DIY Flat-Pack Collapsible Cooking Skewers

A great meal shared with family and friends in the outdoors is an awesome experience! But lugging around the heavy equipment is not awesome. Cooking over a fire with skewers i a fun and easy option! But if you've ever roasted marshmallows over the campfire before, you know that being close to the fire is not fun. Heating yourself up more than the marshmallow and breathing in the campfire smoke seems unavoidable! But luckily this cooking skewer comes with a rest, so you can spend more time enjoying the fire!

I go on backpacking trips a few times a year, so it is important for me to have light-weight and portable equipment! This cooking skewer is collapsible and packs flat, so you won't ever have to worry about it taking up too much space. The smooth, polyurethane-coated handle makes cooking in the outdoors comfortable, and it looks sweet too!

So why not give this skewer a try? It's a fun way to cook meals when camping, backpacking and even just backyard grilling! Use it over a portable stove or in a fire pit. Just insert the skewer rest stake into the ground and place the handle on a flat surface. Now you can cook in comfort when camping! Not to mention, this camping skewer makes delicious food!

Keep reading to learn how you can obtain a FREE 3-Month Pro Membership and a special FREE Camp Cooking Power Patch!!! If you like (or hate) this Instructable, please vote for it in one or all of the selected contests! :-)

Step 1: Materials and Tools

Here are the materials and tools that you will need to complete this project.

Materials:
36" x 1/2" Oak Wood Dowel
Any Polyurethane Coating (I Used MINWAX One Coat Polyurethane)
Aluminum Tent Stakes (7" x .25")
2x Stainless Steel Float Valve Rods (1/4")
Stainless Steel Threaded Coupling Nuts (1/4"-20)

Tools:
Coping Saw
Ball-peen Hammer (Or Similar Heavy Hammer)
Random Orbital Sander (With 120 Grit Sandpaper)
Various Extra Fine Sandpapers (I Used 220 and 400 Grit)
Foam Brush
Various Sized Files
Bench Vise
Drill Press (Or Hand Drill) With 7/32" Drill Bit
Bench Grinder With Coarse and Fine Discs

Step 2: Shape the Skewer

We will start off by adding a pointed end to one of the stainless steel rods. Choose one of the threaded ends and grind away the threads using the coarse disc on the bench grinder. Once all the threads are removed, start to taper the end to a nice point, but not too sharp! (We don't want this to turn into a throwing stick!) Once you have the right shape, smooth it out on the fine disc.

When working with this rod, be careful not to leave it in one spot on the grinder for too long! This prevents the rod from heating up, and possibly changing the temper of the steel! Keep a container of water near the grinder, so you can cool off the rod from time to time.

After shaping the rod, use a combination of files and extra fine sandpaper to smooth out the point.

Step 3: Make the Skewer Rest

If you've ever roasted marshmallows over the campfire before, you know that being close to the fire is not fun. Heating yourself up more than the marshmallow and breathing in the campfire smoke seems unavoidable! But luckily this cooking skewer comes with a rest, so you can spend more time enjoying the fire!

Simple enough, use the ball-peen hammer to bend the hook end over to the leg of the tent stake, and you're done! Use a hard surface to do this. Make sure the sharpened 1/4" rod can fit through the hole you just created!

Step 4: Add the Handle

Nothing is better than being able to cook in comfort when camping! Add this sweet handle to do just that. Start by measuring and cutting off a 5" piece of the oak wood dowel. On one end of the dowel, mark the center point of the dowel using cross-lines. Secure the dowel vertically straight. I made a jig using a scrap piece of wood. Drill a 1/2" hole in the wood, and stick the dowel it in. Then clamp the scrap wood down. (See pictures for reference.) Drill the hole down about 1".

After cutting and drilling the dowel, secure the random orbital sander in the bench vice. Of course you can use a bench sander or belt sander if you have one. Use the sander to smooth the dowel and then follow up with the extra fine sandpaper. (See pictures for finished ends.)

Dip the finished dowel in the polyurethane coating. To let the wood dry, use an upturned screw, sticking into the hole. Once you place the dowel on the standoff, use the foam brush to spread the over the entire piece.

When the handle has finished drying, secure the other threaded rod (without a point) in the bench vice. Thread the handle onto the threads, using pliers if needed. After fastening the rod onto the handle, a second coat of polyurethane is recommended. That's it!

Step 5: Cook Some Food!

To assemble the cooking skewer, thread the coupling nut halfway onto one of the rod's threaded ends and then screw the other rod into the other side of the nut. It's that simple!

This camping skewer works perfectly for backpacking trips, backyard grilling, or just plain camping! Use it over a portable stove, or in a fire pit. Just insert the skewer rest stake into the ground and place the handle on a flat surface. Now you can cook in comfort when camping! Not to mention, this camping skewer makes delicious food!

Post Pictures of Your Cooking Skewer for Great Prizes!

The First Instructables Member to Post Pictures of Their Cooking Skewer, Will Receive a FREE3-Month Pro Membership!!! 0/1 Claimed

The Next 3 Instructables Members to Post Pictures of Their Cooking Skewer, Will Receive a FREE Camp Cooking Power Patch!!! 0/3 Claimed