Paletas! (Spatula-things)

I made a run of 5-6 of these 5 years ago, and I loved how they turned out so much I made another 5. They are great for cooking.

I was given the wood by my dad when I saw him in Venezuela recently. He still had the template I made to cut them out last time. Here is the comparison of the older (left) to the newer (right):



The older one is slightly smaller than the new...not sure how this happened, considering I made them from the same template. Part of it may be that the edges of the older run were initially sanded with a belt sander, removing considerably more material. I had no belt sander on hand this time, and used a palm sander. Both were finished by hand sanding them to a nice finish.

A difference in color is also apparent; this is due to dryness/oils absorbed. The older one has been used for the past five years in the kitchen and thus has absorbed a good amount of oil. It also has shown surprisingly few signs of wear; no splitting, splintering, or cracking at all! This wood, red oak, is amazingly resistant to heat and wear.



That being said, remember to oil (mineral oil is best) your wooden kitchen tools regularly, if they don't come in contact with oil already, and never put them in the dishwasher.