Arizona Toothpick

March 17, 2026 

Six members of the WIT group met at the college woodturning lab to learn how to make Arizona toothpicks. Dean Humphrey was the teacher for this project. He explained that they would be using high-speed steel for the shaft, a piece of hardwood that was 2” X 2” 14 or 16” long for the handle and a steel tip that would be ground down for the cutting edge. He then showed them how to grind the shaft into a 45° angle and how to drill the shaft with a pilot hole first and then a larger hole so that the cutting edge would fit. He demonstrated how to shape the tip on a grinder and hold it with a vice grip to make a cutting edge. They mounted their handles in the jaws of the chuck and drilled a hole for the shaft that was about two inches deep. They shaped their handles and made a tenon so the copper collar would fit. Dean helped each WIT member during each step of the process and answered many questions on putting it together after the handle was shaped. Since they didn’t have five-minute epoxy, they glued the shaft in at home. Dean showed them how to superglue the cutting edge into the hole they’d drilled into the staff. He also showed how to heat it up to loosen the glue and put the cutting edge in correctly. They were grateful that he could guide them through this project.