Mad Man makes toothpicks

Japanese Knives - by Tokushu Knife
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:tongue::tongue::tongue::tongue:
Burl Source said:
I was cutting snakewood the other day and ... became mad ... and threatened to turn it into tooth picks. The results...
tp001.jpg
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Nice set of toothpicks there, and looks like you've ground out some pretty nice profiles on them. The snakewood does look attractive, too.

However, what kind of point retention have you got on them? Extremely low HRC with the snakewood, I'd imagine. Me, I always go for either shirogami #1 or #2 with my picks and frankly my teeth thank me for it!

:tongue:
 
Those look very nice, Mark! I might need a family set in each type of wood. This could get expensive...

Deckhand said:
...My parents made me practice with grains of rice as a child. The nice thing about chopsticks is you don't get that fork taste.:D
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That reminds me. I once won a contest as a kid picking up marbles with chopsticks, lol. As for advantages, I like my knives to feel like an extension of my hand. Why wouldn't I want my utensils to be the same way? Fork? What a crude implement! :stinker:
 
You guys have got me going off on a tangent with the chopsticks.
So far I have roughed out sets in Hawaiian Silky Oak, Macadamia. Red Koa and Bubinga.

Someone told me I should make those little chopstick holder thingies. What are they called?
 
Oooooh... Holder thingies... :sofa:
 
Burl Source said:
You guys have got me going off on a tangent with the chopsticks.
So far I have roughed out sets in Hawaiian Silky Oak, Macadamia. Red Koa and Bubinga.

Someone told me I should make those little chopstick holder thingies. What are they called?
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Hashioki


Can't wait to see the pics. Macadamia sounds really cool! I want:D
 
Better make more sets then you think you need to, as I think there is a bit of demand! (2 sets needed here, please :cool2:)
 
Since I am using good wood, I decided to go all out on the finishing.
These are Koa and Macadamia.
004-3.jpg

Here is a little better look at the wood.
005-2.jpg
 
I'm down for a set of 8, once I can figure which is the prettiest wood... I was thinking Koa, I'm in a dilemma. I think black brown dyed box elder or dark highly figured spalted maple? Any chance we have a silversmith to work on the ends of the chopsticks? Would look amazing with a nice silver cap at the end... :D

This is an awesome project.
 
I like these, too. I wonder how strong they are. What would it take to snap one?
 
There's no problem with them being made out of stabilized wood is there? Health wise, I mean.
 
Haha... Interesting question, I would not want to breath in cocobolo dust, but can I chew on cocobolo chopsticks? Are any woods better than others?

Stefan
 
I love them both and great wood choices. They are great!!
 
Andrew H said:
There's no problem with them being made out of stabilized wood is there? Health wise, I mean.
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I am using natural wood, not stabilized. For a finish I am using food safe butcher block oil.

tk59 said:
I like these, too. I wonder how strong they are. What would it take to snap one?
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Box elder burl and spalted maple would not work. They would break.
Same with most burl.
I am cutting these to follow the grain with no runout.
This way it incorporates the natural strength and flexibility of the wood.
They will not be as strong as bamboo because bamboo is one of the strongest with flexing of any wood.
But they will be strong enough that it would take an effort to break them.

apicius9 said:
Haha... Interesting question, I would not want to breath in cocobolo dust, but can I chew on cocobolo chopsticks? Are any woods better than others? Stefan
Click to expand...

The way I was thinking was that any wood that acts as an irritant or has a strong aroma would probably not be good.
 
Burl Source said:
I am using natural wood, not stabilized. For a finish I am using food safe butcher block oil.


Box elder burl and spalted maple would not work. They would break.
Same with most burl.
I am cutting these to follow the grain with no runout.
This way it incorporates the natural strength and flexibility of the wood.
They will not be as strong as bamboo because bamboo is one of the strongest with flexing of any wood.
But they will be strong enough that it would take an effort to break them.



The way I was thinking was that any wood that acts as an irritant or has a strong aroma would probably not be good.
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Ahh, that makes me feel much better. Thanks, Mark!
 
Based on a batch of a dozen sets, I am putting about 90 minutes into each set. That accounts for a good portion of the cost. These will be both safe and strong.
I was figuring $25 to $30 a set for the chopsticks. $30 being the good Koa, $25 the others. I am putting a lot more time into the finish on these than I have in the past with sets I made for myself and our gallery. I figured I would just make these look the best they could be. They are being shaped by hand and eye so they will be a little bit asymetrical and the pair will not be exact duplicates of each other. But they will be really close and they will look good.
I would not be able to make a living doing them like this, but it is an enjoyable diversion for me.
 
Thanks looking forward to my two sets. Great idea!
 
Ok,
Here is the rest of this batch of sticks. Koa sticks $30 a pair, all others $25 a pair. The koa ones at the bottom are spoken for.
The types of wood going from top to bottom are;
African Bubinga - Hardest of all
Hawaiian Silky Oak - Hard
Hawaiian Macadamia - Hard
Hawaiian Silky Oak - Hard
Hawaiian Koa - Hard

001-22.jpg
 
Great job, Mark! They look fabulous.

Stefan
 
The Edge said:
PM sent on second from the top bubinga pair!
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I pulled them and sent a note.

I had fun making these.
It was my first time finishing silky oak. Incredible flash. I am going to make me some sticks from it.

Now I am going to try making some of the holder thingies, Burlioki

Both Bubinga sets and the top 2 silky oak are spoken for.
But I have a bunch of blanks cut and will make more.
 
Man, that's what I get from being away from the computer today... Will be watching for the next batch, as I'd like to have 2 pairs.
 
I just can not understand why anyone would not have this site in front of them at all times!?!?
 
I spend at least 2 hrs a night here myself. I am on my phone too. But I do sleep from time to time.
 
These are the ones that are left. $25 a pair.
Top 2 are Macadamia and the others are silky oak. Both Hawaiian woods.
002-16.jpg
 
Up until now I have been basing size and shape on my wife's favorite pair of chopsticks.
She uses sticks quite often, me....just when we go out to eat.

After looking a while on the internet I found quite a few variations. Some just dumb in my opinion, but what do I know.
Currently I am making them about 9 inches long, rounded all the way tapering to about 1/8" at the tip.

Should the tip be wider?
Most of the Japanese sticks I looked had the thin pointed tips. Chinese were wider, not as pointy.

For the handle area, rounded or square?
I liked the rounded taper along the whole stick. But a video I saw said a squared handle area was easier to use.

Here is a photo showing 2 rough shaped sets.
The lower set has about 3 inches of squared handle area before the taper.
003-9.jpg
 
Didn't see anything wrong with your first batch. I really liked the bubinga
 
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