How to Make Chopsticks at Home

Using Dowel Rods

Purchase dowel rods. You can get dowel rods at many craft stores, hardware stores, and baking stores. You will want wood dowel rods that are about a quarter inch thick. You might want to get many so you have backups in case you mess up while you are learning. If you are planning on making multiple chopsticks, you might want to buy as many as 20 dowel rods, but it is up to you.

Cut the rods to your desired length. You will probably want your chopsticks to be around 10 inches in length. However, you may want to feel different sizes of chopsticks to see what length works best for your hands. You can cut your dowel rods with sharp shears or a small saw. Make sure to use a sharp object to cut the rods, that you use a cutting board, that you keep your fingers away from any blade, and that you have a firm grip on the rod so it does not slip when you cut it.

Thin down one end of each stick with a knife. Use a blade to shave off pieces of the wood at an angle. Start about half way through the chopstick and keep shaving down to the end of the chopsticks. You want both chopsticks to come to a point about a half inch in diameter. Cut away from you with the knife, not toward you.

Sand the sticks so they have blunt edges. Make sure there are no splinters or rough edges on your chopsticks. File them with a sanding block to smooth them out.

Using Wood

Choose the wood you want to use. Chopsticks can be made of many types of wood (such as aspen, chestnut, pine, cedar, cherry, sandalwood, and paulownia). The wood used needs to be hard and resistant to water.

Cut the wood with an axe. Slice the wood with an axe so that the grains are straight. Cut your wood to a 1.5”x.5”x11” block. Roughly shape the block of wood with a 14” plane (a hand tool for shaping wood) and then slice it in half with an axe. Each stock should be slightly larger than a quarter inch thick.

Shape the chopsticks. Use a 9” plane to set the chamfer, a symmetrical sloping edge. Do this to one end of each chopstick. Finish shaping the chopsticks with a 6” smoothing plane. This will get rid of any rough wood and make the chopsticks smooth. Round the tips with the smoothing plane.

Cut the chopsticks. Typically, chopsticks are around 10 inches long, but you can cut them to the length that you are comfortable with. Slightly chamfer the ends to finish the chopsticks.

Decorating the Chopsticks

Carve decorations into the chopsticks. Use a knife to carve patterns into your chopsticks. You can carve in simple lines on the chopsticks or something more elaborate if you know how to wood carve.

Varnish the chopsticks. Make sure to get a finish that is non-toxic since the chopsticks will be coming in contact with food. Apply a coat and then let the chopsticks dry for 30 minutes. Re-apply any varnish to areas that look like they need more. Let the chopsticks dry thoroughly, this could take a day or more. You can reapply every year or two to renew the stain, water protection, and make the chopsticks look new.

Paint the chopsticks. You can paint your chopsticks when you are finished making them. You can paint the whole thing or just parts of them. Use whatever type of paint; you want just make sure to get non-toxic paint, especially if you are eating with the chopsticks. Use clear tape to mask off any areas of the chopsticks you don’t want to paint. Apply several coats of paint. Peel of any tape when the paint is completely dry.

Use washi tape. You can decorate your chopsticks with washi tape. Pick washi tape that you like and wrap it around the chopsticks. Wrap the tape around only the ends if you plan on eating with the chopsticks.