Okay, so I’ve been wanting to make a small wooden spatula for a while now. I saw a cool one online, but it was, like, way too expensive. I figured, “Hey, I can totally make that!”
Getting Started
First, I dug around in my scrap wood pile. I found a nice piece of what I think is maple. It was leftover from a cutting board project. It was already pretty smooth, so that saved me some time.
I sketched out a rough shape of the spatula on the wood. Nothing fancy, just a basic outline. I wanted it to be small enough to fit in my little spice jars, but still sturdy enough to actually use.
Shaping the Spatula
Next, I clamped the wood down to my workbench. Safety first, you know! Then I used my jigsaw to roughly cut out the shape. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a good start.
After the jigsaw, I switched to my trusty hand saw to refine the curves a bit. This gave me more control than the jigsaw, especially around the handle.
Then came the fun part – shaping! I used a rasp to round off the edges and start giving it that classic spatula look. It took a while, and my arm got a little tired, but it was starting to look like something!
- I used a coarse rasp first to remove a lot of material.
- Then I switched to a finer rasp to smooth things out.
Sanding, Sanding, Sanding
Oh boy, the sanding. So much sanding. I started with 80-grit sandpaper to really smooth out the rasp marks. Then I moved up to 120-grit, then 220-grit. Finally, I finished with 320-grit to get it super smooth.
My fingers were pretty dusty by the end, but the spatula felt amazing.
Finishing Touches
Almost there! I wiped off all the dust with a damp cloth. Then, I applied a few coats of food-safe mineral oil. I let each coat soak in for a bit, then wiped off the excess. The oil really brought out the grain of the wood, and it made the spatula look even better.
The Final Result
And there you have it! My very own small wooden spatula. It’s not perfect, but I made it myself, and that’s what counts. It fits perfectly in my spice jars, and it’s surprisingly strong. Plus, it was way cheaper than buying one. Total win!
