Kitchen Tongs

By Seth Keller

Photos by author

Posted Nov 22, 2011

This is a great little gift that will please any recipient. Kitchen tongs are used for everything from tossing salad and twirling pasta to grabbing a hot bagel from the toaster (wooden tongs are perfect for this task!) The project takes advantage of the innate quality of thin wood: flexibility. Woods with low odor and taste are recommended for contact with food, so maple and beech are used most often. My tongs are constructed out of two contrasting species of wood; dark colored walnut for the spacer and light colored maple for the arms. It is a great way to use up those off-cuts you’ve been saving (I know you have a whole bin!) for that ‘special project’. My design is a template; make them longer, wider or thinner depending on your mood and material at hand. Slip a set in each stocking hanging on the mantle or wrap them up and put them under the tree.

CUT AND SHAPE THE PARTS:

Crosscut a 1-1/4” length off of a 3/4" x 8” board for a spacer. This small crosscut is enough to make 4 sets of tongs. By cutting the spacer in this manner, when the arms are attached, the grain direction is aligned and any problems with humidity and moisture are minimized.

Rip an angle on each side of the spacer. Set the fence the thickness of the board away from the blade, at 1-1/8” high and then adjust your table saw blade to a 4-degree angle. Use a push block to slice a small angle into each side of the spacer blank. There should be a small shoulder left over at the top. When you are done, cut this piece into four smaller pieces with the miter jig or the table saw. 

Rip the arms for one set of tongs on the table saw. By using a perfectly squared blank (about 1-1/8” x 18”), the off-cut piece can be used for this project. This is one of the safest ways to cut thin strips on the tablesaw, as there is no chance for binding, burning or kickback. Use straight-grained wood for the most durable tongs. While it is difficult to get repeated cuts that are exactly the same thickness, make sure the blank is long enough so when you cut it in half, you get two arms. Begin with arms that are just under 1/8” thick, but then experiment with the flexibility of different thicknesses.

Painters tape, the magical clamp! Tape two arms together and sand a small curve on the ends of the arms at the same time. This cuts off the sharp corners and makes for a really elegant shape.

ASSEMBLE THE TONGS:

I recommend using a 6-minute quick setting epoxy gel for the tongs. I like epoxy because it is water-resistant, and I prefer gel because it doesn’t run and drip all over everything. Lay out a stir stick and have all of your parts prepped. Even now, with years of experience, you’ll still find me rushing around my shop with quick-setting epoxy curing while I try to find a clean mixing stick or the right sized clamp! Be sure to wear latex gloves for small, intricate work like this, especially when you’ll be using your fingers for the assembly. Lastly, be sure to lay out disposable rosin paper or cardboard to protect your work surfaces. Nothing can ruin a future project like the hard chip of adhesive residue abrading a perfectly sanded surface!

Squeeze the two-part epoxy onto a disposable mixing pad. Non-porous melamine is ideal for this job because it doesn’t absorb the epoxy, and it is easy to see when the gel is well mixed.

Spread the mixed epoxy on the spacer. The arms adhere to the angled portion and seat up against the top shoulder. Apply a generous amount to both, and then set the spacer on the rosin paper.

Slide the arm up onto the spacer. The gel begins to grab the arm immediately, holding it upright.   While the gel holds the first arm, press the second arm onto the other side.

Press the spacer down with your finger and apply a spring clamp to hold the two arms in place while the epoxy sets. The flat table serves as a plane to align the arms with each other. Double check that the arms have slid tightly up to the shoulder of the spacer.

Once the epoxy has set, use a Japanese saw to trim the excess spacer material before sanding. Start with a stationary disc sander, and then work your way through a schedule of grits and end at 320. Gently round over the edges by hand.   

Bore a 1/4” hole centered in the top for a leather lanyard. Mark a center hole and set it on a backer board to avoid tear out, and use a brad point bit so the bit doesn’t wander. If I was making more than 4 at a time, I would definitely set up a wedge on my drill press.

Apply a food safe Salad Bowl Oil and let it cure for a couple of days, and then tie a leather lanyard (I use a leather shoelace) through the hole. I wouldn’t recommend putting these in the dishwasher or submerging them in water. Test the tongs ten or fifteen times to make sure there aren’t any cracks just waiting to happen. Don’t be afraid to modify this design! Longer and shorter tongs each have a place in the kitchen. Thin flexible tongs are better than thicker ones for some tasks. Your friends and family will be thrilled to receive these tongs instead of another awful tie covered in turquoise ducks!