How to hand carve clothespins?

[Blaundee]

Anyone have any pointers on carving your own clothespins? Kind of wood, length, etc?

 

[galanie]

Seems to me you could just saw a slot in a bit of smallish square stock, bevel the inside edges of the end outward, and be done after making sure all of that slot was smooth. That might be the part that would take time as sawing doesn't exactly leave a smooth finish usually.

 

[Boogity]

Blaundee - I owe you an apology. When I first read your post I thought to myself 'what a silly topic'. But after further consideration I now think your post not only provides food for thought but it also provides a discussion topic that we could all get behind to eliminate one more made-in-china product from our store shelves. Thank you.

Wooden clothespins would be very simple to make. If a person wants to do all of the work by hand they could whittle small branches and sticks to make round pins. If someone wants to use power tools they could do it all on a small table saw. Anyone with an ounce of shop skill could turn out a dozen or more pins in less time than it would take to run to the store, burn fossil fuel, spend money, depreciate the vehicle, and contribute to the traffic situation.

Who knows, maybe little things like this could start to make a difference in our world.

 

[mrscoyote]

I agree this is an interesting topic. I just went and did a quick search and found very little. I came across the idea of 2 pop cycle sticks held together with duct tape across one end, functional but not pretty. I would lean toward the old style for homemade. They seem pretty easy, a stick of about 3 to 4 inches long with a slot cut up the center about 2/3 of the way. I think I will be trying this soon. I am unsure of the best hand tool to cut the slot up the middle though.
Nancy

 

[Steveca]

The best hand tool for making a cut like that would probably be a backsaw; I would highly recommend holding the wood in a vise though. If you got green branches and cut it into sections for the pins you could probably make the cut and then gently pry it open and let it dry into shape.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Try using green sticks about 4-5 inches long, wrap wire around one end and split the other end with a pocket knife? Or maybe instead of green sticks, try a big piece of hardwood and split it into useable sized pieces with a hatchet then do the wire and split thing? I'm going to have to experiment a bit.

 

[Denim Deb]

I don't know what kind of trees you have in your area, but I used to know someone who carved small roosters. And, the best kind of wood they found to use was red maple (Acer rubrum) He had to split part of it to make the legs, so if you have that it just might work. I'm not sure if he carved it green or if he let it season first.

 

[Newcolonial]

When I was a kid, the gypsies used to come around door to door, selling lucky heather and clothespins. They were made from split hazel twigs that were bound together with fence wire. My mom used to buy all she could because she always reckoned they were better than the spring pins bought at the store.

 

[Blaundee]

The best hand tool for making a cut like that would probably be a backsaw; I would highly recommend holding the wood in a vise though. If you got green branches and cut it into sections for the pins you could probably make the cut and then gently pry it open and let it dry into shape.

Thanks!

 

[k15n1]

I believe elm has odd interlocking grain that makes it good for shapes that experience a forces from all directions.

A back saw is a specialized saw that has a particularly thin cut width (kerf). It's normally used for cutting dovetails and other fancy stuff. If the 1-piece clothespins I've seen are any guide, you need a respectable width---enough to accommodate the line and 4-ish layers of cloth.