Making Chopsticks with Self Made Chopsticks Maker / 自作の箸治具で箸作り

When I moved to Europe, I brought a Magewappa, Japanese traditional bento box with me. Since it’s made of wood, of course I can’t put it in the dishwasher, and washing it by hand takes a bit of effort—but considering how beautiful it is, I don't mind the extra care ☺️

However, because it’s a small bento box, the chopsticks are too long to wrap with it. If I try to wrap it tightly, they even poke through the fabric… I could have made a chopstick case, but I kept thinking it would be nice to have shorter chopsticks.

I don’t remember exactly how it started, but at some point I began thinking, “Maybe I should just make my own chopsticks.” When I mentioned this to a makerspace manager in the same state, she said, “I’ve seen a jig for making chopsticks.” So I started looking into it. It’s basically a guiding tool used when shaving wood with a plane, and it seems the word “jig” comes from the Japanese term 治具 (jig). It looked simple enough to make at the makerspace, so I made one using a handheld CNC tool called Shaper Origin.

She also said, “You can engrave it quickly with a laser!” So I came up with the phrase “Hallo Ohashi” and had it engraved.

I made a few prototypes, but the wood I bought at a DIY store probably didn’t meet food safety standards. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I asked around, including people who work with wood locally.

Then I realized—I could just use a cutting board. Suddenly yesterday I found a perfect one: a solid cherry wood board, about 1 cm thick, for only 6 euros. I wanted to cut it with the table saw at the makerspace, but I couldn’t wait and ended up cutting it by hand 😂

It was much easier to shape than the square timber from the DIY store. I’m happy with how it turned out. It’s still a bit longer than my bento box, so I’m wondering whether to shorten it or leave it as it is.

I also posted a video on Instagram, if you’re interested 🥢
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWTw-obDeQy/

There are still a few things I’d like to improve in the shaping process, so I’ll refine it a bit more. Hopefully by summer, I can organize a workshop where we make chopsticks together and enjoy the process.

今回日本語版はnoteに投稿します。自作のお箸メーカーでお箸ができたのがうれしくて、この楽しさをワークショップでみんなで味わえたらと思っています。あとでリンクを貼ります ☺️