Honey Dippers and assorted Turnings

[Muddypaws]

Here are a couple of honey dippers that I have turned on my pole lathe.
These are hazel, probably not the best wood, but it is what I have right now.
Until recently I was unsure of why anyone would use a honey dipper (other than in the stock photograph on the box of any honey related breakfast cereal). I thought that they would be wasteful of honey - you could never get it all out from the grooves, but you could lick a spoon clean!

However, it has been pointed out to me that a honey dipper stays in a dedicated honey pot, and doesn't get washed, so there is no waste. I'll be on the lookout for some suitable jars now, that I can turn some lids for (with a notch for the dipper to sit in)

Also I have turned some spoons, not massive ones this time as the hazel I have didn't have any long knot free sections.

The council has been cutting down loads of wiilow locally. I've used willow before for rake making, but not spoons, so with a plentiful supply of willow at hand I thought I'd give it a go. Here is a two foot willow spoon.
Willow doesn't turn very cleanly (I had to use sandpaper to smooth the handle), and it is soft and marks easily, especially where the lathe cord wrapped around. However, now it is dry it is a super lightweight spoon. I don't know how strong it will be though.

Thanks for looking.

 

[Macaroon]

Nice work there, especially the dippers.............I'm intrigued to know why you think Hazel is not the best wood; d'you mean for turning, or in general?

 

[Muddypaws]

Nice work there, especially the dippers.............I'm intrigued to know why you think Hazel is not the best wood; d'you mean for turning, or in general?

I meant that for domestic utensils something like sycamore is better, as it is generally cleaner looking and doesn't taint the food.

Hazel does turn beautifully, and can take a good finish, so there is nothing inherently wrong with using it. I just wish the council would take down some sycamores soon.

 

[Dean]

Great work Muddypaws.

 

[British Red]

Stunning work as always! Those hazel spoons look a great size - bet they work really well

 

[crosslandkelly]

Lovely work there, the honey dippers look very good. What do you use to oil/seal them?

 

[Muddypaws]

Lovely work there, the honey dippers look very good. What do you use to oil/seal them?

I'm not planning on doing anything to seal them. I suppose a food safe oil that sets (polymerises?) properly could be used.
However, if the dipper is to live in honey, which has natural antibacterial properties, then I should think it would be OK with a bare wood finish.
I only turned them to use up some small offcuts, and as an exercise in fiddly small turning.

 

[Toddy]

Very tidy and very practical too

If you're up for making lids, then often the charity shops have old crystal jam jars that have lost theirs…they have inset rims, with a wee ledge to rest the lid upon. Never very expensive in those shops either, and often the older things like those were of very good quality indeed.

M

 

[Wayne]

Nice bit of bodging. I haven't turned hazel on the polelathe. It might go a little brittle as it seasons.

 

[Herbalist1]

Very tidy and very practical too

If you're up for making lids, then often the charity shops have old crystal jam jars that have lost theirs…they have inset rims, with a wee ledge to rest the lid upon. Never very expensive in those shops either, and often the older things like those were of very good quality indeed.

M

I really like that idea - would look great with a turned lid.
honey dippers and spoons look lovely.

 

[British Red]

I can confirm that the spoons are beautiful in the hand and the generous handles are a joy to hold compared with the nasty thin commercial things.

Brown Sauce Mix by British Red, on Flickr

Perfect for stirring the brown sauce mix

 

[forginhill]

Impressive work! Visually appealing and they're begging to be used. Nice!