Wooden Utensils from the
60+
Bandsaw
Patterns for Spatulas, Spoons, Spreaders & More
GONZALO FERREYRA
Text © 2021 by Gonzalo Ferreyra Photographs on pages 10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20–25 top, and 26 © 2021 by Gonzalo Ferreyra Cover and all other photographs © 2021 by Mike Yamin All rights reserved. Excepting patterns, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electric or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the Publisher. Readers may make copies of patterns for personal use. The patterns themselves, however, are not to be duplicated for resale or distribution under any circumstances. Any such copying is a violation of copyright law. Publisher: Paul McGahren Editorial Director: Kerri Grzybicki Design & Layout: Jodie Delohery Illustrator: Mary Pariseau
Cedar Lane Press PO Box 5424 Lancaster, PA 17606-5424 Paperback ISBN: 978-1-950934-65-2 ePub ISBN: 978-1-950934-66-9 Library of Congress Control Number: 2021942932 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Note: The following list contains names used in Wooden Utensils from the Bandsaw that may be registered with the United States Copyright Office: Julia Child, NHL, YouTube. The information in this book is given in good faith; however, no warranty is given, nor are results guaranteed. Woodworking is inherently dangerous. Your safety is your responsibility. Be sure to always keep your fingers safely away from cutting and sanding surfaces. Neither Cedar Lane Press nor the author assume any responsibility for any injuries or accidents. To learn more about Cedar Lane Press books, or to find a retailer near you, email Info@CedarLanePress.com or visit us at www.CedarLanePress.com.
Wooden Utensils from the
Bandsaw
60+ Patterns for Spatulas, Spoons, Spreaders & More
GONZALO FERREYRA
Contents 6 Wooden Utensils in the Kitchen: An Appreciation 8 Introduction
10
ONE
Designing Wooden Utensils TWO
16
General Tips & Techniques
30
THREE
Classic Set FOUR
Expanded Set
48
68
FIVE
Knives SIX
80
Spreaders
128
SEVEN
Flippers EIGHT
Minis 155 Metric Conversions 155 Index 156 Project Index
142
Wooden Utensils in the Kitchen AN APPRECIATION
F
or as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by wooden spoons. Even as a child, I could see that they were inherently beautiful and full of the character and vitality that distinguish useful objects. This, of course, echoes what many say about a wide range of common, time-tested tools—chisels, handplanes, cast iron pans, and cutting boards all come to mind. They are apparently simple objects that can help us achieve measures of greatness or, in less lofty terms, simply help us get things done and do them well. They are dependable and, when treated properly, they can do their work for decades—or even outlive us and nurture the lives of future craftspeople. Wooden utensils play a major role in my own kitchen, both because of the pleasure I take in using them and for the fact that in many cases they are simply the best tools for the job (it also doesn’t hurt that in developing this book I made roughly 100 of them). They feel wonderful in your hand, with the soft, silky feel and warmth of wood. They’re durable, inexpensive (especially if
6
WOODEN UTENSILS from the BANDSAW
you make them yourself), and made of renewable, natural materials. And of course, they’re beautiful. I even have a few heirlooms that I no longer use—treasures left behind by my mother. They’ve been worn to a velvety finish by her hand and mine, and are nicked and stained so deeply that to repair them
Wooden utensils belong to that treasured class of apparently simple but immensely useful objects that can help us get things done and do them well. would require dramatically changing their shapes; they are more beautiful than any that I could buy. Still, whenever I visit a cookware store, I gravitate first to the display of kitchen utensils arranged in crocks or trays. I gaze for a while, still a bit of a kid, admiring the varied shapes and most
recent design innovations. I’m not at all opposed to stainless steel, silicone, or melamine tools, which certainly have their place in a well-equipped kitchen. Invariably, however, I’ll pick up a wooden utensil to feel its weight and smooth finish in my hand. I’ll guess at what wood it’s made of, and I’ll pantomime to check how it would feel to flip an omelet or stir a pot of beans. Granted, most of the utensils in shops are commercially made, but I still find them inspiring. I take ideas from them and start to plan out how to duplicate them at home, sorting the steps and estimating how much time they’ll take me to make. I encourage you to do the same; your local kitchen supply store is a design showcase for kitchen utensils. Whether handmade or store-bought, there’s nothing like a good wooden utensil in the kitchen.
WOODEN UTENSILS from the BANDSAW
7
8
WOODEN UTENSILS from the BANDSAW
INTRODUCTION
T
his book brings together the two activities in which I most happily lose myself creatively: cooking and woodworking. Both in the kitchen and in the shop, I am focused, confident, and meticulous about technique. I feel free, welcoming mistakes as an opportunity to pursue the unexpected. I’m eager for the next step, but must remain focused and patient. Most of all, I have fun making things. I was initially inspired to unite these pursuits by a nicely squared offcut of maple from my scrap bin. This one was about 3" wide and 6" long, and no thicker than ¼". It was a piece I didn’t have any clear use for, but which I couldn’t bring myself to toss. Grabbing a pencil, I sketched out a few pleasing curves, aiming for a thickened S-shape—wider at one end and with a sleek handle at the other. After a visit to the bandsaw and bench sander, some final sanding, and a dunk in mineral oil, my newly created butter spreader was ready to use and I started imagining the other possibilities. I developed these designs and templates so that they can be made with just a piece of properly milled wood, a bandsaw (or jigsaw, in many cases), a bench sander and/or orbital sander, and a sheet or two of fine-grit sandpaper. I have great respect for fully hand-crafted work, and frequently engage in it myself, but I wanted to simplify the process. It wouldn’t be unrealistic to produce a set of these kitchen tools in a weekend. You are, of course, free to pick up your carving knife or hook
knife to refine handles or round out a spoon bowl, but you can achieve good, practical results without them. Given these restrictions, I also steered clear of projects such as cutting boards, rolling pins, trays, toast tongs, and the like. I hope these templates are useful guides for those who choose to strictly follow the lines, or can serve as inspiration for woodworkers who, like a cook riffing off a recipe, choose to tweak them to their liking. I’ll discuss design principles
With just a piece of milled wood, a bandsaw, a sander, and a sheet or two of fine-grit sandpaper, you can produce a set of utensils in a weekend that can last a lifetime. further (see page 10), but I encourage you to use these templates as a stepping-off point to your own creations. Swap handle designs or make a handle custom-fit to your (or your favorite cook’s) hand. Start with a thicker piece of wood and see where that takes you. Cut well outside the template lines and see if you want to stop at the bench sander sooner than I did. Or try out a ridiculous hand-drawn shape and see where it leads you. But most of all, have fun making things.
WOODEN UTENSILS from the BANDSAW
9
ONE
Designing Wooden Utensils
W
hile this book offers many templated projects, I hope it goes a bit further by inspiring readers to create their own designs. To that
end, I offer here a few notes to both encourage and simplify that process. There are three key factors to keep in mind when designing utensils: functionality, feel, and style. I haven’t listed these in any order of importance. I find them pretty much inseparable as I start a design, and balance all three in my mind at each step of creating the piece.
11
TWO
General Tips & Techniques
T
he following guidelines apply to every project in this book. I’ve addressed any techniques specific to a particular project on the relevant project page.
Read on to discover which woods and finishes are best for food-grade utensil-making, and which to avoid. You’ll also find advice on how to apply the templates, and how to cut, shape, and finish utensils. Finally, a handy overview of the process shows all the steps in a nutshell, as well as required tools and materials. One general tip to always remember is safety first: Include extra length on the block to keep your fingers away from blades and sanding surfaces.
17
THREE
Classic Set T
his complete starter set of cooking tools includes the workhorses of the kitchen to handle most, if not all, of the stirring, scooping, and flipping a cook
tackles. My goal was to cover as wide an assortment of cooking tasks as possible, but you can vary the assortment or reduce the number of components. If you choose to alter the handle design, just be consistent so you maintain the look of a set. Two of the pieces in this set—the Strainer (page 40) and the Slotted Flipper (page 46)—require tools and techniques I did not address in the General Tips & Techniques section (page 16). See the individual template pages for specific instructions. Since these are large utensils, don’t forget to align the profile pattern to the edge of the block to minimize your cutting.
31
OVAL SPOON W
hile at first glance this shape doesn’t seem particularly notable, it’s one of my favorites and makes stirring a pleasure. I suspect it’s that wide, paddle-boardlike head that allows for a deep, efficient sweep of the pot. Don’t forget to align the straight part of the profile with the edge of the block to save cuts.
MINIMUM BLOCK DIMENSIONS Face
Profile
13 ¼"
3 ¼"
32
WOODEN UTENSILS from the BANDSAW
1"
CLASSIC SET | OVAL SPOON
Face
3
Profile
Face
Profile
NOTE: Join at the dotted line.
FULL-SIZE PATTERN COPY AT 100%. WOODEN UTENSILS from the BANDSAW
33
STRAINER T
his is one of the more complex projects in this book, but easily simplified when taken step by step. Drill the holes into the blank before cutting out the template. Use a 3/16" brad-point bit and ensure the holes are properly aligned. You can also tilt the blank at the drill press roughly 10 to 15° so the holes end up perpendicular to the curved surface after you cut out the piece. At the bench sander, slightly taper the inside face of the head to create a 1/16"-thick leading edge.
MINIMUM BLOCK DIMENSIONS Face
Profile
13 ½"
Keep the point of your drill centered as you create the strainer holes.
4 ½" 40
WOODEN UTENSILS from the BANDSAW
2 ¼"
CLASSIC SET | STRAINER
Face
3
Profile
Face Profile
NOTE: Join at the dotted line.
FULL-SIZE PATTERN COPY AT 100%. WOODEN UTENSILS from the BANDSAW
41
FOUR
Expanded Set A
ny one of the following deserves a spot in the Classic Set. I encourage you to swap or add utensils as you see fit, customizing if, say, you’re a
baker or a budding bartender. The first few are variations on the Oval Spoon, with practical or aesthetic adjustments to offer a wider range of design options. A standout here, and one I struggled with excluding from the Classic Set, is the Angled Spoon. That front chopping edge comes in very handy when there are bits of food—like ground beef, mushrooms, or canned tomatoes—that you decide need further cutting down to size after they’ve been added to the pot.
49
FIVE
Knives M
y first efforts at crafting kitchen utensils started with knives, admittedly because knives are cool, but also because they offer endless design possi-
bilities. Many of the designs that blossomed from my initial projects ended up in the next section on spreaders, but due to their look and function, could just as easily have gone into this section. In fact, an online search for “famous Swedish butter knife” will set you on a trail that shows a knife is sometimes a spreader and a spreader is sometimes a knife. I believe there’s a lesson here not to constrain your ideas of “knife,” “spreader,” “spoon,” and so on into sharply (no pun intended) defined categories. Don’t be afraid to cross over, so to speak, in your pursuit of form and function. While not evident in the templates, you’ll need to go through an additional step at the bench sander to fine-tune the blades (see page 24). Of course, you’re not going for a super-sharp edge (which would also very likely be a fragile edge), but just enough of one to give you a bit of cutting action. Look closely at the images for inspiration.
69
SIX
Spreaders T
here’s a very good reason that this is the largest section of the book. I just couldn’t stop myself, and only managed to do so when I realized that I’d reached
the point of making only slight variations on the designs included here. This goes to show that when crafting a “spreader,” you’re only limited by your imagination, thanks to the fact that the function is so simple and straightforward that it could be accomplished with any long, narrow piece of scrap wood. That should serve as added motivation to see just what you can do, and I hope this batch of projects only gets you started.
81
SEVEN
Flippers A
s in Chapter 4, here you’ll find a few pieces that you may choose to swap into the Classic Set, although they also stand on their own for specific
tasks. Designing these, I set out to address a few frustrations, namely, creating tools that are comfortable to use and tackle particular flipping challenges, whether they be turning small pieces of food, flipping a pancake, or rolling a 6"-long omelet into a neat cylinder. Note that all of these pieces benefit from a thinned leading edge, approximately 1/16", which you’ll create at the sander.
129
EIGHT
Minis T
his lineup may well have been the most fun to design and make of all the projects in this book. I love miniatures of all types, and due to their size,
these allow you to take advantage of small pieces of (perhaps more expensive) wood. They’re also quick to make (though no less demanding of care and precision, especially at the bandsaw and bench sander). While I designed each of them with a particular use in mind, most are really multi-purpose as coffee spoons, honey spoons, condiment spreaders—even for a doll’s kitchen pantry. I touched on safety in my opening notes (page 21), but will again remind you that you’ll want to proceed with extra care to keep your fingers clear of danger as you shape these. Add enough length and width to the blank to keep your hands well away from the bandsaw and sanding surfaces. Also note that due to the small size of these projects, the dimensions blocks and full-size patterns have been combined.
143
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Gonzalo Ferreyra’s day job for close to 30 years has been in various capacities in the book industry, but on weekday evenings and weekend mornings he can be found in his woodshop working on an ambitious mid-century furniture piece or tinkering to see what he can create from the fantastic cutoffs in his scrap bin. He lives in Castro Valley, California, with his wife and two small dogs, and likes to torment his two daughters by asking them to join him on a “quick” visit to the lumberyard.
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CRAFTS & H O B B I ES / WO OD WO R K I N G
F
ound in every kitchen, humble wooden spoons may be the most beloved kitchen utensils. They are also extremely popular to make,
requiring minimal equipment and material while unleashing maximum creativity. Wooden Utensils from the Bandsaw captures the joy of wooden utensils with more than 60 full-size templates not only for spoons, but for spatulas, spreaders, knives, and more. Expert tips and know-how for cutting, sanding, and finishing will have you completing an entire set with ease in a weekend. If you’re looking for a quick woodworking project, delve into this treasury of beautiful wooden utensils that you’ll be using in your kitchen for years to come.
ISBN 978-1-950934-65-2 $24.95 US