How to make a wooden spoon

Table of Contents

Occasionally becoming a woodworker is a whole lot like being a genie. The other working day, my spouse was using a curved picket stirring spatula to make cheese sauce for mac ’n’ cheese. “I want I experienced a person of these, but way for a longer period,” she claimed to me. So I went downstairs, found a scrap of maple about the dimensions she preferred, and manufactured her a even larger 1. Even though I’d by no means produced a kitchen utensil just before, it took about two several hours, and was far a lot easier than I had predicted.

No subject your ability amount, generating a wooden spatula, spoon, or some other form of utensil presents heaps of selections for creativity with a large assortment of styles and kinds. You can copy something you now have like I did, obtain a template on line to use as a foundation, or make a fashion that is totally new. Irrespective of whether you’re hunting for a somewhat swift current or seeking to boost your kitchen area arsenal, no matter what you craft is certain to be a crowd pleaser.

Warning: DIY projects can be risky, even for the most seasoned makers. Ahead of continuing with this or any other venture on our web page, be certain you have all essential basic safety gear and know how to use it adequately. At least, that may incorporate protection glasses, a facemask, and/or ear defense. If you are utilizing energy resources, you should know how to use them safely and effectively. If you do not, or are otherwise awkward with something explained below, do not try this project.

Stats

Time: 1 to 2 hours
Material expense: $5 to $10
Issue: Easy

Materials

How to make a wooden spoon, or any other utensil

1. Draw your design and style on the wood. Since I manufactured a more substantial variation of an existing utensil, I freehanded the design with the initial as a reference. If you acquired a template, slash it out and trace it on to your board.

Don’t forget that a template has two profiles. There is the most important condition that you’d see when you put the utensil down flat, but there is also the narrow edge profile. You are going to have to have to draw equally of these.

Professional idea: I constantly desire drawing on the wooden somewhat than taping a template to the board. This assists me keep away from getting rid of my layout partway by if the paper falls off or gets shredded although I’m slicing.

2. Reduce out the tough shape on the band observed. Start off chopping the biggest profile, as though the utensil is lying flat. Try to get the standard form in one or two significant cuts, rather than several tiny ones—this will make the next profile a lot easier to trim.

[Related: The surprising woodworking tools you already have around the house]

3. Tape the cutoff items back again onto the rough-reduce block. This could seem to be counterproductive, but putting these edge pieces back again in put stabilizes the board so you can minimize out the second profile additional properly and correctly. You might require to redraw sections of the edge profile above the tape, but you will thank you afterwards.

4. Refine the shape. When you have the general condition, use your band noticed to trim the extra intricate and specific regions. You can also use chisels or hand saws for this, based on your ease and comfort, the cuts demanded, and your access to equipment. Notch out the tighter angles and corners, start to shape the handle, and kind whatever curves you can. If you have a spoon gouge (I do not), scoop out the spoon head as needed.

Any materials you clear away now is material you won’t have to sand off later on. If you are making use of only an orbital sander, like I did, get as shut as you can, due to the fact the orbital sander is slow. A belt sander eliminates much more content a lot quicker, so if you have access to a single of people, you can be a bit much less precise with this stage.

Warning: Be thorough although creating these much more intricate cuts, each for your bodily safety and to stay away from taking away too much content. Much better to spend 10 excess minutes sanding than to unintentionally minimize your handle (or fingertip) off.

5. Sand right up until you can’t sense your arms, then sand some far more. Sanding will be by considerably the longest and most difficult portion of this task. Relatively than only smoothing the wooden like when you’re building a reducing board or piece of household furniture, you’ll be working with sanding to basically finish shaping the utensil. I sanded my complete spoon employing just an orbital sander and my swiftly-cramping hands, so it is totally doable if that’s all you have. However, handbook sanding will just take a long time, and—as I explained above—a belt sander will surely speed up the procedure.

Get started with 60-grit paper to improve content removing. Never be concerned to adjust sanding discs routinely when they start to uninteresting. With this grit, your goal will be to take out all of the saw and chisel marks and refine the form to close to-concluded dimensions.

Most of my time was invested functioning on the handle, hoping to locate a comfy condition and size. I truly went back to the bandsaw to get rid of additional content many times through the sanding method, just to velocity it alongside.

Once you are content with the condition, shift by the remaining grits, up to 220. I applied 80-, 120-, 150-, and then 220-grit paper.

6. “Water pop” the wooden. The very first time your spoon receives moist, the wood fibers will take in the drinking water and grow. No matter how well you have sanded, this will bring about the wooden to experience tough and unsanded. The way to prevent this is called “water popping.” All you have to do is get the wooden soaked, then allow it dry. Lightly hand-sand the ensuing roughness off of the spoon with 220-grit paper, or what ever grit you concluded with. This will knock down all those bloated fibers, and deliver back again the good clean texture. You could have to drinking water pop your challenge two or three periods to realize a excellent final result.

Warning: Don’t use a powered sander for this. If you do, you may possibly take off also significantly content, and you’ll have the similar roughness the next time your spoon gets damp.

7. Use end. For the reason that this is a cooking spoon, you will have to have to use a foods-risk-free complete. I use slicing board conditioner, which is a mixture of mineral oil and beeswax. Squeeze some on and gently wipe it all over the spoon with a thoroughly clean rag. Enable the oil soak in for 15 to 20 minutes, then wipe off the excessive. If you discover that the wood absorbed all of the oil and feels dry, implement a further coat.

And with that, you are accomplished. Wooden spoons are a pleasurable, somewhat easy job that genuinely impress. They’re great getaway gifts, and a very good way to use up some of that scrap wooden I know you have stacking up in numerous corners of your store. So grant some wishes and help your close friends and liked ones prepare dinner in fashion.