Today, you can use spurtles for any number of kitchen tasks — as a stirring spoon for soups and stews, as a spatula for whisking batters or flipping pancakes or even as a knife for spreading toppings on your favorite bagel. Their uses are as wide open as your needs may be.

Along those lines, how you make a spurtle and what its final shape becomes is also up to you. There is no “right” way, and there is no “ideal” shape. The four sizes and styles you see here are my interpretation. But by all means, don’t be limited by what you see here. Part of the fun of making these is creating their shapes. And you may find that changing the design slightly makes a spurtle that reaches into the corners of a jar better or suits your sautéing or pancake-flipping just right. All the better!

Here’s my suggestion: After reading this article, grab a few pieces of 3/4″ scrap and practice the sawing and sanding process on material you’ll plan to just throw away or burn anyway. My first few attempts didn’t look great, but by the third try, I had a real “feel” for the shaping and sculpting process. I bet you will, too.

Reusable Templates

These spurtles are awfully handy in the kitchen, so don’t be surprised when friends and family ask you to make some — or you need a quick gift idea this holiday season! Why not make a permanent set of templates from 1/4″ plywood, so they’re always ready to trace whatever spurtle shape you need?

Download the Templates.

Routing the Slots

While you could use a router table and fence with a stop block to rout the three-slot pattern on a spurtle, the author opted to make a jig from scrap that traps the workpiece inside so he could rout it with a 1/4″ spiral bit in a handheld plunge router. The position and the length of the three slots is shown on the pattern.

Because router bases vary, and you may opt to make spurtles of different sizes than what’s shown here, we’re not providing the dimensions for this jig. Use it as a general guide for how slots can be cut if you choose this routing method.

My jig traps the spurtle workpiece between a fixed stop on either side and a square stop block on one end. The block serves both to help hold the workpiece down during routing and to limit the router’s travel on the handle end of the spurtle.

Taller fences on one side and end of the jig enable spacers to be inserted next to the spurtle to set the three locations and two lengths of the slot cuts.

This way, the spurtle workpiece can stay in the same position in the jig for the entire routing process.

The only thing that changes from cut to cut is which spacers are inserted to set up each slot cut. The author oriented the spurtle workpiece bottom-face up.

The two shorter slots were routed using the narrowest or widest side spacers in the jig, in tandem with two very narrow spacers positioned against the end fence and stop block.

The author routed these slots about 1/2″ deep, guiding the router base along the side spacer and feeding the router from left to right.

To mill the longer middle slot the thin end spacers were removed, and the middle-width side spacer was installed.

Band-sawing a Spurtle to Rough Shape

If you like my spurtle shapes, make the four templates and round up some 3/4″ stock. I used cherry, but any hard, close-grained wood is fine. Maple, birch or hickory all would be long-lasting options without an open grain structure that will be hard to keep clean. Trace the template shapes onto your workpieces, install a sharp blade on the band saw and carefully cut them to rough shape, just outside the layout lines. Sand the cut edges smooth.

The slotted style is the most involved of the options, so that’s what you see me making here. While the three slots in this spurtle are optional, they’re really handy for draining purposes. I routed those using a jig I made to a depth of about 1/2″ into the back face of the spurtle blank.

While you don’t see the slots in the first photo, they appear when you cut the top face of the flared paddle portion away. When I made this cut, it reduced the paddle to about 5/16″ thick, but again, that’s just a guide. It could be a bit thicker or thinner if you prefer. Keep the bottom face of the paddle flat. I did, however, cut the spurtle’s bottom front edge into a shallow beveled blade that extends back about 1-3⁄4″ along the bottom face. This edge will make it easier to scrape foods up.

Sculpting on a Sander

Here’s where the fun happens! Install an 80- or 100-grit belt on a stationary belt sander if you have one. An oscillating spindle sander could also work.

Sand the top and bottom faces of the paddle to smooth away the saw marks and to blend the front beveled edge into the bottom face.

It’s time to shape the handle into a round profile that’s comfortable to hold. I started by marking a centerline along the side and top of the handle, using a pencil and my finger as an index. I also drew a pair of parallel lines about 1/4″ in from the top and bottom faces of the handle to give me guides for how much material to remove.

Then, sanding a little material away at a time, I began to sculpt the handle by sweeping it along the belt in broad, angled strokes. My goal was to remove the handle’s hard edges, shape it from a wider bulb at the end into a narrower gripping area in the middle and to blend the handle into the paddle without hard transition lines.

The best way to understand how to do this shaping work is to just dive in on your scrap piece and try it for yourself. Your goal is to continue to remove wood until the handle slopes up smoothly from the paddle, is curved in all respects and feels comfortable in your hand. I kidded with our staff that you just keep taking off wood until it looks like a spurtle!

I also sanded away the bottom edges of the paddle’s perimeter, rolling those areas up into the top face. You’ll know when the shape is right enough for you and that you’ve tended to all the surfaces that need to be smoothed, softened and blended together. Just keep sizing it up as you work, and take your time.

Finishing Up

Spurtles should get used, so I applied a simple oil/wax finish for butcher blocks. That way, I can just wipe on another coat whenever it’s needed. And that should be often, because I’m finding that these are pretty nifty gadgets to have around the kitchen!

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I’ll also note — and you can see a couple of examples here — that these rings can be fashioned from Rockler’s multi-colored Acrylester handle blanks for a flashier, “synthetic” approach, too. Rockler also sells several variations of colored epoxy ring blanks. Or consider mixing epoxy and the colorant of your choice to create your own custom ring-turning blanks. Rockler offers silicone ring blank molds for pouring your own special creations.

Preparing the Ring Blank

Mount a 1-1⁄2″ x 1-1⁄2″ blank for the ring to the end of a longer scrap of wood of the same or larger dimensions that will serve as a sacrificial waste block for turning. The ring blank should be thicker than the width of the metal or ceramic ring core you’ve chosen by about 1/8″ or so to give you sufficient waste material to turn away. You can attach the ring blank to the waste block with strips of Double Sided Turner’s Tape or a layer of thick or “gel” type cyanoacrylate (CA) glue. Center the ring blank on the end of the waste block. One way to ensure a secure bond is to grip the waste block in a scroll chuck and press a live center, mounted in the tailstock, against the ring blank while the glue cures. If you use double-sided tape, this will also help set the tape’s adhesive.

With the lathe dialed up to medium/high speed, true up the face of the blank with a flat-ended scraper or a square carbide-insert turning tool. Then rough-turn the ring blank round, as well as a portion of the waste block beside it.

Now replace the live center in the tailstock with a drill chuck, and install a Forstner bit into it that’s about half the inside diameter of the metal/ceramic ring core. Bring the tailstock up to the ring blank, and bore a hole all the way through it and slightly into the waste block to serve as a starter hole for the ring core.

Simple Scraper Reaming Jig

Widening the inner hole of the ring blank in order to fit the metal or ceramic ring core is the most challenging step of this entire ring-turning process, because the tolerance between a satisfactory fit of the parts and a poor one is a very narrow margin. The reaming process must produce a hole with a consistent diameter from front to back, and you need to be able to widen the hole in tiny increments. I suggest that you build a jig similar to mine to make this process easier. It’s just a piece of 3/4″ scrap plywood for a platform, measuring 2″ x 8″, with a shallow dado routed or cut across its top face to guide whatever scraper you’ll be using for widening the hole. A groove underneath the platform fits over the top edge of my lathe’s tool rest, enabling the jig to slide left or right along the rest during use. A carriage bolt, outfitted with nuts and washers both on top of the jig’s platform and beneath it, stabilizes the jig on the tool rest and tips it downward toward the hole so the scraper can cut with its top front and left edge burrs.

I used a 4″ carriage bolt. It’s long enough to reach from the jig’s plywood platform to the top face of the banjo on my Rockler Excelsior mini lathe, plus some room to fit the top nut and adjust the platform downward. I reground a 5/8-wide, flat-ended scraper to use as a reamer. I reduced the width of its front cutting edge to 1/4″ long. I also ground both the front and left edges of the tool to about a 15-degree bevel, permitting the scraper to cut both forward and along the ring blank’s left inside wall.

Widening the Starter Hole Carefully

The next step is to widen this drilled hole until the ring core slips into it without force but also not loosely. While it’s possible to accomplish this freehandedly with a diamond-shaped carbide-insert tool or a narrow steel scraper, using only your sense of feel, a steady hand and experience in turning, it’s still not easy to do. Accidentally shifting your cutting tool slightly left or right, instead of feeding the cutter straight into the hole, can be hard to detect in such a small hole. And doing so can quickly create a conical opening that won’t fit the ring core snugly. This not only will produce a weak glue bond but also will leave an unsightly gap on a piece of jewelry this tiny. That’s why I built the simple plywood reaming jig to guide a narrow, square-ended scraper I modified and used for this task. If you do the same, adjust the carriage bolt to tip the jig’s plywood holder downward slightly toward the ring blank; that way, the scraper can cut on its top, burred edges, as they normally are used. The top of the jig’s platform also should be set so the scraper will cut slightly below the lathe’s axis of rotation. Adjust the lathe’s tool rest, bringing the jig’s front edge parallel to the face of the ring blank but spaced a small distance from it. (A thin piece of scrap or a steel rule can serve as a helpful spacer for this task.) Lock the tool rest and jig into position.

Now, set the scraper into its slot on the jig, and then slide the jig along the tool rest so the left edge of the scraper slightly overlaps the rim of the drilled hole in the ring blank. An overlap of 1/32″ or so is sufficient. Turn on the lathe, then slowly push the scraper forward into the ring blank to turn away the overlap and widen the hole. Stop feeding the scraper when it reaches the back of the ring blank and begins to cut into the waste block. Pushing too far can cause the scraper to overfeed and chatter against the back wall of the hole, so feed gently and carefully.

Stop the lathe and check your progress, using the ring core or a dial caliper as a gauge to determine how much more stock you still need to remove. Repeat the “reaming” process, overlapping the scraper’s left edge on the ring blank and widening the hole some more. Continue shifting the jig ever so slightly and widening the hole in repeated passes until the ring core slips into the ring blank hole without force. Stop reaming as soon as you achieve this fit.

The tricky step of this project is now behind you! Part off the ring blank at the glue or tape joint to free it from the waste block. Be sure to catch it as it releases so it doesn’t fly off and get damaged or broken in the process.

Turning the Ring’s Outer Profile

Now it’s time to glue the ring core and outer shell together. You could mix up a small amount of two-part epoxy for the job, but I had good luck using gel-type CA glue instead. Clean off the outer face of the ring core first with denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner to remove any residual oils and turning dust. Spread a liberal coat of glue or epoxy around the inner hole of the ring blank, and slide the core into place. Adjust it so the ring blank overhangs the edges of the core evenly, and wipe away any excess glue. If you use CA glue and have accelerator, spritz it around the glue seam to cure it instantly. Otherwise, wait for the epoxy or glue to harden on its own before proceeding.

You could use an accessory ring bushing mounted on a pen mandrel, if you already own that mandrel, for the final turning and finishing stages of your ring. I opted to use one of Rockler’s specialized ring mandrels instead, which have a series of concentric sleeves to capture and hold rings in a range of sizes. Tightening a center Allen bolt in the mandrel expands the sleeves to create a snug, friction fit against the ring core. If you use one of these mandrels as well, slip your ring core into place on it, pressing the ring firmly against the appropriate sleeve and tightening the Allen bolt. Don’t overdo the tension; just snug the bolt up enough to hold the ring core in place. Turn on the lathe to make sure the ring spins in a flat orbit. If it wobbles, loosen the mandrel, adjust the ring’s position on it, and retighten.

Small steel scrapers are one option for turning the exterior of your ring, but I found square- and diamond-shaped carbide-insert tools to be particularly handy for this tiny, delicate turning task. In fact, if you have access to negative-rake cutters for those tools, they work best of all to minimize splintering and produce easy-to-control, clean cuts. The goal here is to shape the ring’s outer core thin enough and close enough to the sides of the core so that it will be comfortable to wear. If you leave the shell too thick, the ring will look like a donut and spread the wearer’s fingers too far apart, making it uncomfortable. Conversely, if you turn too much of the shell away, you could cause it to become too fragile and even split, or risk turning too much and right through to the core. So take your time, and aim for a flatter outer curve with not more than about 1/16″ of outer shell left.

I started the turning process by chamfering the wood of my ring closest to the core so it would flare out slightly. Then I turned away the bulk of the waste until the thickness was around 1/8″. At that point, I worked on the final curvature, removing the excess wood slowly and carefully. I shaped the outer ends of the profile to leave just a tiny bit of the original chamfer cuts in place. I think it gives the ring’s edges a more refined look.

When you’re nearly finished shaping the ring’s exterior, switch to small pieces of sandpaper to smooth it and finalize the shape. I started with 220- then 320-grit. I switched to 600- and 800-grit black wet/dry abrasives after that. Sand the ring’s outer surface as smooth as possible, to the point of almost burnishing it. If you turn a wooden shell, the final protective finish will be microscopically thin and unable to hide any but the tiniest scratches and flaws. So sand almost as though there will be no finish applied at all.

Wrapping Up with a Pen Turner’s Finish

Acrylic or epoxy rings won’t require a separate finish coat for durability or to add sheen, but wooden rings do. It will seal the wood and offer moderate moisture protection. It then should be polished to a bright, shiny luster. You want that little gem to really catch attention! For my finish, I again turned to CA glue, this time in a thin viscosity. It’s a favorite choice of pen turners for its ease of application and instant drying time. I applied the glue to the ring with a soft, lint-free rag while the lathe spun, followed by a spritz of accelerator after each application, to cure the finish immediately. I applied six coats of glue, one after the next.

When you’ve built up enough layers of finish to be satisfied, sand away any imperfections with 800-grit wet/dry paper. I then switched to Micro-Mesh cushioned abrasive pads and continued sanding the surface with 1,800-, 3,200-, 6,000-, 8,000- and 12,000-grit pads. Each grit took just seconds of work with the lathe spinning, and it brought the finish to a medium luster. As a final step, I polished the ring on the lathe with Novus 2 liquid scratch remover for plastics and a soft rag, buffing to a glossy shine.

Carefully loosen the mandrel and remove your completed ring. Wipe the inside surface of the core clean. Then present it to a special someone who’s probably very eager to try it on for size!

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Kitchen Spurtles: These 15th-century Scottish kitchen widgets will be as useful now as they were for stirring porridge back then. You’ll sculpt them with a band saw and benchtop sander.

Wearable Turned Rings: Rockler’s new ceramic or metal ring cores and stepped mandrels can help you turn custom jewelry on the lathe.

Christmas Tree Ornaments: Create festive baubles for your tree with a bit of spindle-turning and decorative hardware.

Contemporary Table: We refresh a curvy, split-topped table with bow tie inlays and wedged tenons from our archives. It’s proof that what’s old but well-designed can be new again.

Shop Talk: A Minnesota woodworker creates whimsical elf houses to honor Icelandic folklore and brighten up public parks.

Woodturning: Nothing warms a holiday evening like candle light. Ernie Conover shares a neoclassical candlestick design that gives tapered candles a handsome base.

Skill Builder: The last installment of our six-part joinery series focuses on box and finger joints. As eye-catching as they are strong, it’s no surprise that box joints are a perennial project favorite.

Power Tool Fundamentals: Among the many ways you can make mortise-and-tenon joints, a mortising machine and tenoning jig whip them out with ease and precision. Here are details about each tool.

Tool Preview: Rockler’s Bow Tie Starter Kit and interchangeable templates are the perfect solution for routing our Contemporary Table’s decorative accents.

Hardworking Hardware: Tabletop drop leaves should be hung from drop-leaf hinges that swivel on rule joints. Our techniques article covers all aspects of what you need to know to install drop leaves successfully.

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Makita 18V LXT Brushless Jig Saw

MICROJIG FITFINDER 1/2 Gauge

Metabo HPT 18V MultiVolt Cordless 10,000 Lumen LED Work Light

Rockler Serving Spatula Turning Kit

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Click Here to Download the PDF.

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You can find more about Rockler’s Ring Kits here.

Rockler has also put out a video explaining more about how to make these turned rings.

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