tortilla warmer/server question

[Myrel Willeford]

A friend wants me to make him a tortilla warmer/server. It would consist of a flat bottomed box about 2” tall with an inside diameter of 8” with a cover. The materials I have currently to work with are all green wood. If I rough out the cover and box about ¾” to 1” oversize allow to dry and finish, turn I think it should work.

I assume tortillas are placed in the box warm and moist. It would make since that condensation would buildup on the inside of the container.

It would also think the cover might swell when it absorbs moisture. If I make a recess in the cover fit over the outside of the container and a bout 1/8” larger than the container would this solve the issue?

Thanks for any help

What would be an appropriate finish for the container?

Does this sound like I am going about this correctly?

Any comments or recommendations would be appreciated.

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Myrel, yes, tortillas are placed in the server warm and moist. Although I have never used wooden tortilla servers, I would imagine that as long as you kept the wood thickness constant, minimizing the potential for one part moving more than the other, you should be in good stead. Go for a loose fit.

Good luck, and make sure and post the pics when you're done!

[Lee DeRaud]

It would also think the cover might swell when it absorbs moisture. If I make a recess in the cover fit over the outside of the container and a bout 1/8” larger than the container would this solve the issue?For what it's worth, all the ones I've seen in restaurants have a flat lid sitting in a rabbet in the container. Of course the restaurant ones aren't made of wood...I suspect "traditional" warmers are pottery so they can be preheated.

[Curt Fuller]

Myrel, I would use some type of wood that is already dry and either use no finish on the inside or some type of vegetable oil finish. Something like roasted walnut oil or olive oil would help protect the wood and not give the tortillas a wierd taste. In fact, I'd use the oil on the outside too. When it starts looking rough, just wipe a little more oil on with paper towel. You can find the roasted walnut oil at the section of the grocery store by the olive oil. It supposedly won't get rancid like some other vegetable oils.

As for the lid, just leave a loose fit so it doesn't swell and wedge itself too tight.

[Gary DeWitt]

These are traditionally ceramic, I've seen them in Mexico in daily use. Modern ones are plastic. I've also seen ceremic discs you can heat in the microwave and put in under the tortillas to keep them warm. With wood, your top is going to expand and contract across the grain only, how much depends on the type of wood and the amount of moisture absorbed. No finish will prevent the movement. Since it will be in only one direction, the lid will become oval to some extent. I would try a plain rim on the bottom and a groove in the lid with a lot of room, maybe one and a half times the thickness of the rim. Oil finishes like walnut should work well, replenished from time to time. The warmer should never remain submerged in water or be run through the dishwasher, of course.
Good luck, looking forward to the pics.

[Myrel Willeford]

Thanks Henry, Curt and Lee! For your suggestions I will defiantly post my results.

Curt I love your signature it reminds me of when I was a kid,:rolleyes: our next door neighbor’s father had been an electrician before he retired, there was an electric fence around the property it was set up to send out electric pulses. He would walk up to the fence grab hold of it and say this thing is not working. As soon as you touched it you would get zapped. He got me once he got his son every time:D

[Andy Hoyt]

99% of the time these things will sit on a shelf and not get used. When they do get used, the amount of time they're subjected to the effects on the contents won't be that long. And as such, the distortion of both pieces would be minimal - at least, that's my take on it.

If I were doing this, I'd strive for a fit that is a bit loose-ish to be safe. Might even go so far as to create it in such a manner that the only way for the two pieces to properly mate would be when the grain of the two are in alignment so the distortion would be more equal. And if you treated it like a turned box (both parts from the same chunk and still in nature's orientation to one another) you'd probably be well ahead of the curve. I think.

[Myrel Willeford]

Thanks Andy and Gary

I do plan to cut it from the same log and see if I can come up with a way to keep the grain oriented.

I figured it would be used during family get togathers and be a dust collector the rest of the time.