Nut Cracker

This week’s project comes from Mattias. It’s an amazingly simple, yet clever, nut-cracking device. Here’s what Mattias had to say:

This is a replica of a nut cracker that I remember from when I was a kid. It’s made out of walnut from a tree in my wife’s grandmother’s front yard, and I’ve made a whole bunch of them for family and friends. You place the nut in the hole and tighten the smaller bolt, until the nut cracks. This is a great nut cracker design, really, because you have lots more control, and don’t get pieces of shell flying across the room, or crushed fingers.

It’s a pretty handy Christmas present because it’s relatively quick to make, small, and nobody has usually seen anything like it. Then of course you have the visual pun of it being shaped like a nut. The finish is Tung Oil, three coats. The threads are cut using a tool from Highland Hardware, size 3/4″. The center hole is 1 3/8″.