Carving a Spoon (Novice)

[stuey]

If you do find some green wood or manage to harvest some you can cut it to length and stash it in a bin bag outside in the shade for a good while.

Not done it for a year or so but used to run spoon carving workshops at events with folks starting from either a precut blank or round wood. Either will keep for a couple of weeks in plastic bags.

For longer term storage wrap in plastic bags and freeze your green wood. Works well.

If you we were closer I would suggest a brimble in the woods and show you the basics.

When you get the timber from the generous member further up this thread get it in plastic bags asap. Yes there is a danger it may go mouldy or discolour but some of the patterning and colouration can be really lovely!

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[JohnC]

I don't know if its of any help, but I used to (and still do) just carve away at a bit of wood, practicing the cuts and seeing how the grain stands up to shaping and cutting. Not really looking for an end product, but if that happened it was a bonus. Occasionally if I started out planning for a particular shape of spoon, I'd feel a bit dashed if it didn't go that way, but that's the way wood is sometimes.
It'd get the feel of the knife and the cuts and the wood.

 

[Goatboy]

It's not failure really, think of it as a game (like life really) when you first started in online gaming I bet you got pwned a fair bit 'till the skills came too you, (I still do but I'm feeling old today). You make mistakes and gradually pick it up. But you have fun doing it and you learn which is positive. I actually like learning, it gives me a sense of achievement - I also realise that I'll never be good at everything. It can be frustrating, I'm good with chalk and charcoal, but water colour - don't get me started, can't do it to the level I'd like - but it's still relaxing to do.

 

[THOaken]

Just been to local woods and I've a couple of questions and concerns about collecting greenwood:

I can't seem to find a tree that's suitable as 1) the branches are inaccessibly high up and 2) even if the branches of a birch tree, for example, were lower they are all too thin.

Even if I did find a nice thick branch of sycamore that was low down and could be cut, I'd still feel anxious about taking that as obviously a massive structural part of the tree would fall.

I know it's sounds an odd thing to be struggling to find greenwood, which is literally all around me, but those are my concerns.

 

[Clouston98]

The sycamore round here usually have low branches that are dead chunky, I guess every trees different. In the grand scheme of things 1 branch isn't much, especially as your taking responsibly, not trying to log the whole wood .

You'll find some sooner or later, good luck .

 

[Tat2trev]

Just been to local woods and I've a couple of questions and concerns about collecting greenwood:

I can't seem to find a tree that's suitable as 1) the branches are inaccessibly high up and 2) even if the branches of a birch tree, for example, were lower they are all too thin.

Even if I did find a nice thick branch of sycamore that was low down and could be cut, I'd still feel anxious about taking that as obviously a massive structural part of the tree would fall.

I know it's sounds an odd thing to be struggling to find greenwood, which is literally all around me, but those are my concerns.

Any windfall pine trees around fella that's what I look out for

 

[Mesquite]

My first question about taking branches is do you actually have permission to harvest wood?

If not then I wouldn't be chopping anything off a live tree as you could get done for criminal damage.

Are there any fallen trees that you could cut something off of? Reason being if you're 'clearing' a fallen tree off of a path people are going to be less likely to get upset with you harvesting wood.

The other thing is don't get hung up on it having to be sycamore or birch. Field Maple, willow, cherry and hazel to name a few are all nice woods to carve green.

 

[Goatboy]

THOaken,

As you know I'm an ex-forester. I worked in the industry for years and loved it. Yes I apologised to trees that I harvested (that's just me being weird) but as long as you cut it off properly like we discussed you'll do no harm. Trees are simpler organisms and will compartmentalise damaged areas. In fact structurally it can do a tree good. Tree's naturally kill of bits of themselves to promote structural integrity and you just have too look at coppicing to realise that it can actually extend the life of a tree. Also most forests in the UK are planted and were done so to be harvested and provide material and shelter. Don't feel bad about taking the odd branch.

Good luck,
GB.

 

[THOaken]

My first question about taking branches is do you actually have permission to harvest wood?

If not then I wouldn't be chopping anything off a live tree as you could get done for criminal damage.

Are there any fallen trees that you could cut something off of? Reason being if you're 'clearing' a fallen tree off of a path people are going to be less likely to get upset with you harvesting wood.

The other thing is don't get hung up on it having to be sycamore or birch. Field Maple, willow, cherry and hazel to name a few are all nice woods to carve green.

No I don't have permission and that's why I haven't cut anything yet.
I know there are other species available to harvest, but what confuses me is the mention of Hazel. Hazel is very thin and only used for things such as walking sticks, no?

I might just wait for the generous delivery of logs as I don't have permission and not sure where to get it, I can't find any suitable trees after hours of looking and I don't want to damage any trees... The odds are against me. Heh... Oh dear.

 

[Stringmaker]

No I don't have permission and that's why I haven't cut anything yet.
I know there are other species available to harvest, but what confuses me is the mention of Hazel. Hazel is very thin and only used for things such as walking sticks, no?

I might just wait for the generous delivery of logs as I don't have permission and not sure where to get it, I can't find any suitable trees after hours of looking and I don't want to damage any trees... The odds are against me. Heh... Oh dear.

Hazel tends to be coppiced for sticks which is why you see a lot of it as "thin". An uncoppiced hazel will grow big like any other tree.

 

[Goatboy]

No I don't have permission and that's why I haven't cut anything yet. <br> I know there are other species available to harvest, but what confuses me is the mention of Hazel. Hazel is very thin and only used for things such as walking sticks, no?<br><br> I might just wait for the generous delivery of logs as I don't have permission and not sure where to get it, I can't find any suitable trees after hours of looking and I don't want to damage any trees... The odds are against me. Heh... Oh dear. <img title="Confused" class="inlineimg" alt="" src="http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/images/smilies/confused.png" border="0" smilieid="10">

Have you tried one of the "try-sticks"? Hazel is perfect for that and teaches you cuts and knife handling techniques. Also great for building things like tripods and hangers around camp. You need to practice those things too. Also being a fellow Scot have a go at a spurtle/theavilGood for stirring your porridge or soup and you can get creative on any decoration you wish to put on the top.Also (and this may sound daft) try to carve nice chopsticks. Great for eating with when out as it makes a meal last a bit longer, easy to clean and if you break one you just carve another. The still there is getting them thin and matched enough to use. Spoons aren't the easy thing everyone makes out, dealing with a natural material always means there are foibles and imperfections in the raw material which you have to learn to understand.
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/...GiYsS9brdn_NlR-0_6nNOlt5ss89-9V73L7nPNkehJPPw

 

[THOaken]

Have you tried one of the "try-sticks"? Hazel is perfect for that and teaches you cuts and knife handling techniques. Also great for building things like tripods and hangers around camp. You need to practice those things too. Also being a fellow Scot have a go at a spurtle/theavilGood for stirring your porridge or soup and you can get creative on any decoration you wish to put on the top.Also (and this may sound daft) try to carve nice chopsticks. Great for eating with when out as it makes a meal last a bit longer, easy to clean and if you break one you just carve another. The still there is getting them thin and matched enough to use. Spoons aren't the easy thing everyone makes out, dealing with a natural material always means there are foibles and imperfections in the raw material which you have to learn to understand.
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/...GiYsS9brdn_NlR-0_6nNOlt5ss89-9V73L7nPNkehJPPw

Yes, I'm planning to try my hand at a few smaller projects as well. I've made a prototype pot hanger and would like to make the large version and hazel will be perfect for that.

 

[Ivan...]

Hi THEoaken, why not try a bit like this, hazel (knife for scale) found nearly everywhere, try and pick a bit without too many lumps and bumps(as pic) Split in half or baton carefully, should split nearly perfectly, then i think the photos sort of tell you how i do it, i ain't no carver but you will get pleasing results.

Regards.

Ivan...

Actually they are Alison's spoons, i just cut the blanks and do some of the nastier stuff!

 

[THOaken]

Hi THEoaken, why not try a bit like this, hazel (knife for scale) found nearly everywhere, try and pick a bit without too many lumps and bumps(as pic) Split in half or baton carefully, should split nearly perfectly, then i think the photos sort of tell you how i do it, i ain't no carver but you will get pleasing results.

Regards.

Ivan...

Actually they are Alison's spoons, i just cut the blanks and do some of the nastier stuff!



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That looks a lot easier and there is A LOT of hazel in the local woods. For some reason I was fixated on doing it the way Ben Orford does in his tutorial. He uses a piece of field maple twice the size of the hazel in your photo. I disregarded hazel because I thought it only useful for walking sticks, but there's plenty of hazel so I'm sure there's larger pieces to be found. I think I'll go out again very soon and harvest some hazel then. Did you cut it surgically?

 

[Goatboy]

OK I'm maybe a couple of hundred years out of date (like my history) but aren't you allowed to collect wood of a certain thickness down there - or is that fallen wood? Actually ignore me it was fallen wood, any neighbours pruning trees for the winter?

 

[Dave-the-rave]

If I had that spoon/wood I'd just carry on carving. I ended up with something very similar recently. The bowl got bigger and the handle got shorter so it looked kinda odd but my dad quite happily uses it in the kitchen. He's pretty chuffed I gave him it. Don't try carving the perfect spoon. Just carve a spoon.

 

[stuey]

Unless you are planning to carve a cooking spoon or spanking paddle I usually go for something 2-3 inches diameter. More often 2inches. Most eating spoons need not be much more than 1-1.5 inches wide.
No point giving yourself more material to remove than you need to.

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[THOaken]

Okay, fresh hazel. Greenwood. Does this look good?

Where should I store this? In a plastic bag in a shed?

 

[Two Socks]

It looks good. Throw it in the freezer if you can.

 

[Stringmaker]

That looks perfect; store it in a couple of plastic bags outside and it will stay green enough to work for a good while.

I know that you care about this kind of thing so I hope you were discreet about the cutting of that branch.