Another beech spoon

[tombear]

This stuff has been exposed in someone's wood pile for several years so the speltings not been controlled so the odd patch of wood is too soft to be worth using. I'm varnishing the short ladle heavily to stabilise it some, we'll use it for cold liquids so it will be fine.

Heres another pic of the spalt pattern and the blanks I've whipped out on the bandsaw.

The boards and blocks ill leave until we have got through the ones already cut.

On the wood front the guy I met on freegle or freecycle has cut the holly and hawthorn and says weather permitting he will be doing some sycamore and beech this week. The foul weather in the valley has meant he couldn't do the felling at the optimal time, before the sap started to rise, still should do me fine. :-(D)

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Well the practice ladle is done and despite the patchy softness of th wood its turned out better than I thought. The varnish has really brought out the spalting.

When the green sycamore turns up the proper oatcake ladles ( or cawl ladles if you prefer ) will have handles twice as long+ and bowls about a inch wider and half a inch deeper.

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

By the by, and this crosses over with the Oatcake making thread, I measured what this ladle holds and its a gnats over 5 UK Fluid Ounces which is 1/2 a UK cup.

So for all I need to do when I get the wood is make another like it but with thicker walls, longer handle ( so the things about a foot long in all ) which is at a steeper angle ( so it finishes at the same height as the lip, if you see what I mean, and has a proper full height hook. I'll rub it with walnut oil but I guess the originals where, left in the white until they got greasy from use.

ATB

Tom

 

[Dean]

Nice spoon. As already said the union of bowl and handle is lovely.
Not sure I like the square edges on the handle they don't match the lovely sweep.

The joy of seeing other peoples work is getting to see different methods and designs.

I agree here with Wayne, on another note if you don't want to carve into the handle due to cleaning reasons how about Kolrosing like Wayland has done here - http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36720 - this can enhance a spoon while still being easy to clean.

 

[tombear]

An excellent idea, there's a design on the spoons they dug up at York that would fit nicely.

A and B here

http://darkagessociety.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/9Tspoons.jpg

ATB

TOM

 

[tombear]

I'm having a real problem finding a better, ie good enough to crib off, image of spoon "A" in the link below. The York dig people used to have a lot of their publications on line, we down loaded the excellent one on Leather and Leatherworking, but now it seams they only sell the books. Fair enough they have to fund themselves, but its a bit of a bugger when ya only want one image!

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Despite the difficulty in turning it, even with very sharp tools due to the varriations in softness due to the strong spalting I was so enamoured of the trial ladle that I thought stuff it i will try to turn the biggest bowl I can from what's left.

Mr band saw made cutting out a blank a doddle, I angled the base so the piece came out already tapered.

It still needs a lot of sanding to remove the chavelled bits and I've left the wlls good and thick to compensate
for the weaknesses were the black spalting lines are.

I'll inflict a final pic on you when it's done.

ATB


Tom

 

[tombear]

Finished the bowl with walnut oil and the extra chunky eating irons for my Dad with two coats of yacht varnish.

The bowl has a extra thick base as I didn't want the inside too deep ( its the same as our usual soup / stew bowls) but didn't want to lose the pattern on the sides. I am such a tart at times.

ATB

Tom

 

[Macaroon]

Looking great there, Tom; the spalting has come up fine

 

[tombear]

Cheers! I'd part with a couple of the spalted boards in post 21 if anyone fancies having a go at doing a spoon or three in it. Just so long as I don't have to pay the postage!

ATB

Tom

 

[Disco1]

Great work beautiful wood.

 

[tombear]

Did another spoon from the batch of spalted sycamore blanks I whipped out a while back.

Using the band saw to make the blank, bent necked gouges and mallet to rough out the bowl, scarpers to finish the inside of the bowl, the band saw again to trim the back of the bowl, then a small surform and a mora to finish off before a final light sand and walnut oiling it took about a hour, certainly under a hour and a half.

ATB

Tom

PS Still happy to give away a few of the left over small spalted planks so long as I get the postage back, see post 21.

 

[tombear]

And today we will mostly be carving a cawl spoon...

Just a few more to do and a ladle then it's a rustic/ primitive rack for them.

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

And another which went wrong when what I thought was a sound knot fell out of the handle after I'd roughed out the bowl.

So , for me, I went a bit arty and carved a bit of a wiggle into the handle. Not my sort of thing but the rest of the family seam to like it foursome reason the bowl looks a lot smaller and rounder than it does in real life

ATB

Tom

 

[Robson Valley]

Nice wood and terrific designs. And, not one of them looks machine made although well finished.
The handle joint is well below the bowl rim. Is that a feature from antiquity?
I hope others take your lead. The time is right. I averaged 90 minutes in bunches of a dozen.

 

[tombear]

Cheers!

Aye it's my take on one of the traditional shapes for welsh cawl spoons, I forget which region but I saw a lot like it at the St Fagans museum.

ATB

Tom

These babies,kept good and sharp make doing the bowls so quick and easy. Why I ever used a spoon knife I don't know!

 

[tombear]

Did another couple of spoons today, one salted sycamore and the first one from the hawthorn I was given which has walnut oiled beautifully.

The hawthorn one feels remarkably good in the hand.

atb

Tom

 

[forginhill]

Love your work! Amazing wood you're using too.

 

[tombear]

Cheers! I think I said in another thread if any one wants some slabs of the spalted sycamore they are welcome so long as I get the postage back!

I'm still desperately searching for bigger lumps of green sycamore in the Rossendale valley. Unfortunately the chap who offered me some still hasn't felled the trees as too busy, which is perfectly reasonable and I won't hassle him. The council didnt want to know ands its their policy not to supply, just chip everything for their own use.

ATB

Tom

 

[forginhill]

Cheers! I think I said in another thread if any one wants some slabs of the spalted sycamore they are welcome so long as I get the postage back!

Very generous offer, Tom, and may the kindness be returned to you!

My favorite tool is also the gouge, but since I made a curved spoon knife, I've taken to using it for a little final clean up inside the bowl of spoons. For the main carving out, though, I too feel gouges can't be equaled, especially with more seasoned woods.