Forest 2 Home community member Danny Brewer, of DBJ Woodworks, recently competed in the Handmade Holiday Challenge hosted by Makers Challenge Central and was selected as the winner. Danny made a collection of beautiful wooden utensils including a large wooden spurtle, wooden slotted spatula, wooden ladle, small wooden spreader, and two wooden tongs. This incredible maker took it a step further by also making an end grain utensil holder and Lazy Susan! Danny was kind enough to write up the build instructions for the DIY wooden utensils and Lazy Susan he made for you all to follow along and try these DIY wooden projects at home. Follow these easy build/project plans to show off your woodworking skills at your next dinner party or as your next handmade gift. This is what Danny shared with us:
This project gave me the opportunity to try something a little different. My wife had been wanting some wooden utensils so I thought it would make a great gift and give me the chance to try some new woodworking techniques. I did a bit of research before jumping into this and there are many different ways to go about making utensils but this is the way I went about it.
For these projects, you will need:
Hardwood
- Hard Maple (Danny used Forest 2 Home Hard Maple 1 in x 4 in x 24 in Hard Maple kit)
- Oak (Red Oak 1 in x 2 in x 24 in Kit option or White Oak 1 in x 2 in x 24 in Kit option)
Supplies
- Sandpaper (80, 120, 150, and 220 grit)
- Wood glue
- Food safe oil finish
Tools
- Table saw
- Hand saw
- Jig saw or bandsaw
- Wood rasps
- Wood carving tools (rasps and carving chisels)
- Orbital sander
Cooking utensil dimensions
Large spurtle- 12 1/2" long x 2 3/4" wide
Slotted spatula- 13" long x 3" wide
Ladle- 11 1/2" long x 3" wide
Small spreader- 9 1/2" long x 1 3/8" wide
2 Tongs- 13" long x 1" wide x 1/8" thick strips
Tongs Centerpiece-1 5/8" @ bottom x 1 1/4" @ top x 2 1/2" L
Cooking utensil holder dimensions
7 3/4" high x 5 1/4" wide x 5 1/4" deep
Wooden cooking utensil project build plans
Step one: Draw out side and top profile
The first thing you wanna do is draw out your side and top profiles. I used 1x4 Hard Maple and this size worked out great for all my utensils.
Step two: Cut out drawn shapes with bandsaw or combination of table saw, jigsaw, and hand saws
After you get your profiles drawn you need to remove the bulk of waste. A bandsaw will be ideal for this step. I did not have one for this project, so I used my table saw, jigsaw, and handsaws.
Step three: Hand carve utensil shape with wood carving tools
The next step is to carve and refine your shape. I used rasps and carving chisels to get the shapes I wanted.
Step four: Sand utensils
Then, I sanded it smooth using 80,120,150,and 220 grit sandpaper. After, you go through the wet sand process. I repeated this process using the different dimensions and profiles for each individual wooden cooking utensil. For the slotted spatula, I used a drill bit on either end of the slots and connected the holes with my jigsaw. For the tongs I used 1/8 inch strips glued to the center piece (dimensions above) and then rounded it over at the top using my rasps and sander.
Pro tip: If you have good sharp carving tools you can also skip the sanding and leave the tool marks which I really like the look of too and who likes sanding 😬.
Step five: apply protective, food safe oil
Once you get everything done you can use your favorite food safe oil to protect your new utensils and utensil holder (instructions below). I used Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil and Cutting Board Wax for mine.
End grain utensil holder build instructions
For my utensil holder, I used the dimensions above and routed out grooves for the end grain strips to slide into and float in the slots. I used a 3/4 inch round over bit on my router to round all the edges. I cut a chamfer on the bottom with the table saw to give the container a floating look.
Wooden Lazy Susan build instructions
Step one: Choose your hardwood and draw the circle
For the Lazy Susan, I used Hard Maple with Oak for the curved inlays. I used a piece of hardboard and drew my circle to my finish dimensions of 12" x 12". I then drew my curves to my liking.
Step two: Glue up
The next step is to glue up your main boards a little bit oversized. After your glue is dry draw out your circle.
Step three: Cut out your strips
For the next step cut out your thin strips. I used Oak, but Walnut or Cherry would look nice too. Cut strips to an 1/8 of an inch thick.
Step four: Use your hardboard template to draw our curves
Now, take and draw out your first curve using your hardboard template. For this step it will depend on how thick you want your strips. I wanted 1/4 inch wide strips so I used a 1/4 straight router bit and routed a 1/4 groove about 1/4 inch thick using my first template.
Step five: Make cuts with your bandsaw or jigsaw
Next, use your bandsaw, or jigsaw if you don’t have a bandsaw, and cut in the middle of the groove you just made.
Step six: Route edges
Once that’s done, use a template router bit to follow along the first routed edges.
Step seven: Carefully glue
I then put two of my 1/8" strips in the curved area and glued it back together being careful to keep everything flat. Repeat the process for each curve.
Step eight: Use your favorite circle jig and cut circle with table saw
After your final glue up is dry, take out your favorite circle jig and cut out your circle. I used the table saw for mine.
Step nine: Sand, smooth, and finish with oil
The next step is to sand and smooth it all out and add your favorite oil.
Step ten: Add hardware
The last step is to add the Lazy Susan hardware which is available at all the big box stores or your favorite woodworking supply store.
Danny's final thoughts
Thanks for reading and I hope you make some handy utensils for yourself or someone special too.
You can follow along Danny's woodworking journey on his Instagram page @dbjwoodworks.
Do you have any pro tips on how to make DIY wooden cooking utensils, a wooden, end grain utensil holder or a wooden Lazy Susan? We would love to hear about them! Feel free to drop comments in the comments below or send us an email at marketing@forest2home.com. Don't forget to use #BuiltWithF2H on social media, so we can find your builds too! Happy Woodworking!
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