Oven Rack Push/Pull Stick + Herb Stripper + Kitchen Measurements = 3 Tools in One!

Here's my take on a classic kitchen gadget from yesteryears - The oven rack push/pull stick!

If you haven't seen one before, it's a surprisingly handy little device. I stumbled across it one day while looking for a way to help a certain someone who frequently forgets to put on oven mitts keep their phalanges away from the hot oven...

Plus, to make it even more useful I added an herb stripper and some common kitchen conversions onto it.

Annnnddd, to eliminate the inevitable excuse of "I forgot where I put it..." It's got a magnet = stick it directly to the side of your oven and stop using that one half broken spatula to finagle the rack just enough, but not too much...

Anyhoo, enough of the oddly specific anecdotes, lets get on with the making already!

1/4" plywood - I'm using laser safe Purbond maple plywood homedepot.sjv.io/LJ3vM (home depot affiliate link)

1. This is a great project to use up some of those offcuts you can't bring yourself to throw away...

Wood glue - Run whatcha brung, I had Gorilla glue handy https://amzn.to/4bdiDJW (amazon affiliate link)

Toothpicks - Standard round toothpicks (this is part of a glue "hack" in step 3)

Razor blade - The OLFA razors are fantastic https://amzn.to/41vim1Q (amazon affiliate link)

Spring clamps - Use at least three, this size works perfect https://amzn.to/43arKcA (amazon affiliate link)

Jute rope - I like the look of jute for this https://amzn.to/41vLV3m (amazon affiliate link)

Laser cutter - I'm using a Glowforge Pro. https://amzn.to/4kfuT0H (amazon affiliate link)

1. Can be done with hand tools, but a laser makes it way easier. Good excuse to checkout your local makerspace!

Sander / Sandpaper - 220 grit on an orbital sander is the sweet spot.

1. I'm using a Makita sander https://amzn.to/3XgFtum and Dura Gold paper https://amzn.to/41w46WP (amazon affiliate link)

Cutting Board Oil -Can't go wrong with Walrus Oil (Not made from actual Walruses ) https://amzn.to/4bhSR7j (amazon affiliate link)

Paper Towel - Handy for wiping glue and not getting cutting board oil everywhere.

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*Optional:

*Computer with design stuffs if you want to personalize it - Inkscape and Fusion 360 work great IMO.

1. Fusion 360 is free for personal use, check it out here https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/personal

*Magnets - 8x3mm or 6x3mm magnets work well https://amzn.to/3WqiUTL (amazon affiliate link)

*3D printed magnet holder - See step 5

*3D printer - I've printed these on a Bambu Lab X1C, Prusa MK3, Flashforge Creator Pro, Qidi Tech I and even an Ender 3 (amazon affiliate links)

*ABS plastic filament prefered - See step 5 for more info. I'm using Hatchbox ABS https://amzn.to/41wa8Xp (amazon affiliate link)

*Super glue - Any superglue will work, I prefer starbond, the cheaper stuff tends to leave a haze. https://amzn.to/4gV3Jti (amazon affiliate link)

1. Epoxy will work but take longer to set. Hot glue will work if it's all you have but will be harder to fit everything into the magnet cap.

First step is to cutout both halves of our push pull stick.

Well, technically speaking... I guess finding a piece of wood that's approximately 1.25" wide by 16" long or about 2.5" wide by 8.5" long is the first, first step (that's ~32mm x 406mm / 64mm x 216mm for my metric friends 😉). I think I have a maple offcut that will be a good candidate for a stacked cut (~2.5" x 8.5").

Okay, fine. You're right, I got ahead of myself again... The first, first, FIRST step was to design the digital file... Sheesh...

So I started in Autodesk Fusion 360 by sketching out the basic shape I was after. I wanted a finger "bump" to easily index your hand into the "cold side" and away from the "oven" side. The hook and um, pusher?! also needed to be roughly proportional with everything else (and not stick out too far so we can more easily fit this onto an offcut).

For funsies I told Fusion 360 it was made of wood so it would render with the cool wood grain look while I was playing with the design.

After a couple quick refinements I ended up with a roughly "butter knife-esque" shape that fit well in my hand.

Next I added the text for some common kitchen things my wife likes to quiz me on 😏. Things like volume measurements, meat cooking temperatures*** and F to C temperature conversions. That's why my cheat sheet is two sided... No, it's actually two pieces because I know I'd likely break the stick if it was left as a single 1/4" thick piece and this extra thickness also makes it a little easier to get a firm grip on.

Then I exported the file to Inkscape to change the line colors so my laser cutter knew what it should engrave (black) and cut (red).

And voila, our fingers are one step closer to being safe(er) and I have a kitchen cheat sheet ready at a moments notice!

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OK, NOW grab your favorite flavor of file from this step, I've included .SVG, .DXF and .PDF so there should be something that works for your preferred software. The raw Fusion 360 files are also attached to this step if you'd like to make any changes.

1. (If you'd like to support me, the files are also available on my Etsy shop for a small fee, thank you! https://www.etsy.com/listing/1856444704/digital-download-oven-rack-pushpull

THEN find your piece of wood.

(***The meat temperatures are directly from the current USDA recommendations, see here: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart

I know there are a lot of opinions on this topic, in addition food storage and handling also plays a huge role in safety as well. This info is presented as a guideline, you're welcome to adjust it to suit your needs as you see fit.

Can we finally cut it please?

Yes. Proceed with the cutting.

The good news is that maple offcut I've been hiding saving for just the right project ended up being the right size!

I'm using a Glowforge Pro 45w CO2 laser cutter. I typically like using .SVG files with the GF interface. My laser settings are 999 speed / 90% power / 195 lpi for the engrave and 140 speed / full power for the cut.

1. (Glowforge speed settings are quirky and I'm not sure what they translate to in real world units, here's a link to the Glowforge communities input trying to translate it https://community.glowforge.com/t/cutting-speed-units/11768/23)

*This could also be cut on a CNC. Or if you're feeling sporty printing out a paper template and cutting it out with hand tools should also work.

I chose not to put a masking on the wood to keep the smoke/soot off it during the cut for a few reasons.

1. First, I hate weeding the masking and there's lots of tiny text on this thing. It will take longer to weed it than sand it.
2. Second, the wood as it comes from Home Depot is smooth, but not really smooth enough for something that will be touched frequently. So since we need to give it a quick sanding anyway why go through the trouble of peeling the masking if we're just going to sand it anyway?
3. Third, if you're asking why didn't I just dial in my settings better - in this instance most of the soot is from the cut, not the engrave step. Plywood is pretty consistent, but there's still occasionally knots and other junk that Murphy puts directly in the cut path. So I chose to have the laser power dialed up enough that I know it will cut completely through everything.
4. Did I mention I hate weeding more than I hate sanding?! Anyway, that's my rational, YMMV.

You can see we have two pieces cut and are ready for the next step.

Now it's glue up time. For real. I didn't forget a step this time...

I typically put the glue on one half and then smooosh on the second half to spread the glue around. My goal is even-ish glue coverage with minimal squeeze out that I have to clean up.

Once we're satisfied with the level of glue smooosh, here's my alignment sudo hack - we're going to "pin" the two halves together with toothpicks so they can't slide out of alignment while the glue is drying.

Align the two sides of the push pull stick and slide two toothpicks through the smallest holes. Go ahead and wipe up any squeeze out at this point.

Then use at least 3 clamps to hold everything together while the glue dries. If a few more clamps join the party, the more the merrier.

1. I've been using this toothpick "hack" for around 5ish years and have found that the typical, round style (5/64" / 2mm diameter) toothpicks have surprisingly tight tolerances, I've only had a handful of 'picks that were too loose or too tight.

Let the glue set overnight and then onto the next step.

Now that the glue is dry, it's time for my favorite step.

Sanding.

Who doesn't love sanding...

This one isn't actually that bad, it's like 1-2 minutes per side, I'm just exaggerating a little 🙄

Start by trimming off the parts of the toothpicks that stick out. A razor makes quick work of it.

220 grit seems to be the right place to start with the purebond plywoods IMO. You can sand it by hand, I'm using a random orbital sander. My goal is to get rid of all the soot and smooth off any rough edges. This is usually about a 5 minute process. Also be sure to get any dried glue squeeze out off if you see it.

Next I like to give these a quick coat of cutting board oil. Walrus oil is my go to. I do like to oil it before putting on the jute hanger, this just keeps everything a little cleaner. You can apply it with your finger or a rag if you prefer. I used my finger. (There's a joke in there somewhere about oiling your wood but we should keep it PG here... 🤣) let it dry for a few minutes before wiping off any excess oil.

For the basic rope hanger, cut off about 18 inches of jute rope. Thread it through the hole on the end and tie it in a knot. Aim for about a hands width in the hanger loop (yeah yeah, I know, Americans will use anything but the metric system right?! 😂) And we're done with the basic version!

The next step is for the optional magnet rope end thingy. Skip to step 6 if you're not planning to do that magnetism thing.

If you have a 3D printer and would like a magnetic end on your push/pull stick this step is for you.

Admittedly the knot in the rope is a little big, and I don't have a convenient hook near the oven, so that's why I decided to try and incorporate a magnet.

I used Fusion 360 again to create the 3D model. I messed around with a few different variants, but in the end KISS (keep it simple stupid) won out. This is the cleanest option I've tried, it gets rid of the bulky rope knot and the magnets are plenty strong enough to attach it to the oven/fridge/paper towel holder.

1. If you have an idea to improve it the Fusion files are attached so please feel free to take a crack at it!

There are two KISS versions attached to this step:

1. The 2 magnet version works well with the 8x3mm magnets and 3/16 (5mm) jute rope.
2. The 3 magnet version works well with 6x3mm magnets and up to 5/16" (8mm) jute rope

I recommend printing in ABS. This is a small part that prints well in ABS on most machines.

1. PLA will work, but since this could be close to a hot oven the PLA will be more susceptible to deforming. PLA + is better if you do go the PLA route.
2. PETG works, it's downfall is that it really doesn't like to be glued so we're more likely to have the cap pop off at somepoint. (There is a specialty adhesive from 3D Gloop that works great)
3. ABS has good temperature stability and is easy to glue together. ASA is also a good choice but tends to be a little bit more expensive than ABS.

For this Instructable I went with a 3 magnet version using Hatchbox ABS on a Bambu Lab X1C. In the past I have successfully printed these on a Prusa MK3, Flashforge Creator Pro, Qidi Tech I and even an Ender 3.

1. Print so it has solid walls and top/bottom surfaces. I'm printing .2mm layers so for me that was 3 walls, 3 bottom surfaces and 3 top surfaces.

Once it's printed, I like to glue the magnets in place first so they're not moving around while trying to squish in the rope. Superglue works well for this if you printed it in PLA or ABS.

Then thread the rope through the hole in the stick handle. This seems like a no-brainer but I'm guilty of forgetting this step once or twice...

Next smoosh in the ends of the rope, try to fill up as much of the cavity as you can without any rope overflowing out the top.

Add a few dabs of superglue to the top and rim, then clamp on the top piece. Do your best not to superglue yourself to yourself... Leave it clamped for 5-10 minutes and we're done!

Time to get cooking!

There you go, now our fingers are safe(er) from oven rack and toster oven rack and BBQ grill rack, etc. burns! Go try it out!

And strip some fresh herbs for your next meal while you're at it!

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Obviously I'm not the first person to make a push/pull stick (or an herb stripper). If you're not digging my version, checkout the other versions right here on Instructables!

1. https://www.instructables.com/search/?q=oven%20rack&projects=all
2. https://www.instructables.com/search/?q=herb%20stripper&projects=all

Some other questions that pop up:

Won't this catch on fire?

1. If you're determined enough, just about anything is flammable. Use common sense and don't leave it IN the oven and you'll be fine. If the outside of your oven is hot enough to catch it on fire, you have a bigger problem that a push pull stick won't help with. Wood ignition temp is variable depending species of wood and environment but the internet seems to agree it generally it won't spontaneously ignite if it's under 350*F.

How do I wash it?

1. Hand wash with warm water and soap. Don't leave it submerged in water. The engraving may fade a little over time, but will still be legible. There's a picture here of the first one I made in 2020 that's still going strong.

Is it food safe?

1. I wouldn't recommend eating it, or using it as a spatula or spoon (although that's happened here more than once... 🤣) But it is OK for intermittent/indirect food contact. The purebond wood uses soy glue and the type II wood glue is generally accepted as OK for indirect food contact like you'd get in a cutting board. Treat it like a decent cutting board - Keep it clean, keep the rope and the magnet out of your soup and you shouldn't have any problems.

If you enjoyed this Instructable and want one of these push pull sticks for your kitchen, but would rather have me make one for you, they are available in my Etsy store here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/776097384/oven-rack-push-pull-stick-w-magnet-laser

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If you'd like to see what I'm up to when I'm not Instructable-ing you can also find me at these places:

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