Pizza Peel

If you’re looking for a fun and easy weekend project, a pizza peel (also known as a baker’s peel) is an excellent choice. A pizza peel is an essential tool for sliding pizzas in and out of the oven, especially when working with a hot stone or brick oven. My wife asked me to make one a while back, and it turned out to be a great little project.

In my research, I quickly discovered that pizza peels come in a wide range of styles and materials, from traditional wooden versions to more modern metal peels. The basic design of a peel features a large, flat surface with a tapered edge to easily scoop up pizzas and a long handle to keep your hands safe from the heat. For this project, I decided to go with a classic wooden peel, using maple for its durability and smooth grain.

To create the peel, I edge-joined three maple boards. Since I wanted a thickness of 3/8″, but didn’t have a thickness planer, I used my joiner planer to get the boards to size. While this method can be a bit tedious, it worked well for a project of this size. The two outer boards were cut to 5-1/2″ x 14″, and the center board to 2″ x 20″, allowing me to form the tapered peel surface. For the handle, I cut a 2″ x 6″ piece and shaped it to ensure a comfortable grip.

This project not only gave me a chance to practice my woodworking skills, but it also added a personal touch to our kitchen. Plus, there’s something satisfying about using a handmade tool to craft homemade pizzas!

Materials

Not a lot for this one.  I was able to pickup both of the boards I used for this at a local hardware store.  You could easily make two or even three of these at the same time for just a slightly longer maple board.

• (1)  3/4″ x 6″ x 6′ Maple Board
• (1)  3/4″ x 2″‘ x 4’ Walnut Board(I only used about a 6″ length for the handle)

Milling & Assembly

	I started by planing the maple stock down to 3/8″.  A thickness planer is the way to go if you have one, but you can still get it done with a planer joiner.
	Next up was rough cutting the lumber.  The pizza peel consists of 3 boards edge joined.  The outside boards are cut to a length of 5-1/2″ x 14″ and the inside board was cut to a size of 2″ x 20″.
	After cutting the maple boards to length, next up was the walnut handle.  For the handle I cut one end at a 45 degree angle.  The size of the handle is 2″ x 6″.
	I taped a piece of wax paper to my bench to help with glue up.  This will help the project from being a mess.
	For glue up I used a water proof glue.  Clamping things up was pretty easy.  I used a scrap piece of wood to protect the sides.
	For the handle I used the same water proof glue and clamped it up as shown.
	For the corners of the peel I used a quick corner jig.
	I used the same jig for the handle to get a rounded look.
	Next up was cutting the rounded ends off the peel and the handle.  I used my bandsaw for that.
	I also drilled a hole into the handle.  I think was more for form than function, as I don’t see hanging this up, but it does add to the character of the piece.
	To get the beveled end of the peel I used a power sander.  I really thought this was going to be the hardest part of this project, but it really was a snap.  I was able to get a pretty sharp point and it was balanced on both sides pretty well.

Finishing

To finish the peel, I sanded it using a standard low grit, and moved my way up to a 220 grit.  I also broke the edges of the peel with sandpaper and gave it a round over look.  To finish it I used a product called salad bowl finish.  It’s supposed to be safe for wood that comes into contact with food.  I applied five coats to the peel.

Finishing the Pizza Peel, I used five coats of salad bowl finish.