply on all surfaces, including timber. However, as timber is an organism, it will hold bacteria at bay and will aid in retarding its growth. The answer lays within good housekeeping and applying good food safety. Check out our Handy Tips for keeping your board clean.
End Grain is a good choice for food safety – studies have shown that the capillary action of the wood fibre actually discourages the growth of bacteria. Other board materials like plastic, marble or glass don’t have this quality and when cutting marks and valleys form from everyday use, bacteria can multiply in these crevices and are difficult to access to clean completely.
Livos Oil is Food Safe – it is the perfect bacteria proof conditioner for any food preparation surface and any utensil made of wood which is used for direct or indirect contact with food. Livos Oil The original Hardwax Oil is based on natural vegetable oils and waxes. It is micro-porous and does not crack, flake, peel or blister. It is water-repellent. It also enriches, beautifies and reveals the gorgeous grain in high quality wood. Using the oil on wooden kitchen items periodically will prevent absorption of food odours and ease cleaning, as well as maintain the integrity of the wood, which is otherwise subjected to repeated wetting and drying in the course of use. If you would like further information regarding Livos, please see MSDS.
Just so you know – we NEVER send wobbly boards! When the board arrives and it has a slight wobble, that would be caused from being in the transit packaging too long or it has been left in a hot area, or in direct sunlight during its journey. Have a look at Board Care for more information on what conditions suit Choppa Blocks best.
If you’ve had your board for a while…
Is your board furry to touch? Does your board need a wax? The board may also be seasonally acclimatising. Standing your board on edge overnight will allow equal air flow over both sides of the board and will allow the board to settle. This process can be very fast (a few hours) or up to 1 day. Please contact us if the board won’t behave itself (98% of our boards behave themselves).
Some boards in a tropical climate may need to acclimatise to the humidity. This can take up to 1-2 days, but generally happens overnight. Standing your board on edge overnight will allow equal air flow over both sides of the board and will allow the board to settle.
Check out our Handy Tips for keeping your board in tip-top condition.
We are proud of our product and have full confidence in it, therefore we offer a full intended use warranty. We will replace the board for any manufacturing or timber issues. Obviously boards that have been in the dishwasher will not be covered by the warranty! Read more about terms of returns.
A Choppa Block is an investment and will outlast several cheaper boards. Check out the benefits of end grain.
With the correct maintenance, you should get many years of happy chopping from your board. Check out our care instructions and handy tips.
Visit our online shop – the board you see is the board you buy.
Alternatively for a bespoke board;
Contact us with your ideas for a bespoke board (include dimensions, timber, delivery postcode, if you’d like a moat, etc.)
We’ll be in touch and send you a quote
Let us know you’re happy to go ahead
We’ll then make the board
We’ll send you an image of the completed board to ensure it’s what you expected
Happy chopping!
Contact us with your ideas for a bespoke board (include dimensions, timber, delivery postcode, if you’d like a moat, etc.)
We’ll be in touch and send you a quote
Let us know you’re happy to go ahead
We’ll then make the board
We’ll send you an image of the completed board to ensure it’s what you expected
Happy chopping!
We pack our boards in 3mm MDF briefcase style packaging. We have found this system to work quite well as the boards are easily moved around, thus less susceptible to damage. Every board delivered is covered by freight safe insurance (value up to $250-2500 per consignment).
The Janka hardness test measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. It measures the force required to embed an 11.28mm steel ball into wood to half the ball’s diameter. This method leaves an indentation. The Janka hardness rating is to determine whether a species is suitable for intended use. The stated results are measured in kilonewtons.
To find out which ratings are attributed to specific timbers, consult our Chop ‘O’ Meter
For more information on Janka visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test
Significant efforts are made by Choppa Block to provide accurate images of each board’s colour and design. Actual colours of the timber may vary slightly, due to photography conditions and different device screen settings. In purchasing from Choppa Block, there is a small risk that there will be a slight variation between the actual timber colour and the representation on our website.
Any returns for a product due to customer dissatisfaction with the timber colour will need to comply with the Choppa Block Returns Policy.
In most cases we’re happy to swap out a board if you change your mind, so please contact us as soon as possible if you wish to do so.
Every effort is made by Choppa Block to provide accurate measurements for each board. The actual dimensions of the board can vary +/- 5mm due to manufacturing variations (most likely due to natural timber characteristics or faults).
Product weight is worked out based on the cubic weight of the species and is indicative only.
If you have exacting measurement or weight requirements, please contact us
Australian hardwoods are considered some of the most sort after timbers in the world for their durability and colour range. All our timbers are from sourced from sustainable sources and are kiln dried for Australian conditions. All our timbers are moisture tested prior to construction. Australian hardwoods need to be around 11% moisture content for maximum stability. Have a look at our Chop ‘O’ Meter to find a timber that suits you.
Timber from our northern neighbours with their high humidity is generally of a higher moisture content. As such, the timber naturally wants to expel moisture to suit Australia’s lower humidity, which places the timber under stress and may well lead to a split.