Rockler cheese knife, plane and slicer turning kits
Just in time for holiday gift-making, Rockler Woodworking and Hardware has added three new serving utensil hardware kits that woodturners can customize with handles they craft themselves.
The 4-Piece Cheese Knife Turning Kit, the Cheese Plane Turning Kit and the Pizza/Pie Slice Server Turning Kit all are made from durable food-grade stainless steel and feature threaded posts and inserts for attaching the handle stock, which users purchase separately so they can fully customize their projects. The inserts allow for easy detachment of the hardware for washing.
"These kits offer the perfect combination of function and style, and they allow woodturners to exercise full creativity with the handles' material and shape," said Steve Krohmer, Rockler's vice president of merchandising and proprietary.
The 4-Piece Cheese Knife Turning Kit includes a serving fork and three specialty knives — a universal cheese knife with a forked tip, a spade-shaped Parmesan knife for hard cheeses and a cheddar knife/cleaver. The kit comes in a box that can be used to store the completed set — or for presenting it as a gift.
Complementing the 4-piece kit is the Cheese Plane Turning Kit, which also comes in a box that can be used for storage or presentation. The Cheese Plane's sharp edge produces thin, even slices from blocks of semi-hard and hard cheeses.
The Pizza/Pie Slice Server Turning Kit features a substantive blade for separating and serving slices. It's designed to pair with Rockler's chrome finish Pizza Cutter Turning Kit (34913, sold separately).
To make turning the new kits easier, Rockler now also is offering a 3/4" Shoulder Mandrel with 1/4"-20 Threads (51530, sold separately). The mandrel, which mounts in a lathe drill chuck, fits the threaded insert used to attach the handle, making installation of the insert easier. The mandrel's shoulder also matches the diameter of the hardware where it meets the handle, so turners can achieve a perfectly flush transition.
The new kits expand Rockler's array of turning and project kits, which includes stainless steel pizza cutters, bottle openers, pens and ready-to-glue cutting boards.
The 4-Piece Cheese Knife Turning Kit (52836) is priced at $39.99, and the Cheese Plane Turning Kit (59844) and the Pizza/Pie Slice Server Turning Kit (59981) both are priced at $14.99. The 3/4" Shoulder Mandrel with 1/4"-20 Threads (51530) is priced at $11.99.