How to Make a Wooden Rolling Pin

Make your own wooden rolling pin.

Kitchen rolling pins are made from different materials, such as wood, glass or marble. Wooden rolling pins will last a long time as long as they are not left soaking in water. When you do wash a wooden rolling pin, you need to dry it completely before storing it. If you have some woodworking skills, you can make your own wooden rolling pin. You can choose any hardwood, but if you want to make one from different types of wood, then start with butcher block.

Things You'll Need

• Goggles
• 1 inch spindle gouge
• 5/8ths spindle gouge
• Skew chisel
• 100-, 150- and 220-grit sandpaper

Instructions

1. Cut a 20-inch by 4-inch piece from the butcher block. If you don't have butcher block, you can use a block of cherry, maple or other type of hardwood.

2. Find the center of each end of the block of wood you just cut. Place a ruler from corner to corner, and mark a line with your ruler. Do the same thing with the other two corners making an X pattern. The intersection of these two lines marks the place where you attach the spindle on your lathe. Repeat this for the other end of the wood block.

3. Fit the wood block into your lathe. Turn the lathe on.

4. Start one inch from one end of the rolling pin. Take your one-inch bevel gouge and touch the wood with the tip. This will remove thin layers of the wood. Don't press hard into the wood. Keep moving the bevel gouge farther back, working across the length of your rolling pin. The bevel gouge may bounce each time you put it on the wood, but then it will go across smoothly. Remember to cut with the grain and not against it. Keep the bevel perpendicular as you work.

5. Measure one inch from the edge of your rolling pin. Make a pencil mark. From that mark move another three inches and make another pencil mark. This will mark the end of your rolling pin surface. Do this on each end of the rolling pin for the handles.

6. Cut with the five-eighths bevel along both marks. On the first mark, or one-inch mark, take the wood down until it measures about 2 1/4 inches across. For the second mark, just bevel it down so you can see it easily.

7. Measure from the edge of the first cut. Make a mark 2 1/4 inches away from that place. This will be the handle portion of the rolling pin. Take your five-eighths bevel and remove wood between that mark and the one that you made earlier that marks the end of the rolling pin surface. Don't remove too much wood or you will weaken the handles.

8. Remove a little shaving of wood with a skew. Start with the scew handle pointed down, so the center of the bevel comes in contact with the wood. Raise the handle of the scew, so you gently cut the across the surface of the rolling pin. Work from one end to the center, and then do the other side.

9. Sand the rolling pin with 100-grit sandpaper. The rolling pin will be in the lathe and turning. Hold the sandpaper in your hand and run it across the rolling pin. Change to 150-grit sandpaper and then 220-grit sandpaper. The sandpaper will get warm while you are doing this.

Tips & Warnings

• Put on safety glasses. Also, wear a short-sleeved shirt and remove jewelry. If you have long hair, tie or pin it back.

References

• Craftsman Space: Rolling Pins-Free Woodturning Project
• Turned Treasures: Project Tutorial Rolling Pin
• Made How: Rolling Pin
• "Woodturning Project Tutorial" Larry Hancock 2005