Spoon Carving Workshop
With the bulk of the waste removed, use a spokeshave to shape the handle. Depending on grain direction, you may need to either push or pull the spokeshave. Begin with the sides of the handle, working down to the layout lines. On the shoulders, use a scooping motion when working concave surfaces with a spokeshave, rolling the spokeshave backward slightly on each stroke. Next, chamfer the underside edges of the handle.
I’m challenged when it comes to setting up stuff for sale; I’ve tried to insert paypal buttons right on the page, but it never works as easily for me as they say it is. So after wasting 2 hours, I ditched it once again. Leave a comment here if you want something; that way we have a timed record in the off-chance there’s more than one person interested in the same item.
I brought it camping with me and discovered it’s a beautiful thing to whittle away the afternoon by a river or in front of the evening fire. Soon, my chunk of wood was looking distinctly spoon-like. I worked on it off and on all summer, feeling like a pioneer woman minus the butter churn. There’s a spoon in there somewhere, I thought as I held the blank piece of boxy wood, almost like a lego version of a spoon. Towards the end of last year Alastair & I spent a very enjoyable evening learning the basics of spoon carving with the lovely Sophie from Grain & Knot.
Naturalspoon_finished_2017_9
If you’re harvesting green wood, make sure you’re familiar with the regulations in your area. Some national forests require a permit to cut live trees down. The easiest way to do this would be to ask a friend who has land that wouldn’t mind you cutting down a small tree. If you want to go with basswood you can pick it up at any hobby shop. A few years ago I was camping with some friends, and as soon as we got there, one of the guys started carving a spoon. I soon learned that he does this every time he goes camping, and I thought it was a pretty cool way to spend time at the campsite.
When we met, he was leaning against the wall outside the bar, carving a spoon outside while he waited. Russell Clarke doesn’t mess around with his free time. He showed me the almost-finished spoon and some other examples, https://randyschipcarving.com all smoothed with short knife strokes, as we went inside and chatted about his practice. The first few cuts were a bit clumsy, but strangely addicting. A few more cuts, and suddenly I was carving a spoon.
Makers Series: Spoon Carving
I made one especially awkward-looking example, full of knots and scars, but the person I gifted it insists they really like it! Look at the piece of wood and give it a chance to talk to you! Otherwise, your intended use may well dictate its shape. A long spoon with a sharper edge is ideal for scooping out a peanut butter jar, for example.
Wood dust from virtually any species of tree can have adverse respiratory effects over a long enough time period. It’s important that we all mitigate these possible risks and make informed decisions about the things we expose ourselves to on a day to day basis. While most woods are generally safe to work with, if you are just getting involved in woodworking this simple database of known allergies is worth taking a look at. As a beginner the absolute easiest wood to try carving is Basswood, so it might be best to start there. As I said before, I found Cherry to be a great balance between hard and soft wood.
Spoon carving is an easy craft for beginners to undertake successfully. Once you complete your first carved spoon, you may find that whittling out such a simple, yet immensely useful object is just plain relaxing & maybe even a little bit habit forming! You’ll find a world of possibilities for carving your own kitchen spoons and spatulas that can range from unadorned elegance to implements of dazzling detail. Carved spoons can be made from green wood and are perfect projects to utilize branch sized material from the yard & woods. My favorite thing about spoon carving is not having a plan and seeing where the wood and tools will take me. After carving them to their final shape I started to finish them with a card scraper.
Wooden Spoon Carving
It grew through a shared love for gathering and creating. Ashleh learned to metalsmith at Grand Valley State University, while Cale is mostly self-taught in woodcarving following an introduction to the craft at Wheatland Traditional Arts Weekend. They create as a means of following their bliss, and through doing so they hope to share their love, learn and have adventures worth sharing. Under that bench when I was done – it won’t stay this tidy for long.
- If you want to get started selling your own hand-carved wooden items one of the first things to consider is wood types.
- Hold the knife with your wrist and elbow straight and locked.
- I now consider myself very much an amateur enthusiast with a number of spoons to my name but much to learn.
- Hewn makes beautiful handmade wooden spoons and utensils for everyday use.
So I had some time this spring/summer and tackled “fixing” these bowls. This one is made from red oak, with a white pine lid & bottom. Wooden pins and glue securing rabbet joints, wooden hinges.
I’ve been collecting spoons of the world for a while and have always had an interest in odd spoons. Big ones, tiny ones, it doesn’t mater really, there’s just something about the spoon that from a design and function standpoint catches my interest. At some point I eventually started making my own spoons, and carving them with other people as well as a social event – it’s a great thing to share in as a group activity.
Just the other day, a woman in a roadside eatery saw me eating with mine, then dived into her kitchen to bring out her favourite wooden ladle to show me. Whether its your intention or not, a part of your character will probably reveal itself in your spoon. Oak is one of the hardest domestic hardwoods and a great choice for carving. White oak, with its closed pores, make for great carved spoons.
When applying oil, rub on more than you think can be absorbed into the wood, let it sit for an hour or two, and then rub it dry with a cloth or paper towel. Polishing with a cloth at this point does a lot to make it look nice too. I salvaged the handmade iron and will make a new plane for it. But the cracked & broken body of that one will go in the stove. The everyday box up on the bench – – hammer, carving mallet, chalklines, rulers, joiners’ saddles. I’ve been planing some oak for joinery lately and the chalklines & saddles are key in that work.
Now turn the spoon around in the vise and work on the outside of the bowl. Use a drawknife or handsaw to shape three large chamfers, two on each side and one on the end. Use a spokeshave to round over the edges of the facets. Start each cut at one side of the bowl and follow the edge of the stock up to the center.