Project 1 Kitchen Tongs

Welcome to your very first project of the WWGOA Woodworking Challenge! Each week you will get one new project delivered to your inbox that you will be challenged to complete before the next week’s project hits – and we’ll keep this going for a total of 6 weeks.

For each project, either Mike Rapp of Mad Raven Woodworks or WWGOA’s very own George Vondriska will be guiding you through that week’s build, offering some tips, ideas, and general encouragement. Make sure to share your project each week in the Challenge Facebook Group to see what everyone else has come up with!

We’re kicking things off with a simple project designed by George that you should be able to whip up in no time – kitchen tongs! Click the button below to go to the project video, and keep scrolling for some of George’s additional tips to make the project go smoothly.

Tips for Making Kitchen Tongs

In the video above, George talks about the most challenging aspect of this project – ripping wood thin enough for the tongs. He demonstrates a jig you can use to make these thin rips easy and safe to do on the band saw.


When you set the height of the blade to cut the 4-degree angle, be sure the top of the blade is at least 1/8” below the top of the material. All table saw set ups must be done with the saw unplugged.

It’s really important to get the rip fence in just the right spot when you’re cutting the 4-degree angle. The inside face of the tooth should just kiss the face of the board. This is a left tilt saw, so the rip fence is positioned to the left of the blade.

After the 4-degree cut is complete, your material should look like this (above). If you have “flats” on the bottom corners, your fence was too far from the blade and you’ll need to recut the pieces.

Cut the spacer by measuring 1-3/16” from the saw blade to the end of a sacrificial fence on your miter gauge. Clamp the fence to your miter gauge in this position. Cut the parts by aligning the end of the blank with the end of the fence, and then making a cut.

In the video above, George provides some tips for sanding and finishing your tongs.


If you haven’t yet already, make sure to officially join the challenge so you can get each week’s project delivered right to you inbox.

Ready for the next project? Here’s what’s coming up next:

Kitchen Tongs
Wine Bottle Holder
Serving Utensils
Knife Block
Butter Board Set
Coffee Scoop

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5 Responses to “Project 1 Kitchen Tongs”

  1. alanroot

    Why epoxy glue, why wont a good wood glue work?

  2. Dave Wiest

    Did you make the arms of the tongs out of 5/4 Maple? Just wondering how you got 1 3/16 x 1/8 . X 10.

  3. Drew

    Is there a recommended thickness for the tongs?

  4. Jack Powell

    Need a video showing a build for really nice drawer dividers for the silverware drawer.

  5. Cliff Egger

    interested to see how these work