Single Handed Sandwich Maker Board & cutlery

[crocky]

Hi Al,

That is fine, suggests a little bit better what is

[AlexS]

Bob, my OT daughter had me make a batch of these - glad they work.

[woodwork wally]

Hi Andy,

There is room for improvements with it. How old is your daughter? I still reckon the rubber feet are worthwhile I'd like to see a pic when you have it finished

That is good re the pencil, I have left handed biro's (they are moulded to suit the left hand) and a fork that is a knife and it is a tool that lets you eat with one hand without help. I think we bought them in New Zealand from memory. I will have a look for the address if she is interested?

Hi Folks Intresting discussions overall . that fork that is a knife either is or is a close relation to what I bought and they were called SPLAYEDS origionally an American idea to make life easier to eat a meal in front of the T.V. without your knife falling to the floor. someone with a bit of initiative could modify the handle to help another .I know the feeling as have had one hand in total immobility for 10 weeks . I at least know that I will get it back in some sort of working orer resembling normality but the back sheeezz anuzzer problem . But while we are on the right side of the grass lets share our methods of handling problems. A great forum lets use it regards Wally

[scooter]

The spelling was actually "splade", only correcting for anyone searching.

Popular wedding pressie in the 70s I think.


Cheers..............Sean

[crocky]

G'day,

This is the address of "The Fork" that is suited to single handed people like me

http://homepages.slingshot.co.nz/~bmee/

It has a good story on how it is used too

[mick61]

G`day what about some of the matting we use for routing etc stapled to the bottom of the board?
Mick

[pugwash]

In my woodwork therapy sessions at Shenton Park Rehab Hospital, stroke victims with hemiplegia make their own chopping boards from pieces of parquetry flooring (Blue gum and Cherrywood) glued to an exterior ply base. They have great fun coming up with different designs from the 30 bits of timber.
They have spikes for securing vegetables etc, and perspex edges in one corner to assist in buttering bread or toast. Rubber feet stops it from moving around. The whole thing is finished with vegetable oil. We've been making these for over 15 years and I've lost count of how many but it must be around 7-8 hundred !

[Wild Dingo]

Great discussion!

The thought of recessing the area for the bread is a great one a simple 1/4in recess would be sufficent Id think, I was also thinking about the rubber feet thing... what about if one were to add a peice of board to the front to go against the benchtop and use that router matting to hold it in place? oooh okay someone beat me with the router matting Anyway what this would achieve is a total lack of any movement forward and back or even sideways... an incredibly annoying thing to occur when one is preparing their sanga and things start to move!!... pushed against the benchtop... hey!! What about making a curved peice for the front? what Im thinking is something that once the board is against the benchtop said single winged soul could simply move closer and lean their hip against to hold it in place?... seems right to me

mmm okay so how about making them larger? not so much it becomes unmovable by said single winged soul but large enough to put the condiments on the board as well?... so as we see in the pic by pugwash have the area for the bread either with the perspex and the nails as shown but also have an area for the butter dish then another for the salad or jam (whatever) so if we increase the size a tad... lets say length of 18in x width of say 12in (Im guessing here its 11pm for gods sake!) have the top left corner either routed rebated or perspex for the bread, then as shown the lower right with the prongs to hold stuff... but the other two areas could be routed say the top right in an oblong shape for the veg and the lower left into circles to fit the jam, veg or whatever... thus everything needed by said single winged soul is right to hand

Most people when they make a sanga need the basics... so tub of butter jar of jam or vegimite... or tub of butter a tomyatta a cucumber cheese ham and say lettuce this could all realistically fit on such a sized board no? Mind you then theres the circle cutting for the cuppa to consider

ALSO... while Im sorta thinking... what about a pair of folding legs and handles on the sides? thus the said single winged soul would be able to... mmmm okay lets revise that a tad what about a sling affair instead of the handles? leather or webbing "belts" could be made to clip onto thingys (damned if I know what theyre called Im just givin the ideas here!!) on all four sides like a kids car seat you know? When all are cliped from side to side crossing over in the middle and forming a cradle and a handle thus the single flippered soul could carry said tray to the living room sit in their favorite arm chair turn on the soaps or movie and flip the legs down sit on their tush and prepare their sanga in peace and luxury?

Of course we could then make them the same size as shown but add a couple of flip up or out wings for the condiments and cuppa?... slide out seems best to me... okay another thought just wizzed through my mind... with that curved part I spoke of? this could be made with veneers shaped in a air vacumn press and thus hold its shape without adding any huge amount of weight to the overall thing... AND if we used clips instead of fixing it then it could be removed... mmm bonus thought!... leaving the wing on would allow a bit more secure feel to it while sitting on the chair as the rest/wing would then be against their side... okay think thats about done my thoughts for now!

Great thread!!

[pugwash]

Dingo,
Some great ideas. I'm pleased you've got your thinking cap on. The rubber feet stop the board sliding very well. Router mat I've used before and, although it works, makes it hard to clean. The board is not just used for sangers but for cutting and peeling veggies, carving meat and general food preparation. Improvements in design such as making it larger and recessed bits are OK but...
In my situation in the rehab workshop, you have to bear in mind that the guy who is going to USE the chopping board with one hand also has to MAKE it with one hand !! Also quite often he has to make it with his non dominant hand, sitting in a wheelchair, and with no previous woodwork experience !!
People with disabilities would generally prefer NOT to have to use special equipment unless they really have to.
So, the simpler the better really. But keep thinking Dingo, solutions to problems often come from "outside the square".

[Wild Dingo]

mmm okay... so they dont wanna have special equipment and such? NO WUKKERS!... make em some jigs then!! you could make special ones particular to their needs an call em "normal" ones eh!

Mate not bein picky nor nothing but heck we use jigs and such! I know when I worked with "special needs" GOD I HATE THAT DAMNED TERM!!!!... anyway Ive worked with blind deaf and physically whatever the hell pc term its called nowadays people over the years and mate what Ive found is that bar none they want to be seen and actually do for themselves... thus jigs are great!!

Okay so theyre in a wheelchair? SO BLOODY WHAT!... lower the bench to their height and bobs yer uncle make some jigs particular note being taken of their needs and theyre in business... if they can do for themselves what anyone else can do they can and will.

Okay so theyve only got one wing? SO WHAT?... one shanks pony? AGAIN SO WHAT?...

Jigs can be simple and effective for their needs... best router operator I ever knew was a one handed bloke with one wonky eye! Absolutely brilliant... made a jig so he could operate the router one handed a sorta attachment that had a strap that went around his right (non dominant) forarm attached to a peice of steel strap that had a clamp on the end that he would attach to the left hand handle of the router thus he could HOLD the router and operate it with full control... brilliant bloke and top router operator but as a fisherman he sucked big time

Im not havin a go just sayin thats all... manys the way to skin a cat mate and I tell yer what Ive seen some incredible inventions by some brilliant people over the years created just so they could do one simple job they would be unable or struggle to do if they hadnt made the jig they had.

Trouble Ive found over the years is some people without wings and such can be so damned independant they cant see a way around what they want and need to do UNLESS they find it themselves! I even had one sheila tell me that because I hadnt lost my arm I had no idea what she needed... wrong... it was obvious that she needed (aside from the labotomy of course ) a way of being able to ride the sulky of her trotter safely and keep control of both the horse and cart so she could keep her hand in with training it... now my brother has been in the trotting game for many years and knew the game inside out with his help we were able to make a reasonably simply jig that enabled her to do so with absolute ease... but it took us doing it without her being involved to do it cause of course we didnt have her disability so we could never know or understand... but work it did... and shes now one happy lady still overly independent but able to do what she loves

Ideas dont just come from necessity sometimes they come through thought and thought isnt resticted by anything

Still... I will keep thunking along and try to come up with something helpfull You do realize that I will come up with something sooner or later dont you? Well I will!!... Wheelin will attest to that I came up with a bonzer way of him gettin down the hill out front of his place in his wheelchair to move some freshly cut tree branches back up the hill... dopey buggar didnt do it though... something to do with the V8 motor attached to the back of the wheelchair scared the shyte outta the chicken some people get into wheelchairs and loose all sence of adventure they do

Cheers!!

Shane... still breathing AND now smiling

[jerryc]

This device ..;does the job and does not cost an arm and leg

Crocky,
I'm glad it doesn't cost that much. Sorry, mate. Just a warped sense of humour. To be serious it's a great idea .

Jerry

[wheelinround]

Speaking of single handed

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...rning-fly.html

[jerryc]

Wheeling,
Thanks for the great story. I know about septicaemia. it's why I spent six months in a hospital bed and why my bionics are in the actual heart rebuild and also in the electronics that keep it going. But when you read stories like that you tell yourself "what have I got to complain about?"
Sorry guys for slightly hi-jacking the thread.

Jerry

[pugwash]

That's a great article Wheelin',
I read a story in a readers digest once about designers of prosthetic hands using the knee joints of barby dolls as finger joints. Apparently they are very sturdy and just the right size. To begin with they used to go out and buy dolls and dismember them, but now the factory supplies them with just the legs!
It's a weird world!!