Last Minute Stocking Stuffers!

[DM]

Hopefully the "forum police" will leave this here so more will see it. That way it may help someone who likes to do things like this...

Christmas is upon us, and i needed a few last minute stocking stuffers. So i went out into the shop to see what i could come up with. First thing i did was to start a fire in the wood stove, and while splitting a bit of kindling, i realized the cherry board i was splitting was just about right to make some wooden spatula's out of...

http://www.fototime.com/4662B69976DD47B/orig.jpg

So i split out some more, and i thought i'd show you how to made them. First thing i did was to run the boards over the jointer.

http://www.fototime.com/11C80C3BF248EAB/orig.jpg

This cleans up and one side of the board and also makes it perfectly flat...

http://www.fototime.com/2FA1E05A4428A15/orig.jpg

With that done, i ran the boards through the thickness planer to get the other side flat...

http://www.fototime.com/627CF64C5225880/orig.jpg

And also to get all of the boards the same thickness...

http://www.fototime.com/EA247ACD119EDB2/orig.jpg

Then i took an old spatula that i made many years ago, and used it for a pattern...

http://www.fototime.com/BAC676250DD7C70/orig.jpg

The origional is worn down quite a bit, so i added a bit of length in places, to get some different sizes and shapes...

http://www.fototime.com/5C32C06ABE10A6B/orig.jpg

With that done, it was time to bandsaw them out...

http://www.fototime.com/8C842960A489236/orig.jpg

Then i took the scap to the wood stove, as i may as well get a bit of heat out of that scrap!

http://www.fototime.com/7E8E2E1A6AFED30/orig.jpg

And started sanding the rough edges of the cutouts...

http://www.fototime.com/C519D9BF6921F4C/orig.jpg

And here they are, ready for some final sanding and a mineral oil finish...

http://www.fototime.com/864B921F24E1192/orig.jpg

Now, that didn't take long at all, and they are always a big hit with the cooks that get them!!

DM

[Penny_Plinker]

Those look great! Just wondering though, is the spatula used to turn eggs.? The metal and plastic ones all have curved handles, but a skillet isn't that deep so straight would prob work. I just never used a wooden one but i have some cherry wood and all those machines except my sander disk fits on a drill press.

Not going to get done before Christmas, though. My last minute preps included making a big batch of my daughter's favorite granola and honey spiced almonds.

Penny

[Hampster]

OK DM.... it's official.. you have too many toys.. lol


Really.. what a great idea.. you are very gifted and creative...

Thanks for sharing all the pictures.. I just loved them...

[DM]

OK DM.... it's official.. you have too many toys.. lol


Really.. what a great idea.. you are very gifted and creative... *

Thanks for sharing all the pictures.. I just loved them...

Don't forget... The person that dies with the most toys WINS!! :P :) :D ;D

[DM]

* My last minute preps included making a big batch of my daughter's favorite granola and honey spiced almonds.

Penny *

What a PERFECT place to use a wooden spatula!! ;)

I like the long handled ones when makeing peanut brittle.

DM 8)

[GoodDaughter]

Those are quite beautiful, and a wonderful use for the wood. You're very talented!! Do you make anything else like that? I bet you could make all sorts of treenware.

I don't have all that equipment, but I do have an ancient, small planer, an equally ancient table saw, and a chop saw. I've managed to take fir 1x4's (true 1x4's and not dimensional lumber) and make baseboards out of them. I split them through the thickness so they would be .5 inch thick using the table saw with the fence. Then I planed down both sides a couple of passes, and then just on one side for another couple of passes. I wanted the side that showed to be as smooth as I could get it, and not so much concerned with the back being perfectly smooth. Then I took a router and put a bit in it that made the right kind of profile (I don't know what kind of profile it's called--it was just in a box of router bits that came with a router I inherited from my grandfather). I had to practice on some scraps with the router because I had never used one before, and it would really take off. I had to learn to handle it properly so it wouldn't skip across the edge. Then I just sanded the front, filled it with wood filler, sanded smooth again and primed and painted them. They are totally homemade but look 100% better than what was there before. That's the most real woodworking I've ever done.

My last minute stocking stuffers are not nearly as nice as yours--I am filling pint mason jars with black oil sunflower seeds and gluing some homespun fabric onto the jar lid and adding a homespun fabric bow. These are for people I have bought a few cheap but pretty ceramic bird feeders for. Not very crafty at all. ::)

[dkemple1]

I have a couple of wooden spatulas and they are great to use when you are browning ground meat. They do an excellent job breaking up the meat. I use mine all the time. Great idea. What would be another good wood for this use? I am assuming Maple and Walnut. I am not very talented at that kind of stuff. I do like the idea though.

[CarolAnn]

DM -
Those are beautiful! I look for nice wooden implements, but rarely find them. Your gift recipients can count themselves very lucky!

Here's another design if you make some more - (I've got a plastic one and it works great) - shape one edge to curve (size to match a pasta cooking pot) and the other side will be straight. Drill drain holes in the flat part. It holds the pasta back while you're draining it!

[DM]

Those are quite beautiful, and a wonderful use for the wood. You're very talented!! *Do you make anything else like that? I bet you could make all sorts of treenware.

I don't have all that equipment, but I do have an ancient, small planer, an equally ancient table saw, and a chop saw. I've managed to take fir 1x4's (true 1x4's and not dimensional lumber) and make baseboards out of them. I split them through the thickness so they would be .5 inch thick using the table saw with the fence. Then I planed down both sides a couple of passes, and then just on one side for another couple of passes. I wanted the side that showed to be as smooth as I could get it, and not so much concerned with the back being perfectly smooth. Then I took a router and put a bit in it that made the right kind of profile (I don't know what kind of profile it's called--it was just in a box of router bits that came with a router I inherited from my grandfather). I had to practice on some scraps with the router because I had never used one before, and it would really take off. I had to learn to handle it properly so it wouldn't skip across the edge. *Then I just sanded the front, filled it with wood filler, sanded smooth again and primed and painted them. They are totally homemade but look 100% better than what was there before. That's the most real woodworking I've ever done.

My last minute stocking stuffers are not nearly as nice as yours--I am filling pint mason jars with black oil sunflower seeds and gluing some homespun fabric onto the jar lid and adding a homespun fabric bow. These are for people I have bought a few cheap but pretty ceramic bird feeders for. Not very crafty at all. ::)

Hi GoodDaughter,

I use to make all kinds of things long ago, but i think some of my "get up and go", "got up and left"... ha ha ha

Anyway, you did good, makeing your own base! Good for you! Keep after it, as you will only get better and take on more challenging projects...


dk,

For food use, you should use woods that have "closed pores". And for spatula use, a tougher wood wouldn't hurt either... Over the years i've made most of them out of teak, but teak is rather expensive these days. The best part is, you sure don't need much wood to make a spoon or spatula, so experiment some with what ever you have...

OK, i'll go post another "stocking Stuffer" in the wood working forum... This one takes a bit more time, so you need to make it for New Years... lol

DM

[Katrina-Sisu]

Those look neat! :)

[Catalpa]

Nice work, DM.

[oldnndway]

After looking the pics over I have MAJOR tool envy.

Nice work and cool tools !

[DM]

Thank you to everyone!

If your interest in this kinda stuff, here's the second one... http://www.backwoodshome.com/forum/yabb/forum.pl?board=cra-wood-metal-leather;action=display;num=1230132448

DM

[deeker]

Nice pics, where is my rifle????