Everyone loves toast, and most of us have had the experience of trying to pull out a bagel or a stuck slice of bread without burning our fingers. I also learned at around age 12 that sticking a fork into an electrical appliance is a bad idea.

My parents had bought toaster tongs, but they were shaped like this:

They were too wide for the slot and did not grip very well. Growing up on a farm, with my dad working as an architect, there were always scraps from one project or another around the shop.

One day we had thin pine strips left over from ripping down 1x trim boards. They were about 1/8 inch thick and very flexible. I needed Christmas gifts for relatives, and the idea hit me: make better toaster tongs.

I took out my pocket knife and cut the strips into sections. I used a half bagel to test spacing, built up layers of glue at the back for thickness, cut pieces to length by feel, and glued them together.

The next day I whittled the shape, then sanded everything smooth. I did not know much about finishing at the time, but I had heard of oiling cutting boards, so I used vegetable oil.

I still have mine and use it regularly in 2026, about 32 years later. This project stuck with me because it showed me that making something better does not always require fancy tools or perfect precision.

I used a knife, glue, sandpaper, and oil. I did not use a tape measure or chase a perfect curve. It was better than what I had, and that was enough.