Paul's plywood pizza placement peels

[Alter ego]

So I could make a few pizza at once and have them ready to load into the oven I made up 4 plywood peels. I made them out of ply because it was much cheaper and the only solid wood wide enough was 20mm thick.

They are made from 6mm ply and as a 6mm handle is not stiff enough I used 19x38mm Tassie Oak trim which is glued to the ply on either side. The peels base is 350 x 350mm and the total length is approx 900mm. All of the edges have been rounded and the whole thing sanded smooth before being lightly oiled.

I have been using them a couple of months now and they make handling pizza much easier as I can make the up in the kitchen and carry then out to the oven to place them. I still use my metal peel to rotate and remove them.

[ThermoJax]

Absolutely sweet !!! Do you have pictures of building them. I would like to make them as well.

[JoeyVelderrain]

bravo!...bra...vo!

[C5dad]

That is awesome - thanks for posting. I was looking at a similar design and struggled on the handle. Looks like the bugs are worked out. Question - is that a hardwood or cabinet grade plywood or just a clear grade? Enquiring minds want to know!

Chris

[Alter ego]

Originally Posted by ThermoJax

Do you have pictures of building them.

Sorry ThermoJax, I don't have any other pics but it was a very simple construction. I marked out the ply (2 peels on a 900 x 600mm sheet), cut them out with my jigsaw, rounded the edges with my router, glued the handles, drilled a 20mm hole at the top of the handle and sanded smooth.

Originally Posted by C5dad

...is that a hardwood or cabinet grade plywood or just a clear grade?

Chris, I don't know what grade the ply was but 2 of them were built from basic stuff at $8 per sheet and the other 2 were made from better quality at $16 per sheet. The cheaper ply has warped and is a rougher surface than the better quality stuff.

[Karangi Dude]

Hey Paul,
Thats a fine looking peel.
I made a couple out of 8mm Marine Ply they are fortunatley strong enough to be self supporting but they only have 200mm handles. I will be making as you did some with 900mm handles and we will se then if they are strong enough with out needing extra support in the handles. I used marine ply so that I can wash them over and over without them falling to peices. I oiled them like you did with olive oil. Marine Ply is a bit expensive but I had a sheat left over from a Boat that I did up some years ago and thought I may use that later on when a good idea comes up. See pics below the second last pic is just dreaming I actualy cooked it on the BBQ. I use the back of the peel as a serving tray, the cutting of the pizza does not seem to damage the ply. I put a chamfer on the other side to make it easy for the uncooked pizza to slide off.

Regards Doug

[Tman1]

I've got a couple of homemade peels with long handles... don't get rid of the short ones!! I find the long handles make it difficult to maneuver when people are around. I need to make some short ones.

[david s]

I agree, the long handles tend to clock some poor kid in the head. A handle longer than necessary is a pain. It is no trouble to reach into the oven for a second with a wooden placing peel. For the turning peel, I think you only need a handle about as long as the oven diam. the extra length of the tool head enables you to reach the back of the oven without getting too hot, providing the entry is not too deep.

[Alter ego]

Originally Posted by Karangi Dude

... I will be making as you did some with 900mm handles and we will se then if they are strong enough with out needing extra support in the handles. I used marine ply so that I can wash them over and over without them falling to peices.....the cutting of the pizza does not seem to damage the ply. ...

Doug, My peels were 900mm total length so the handles are approx 550mm. This length is fine to place the pizza in the back of the oven without singeing the hair on my hands!

The marine ply sounds a bit stronger than the ply that I used and I have been conscious not to dunk them in water to wash them but to just wipe them off after use.

I did start cutting my pizza on the ply peels but I found that it was roughing up the surface too much and it kept on needed to be sanded back to keep them smooth otherwise pizza would not slide off properly.

[Karangi Dude]

Hey Paul,

Because my oven is 1200 diamater I think I might still need 900mm handles but that said I only have a shallow entrance of 515mm from outside of landing to the inside of the door arch. I did this on purpose so I can work without having to use extra long tools.
When I cut pizza on my short peels I always use the back that way it does not mater if they rough up but the marine ply does hold together pretty well.