garden shrub spoon

[DoctorSpoon]

Our latest creation, made from some shrub Robin 'pruned' in our garden that has astonishingly yellow wood and keeps its colour after it has dried. Once the leaves come on the remains of it I'll post a picture to see if someone can ID it. As it was growing in an overcrowded scrubby bit the wood has lots of natural curves to take advantage of:

I'll take a better photo in natural daylight tomorrow so you can really appreciate the colour

 

[SOAR]

Could be Berberis, that has very yellow wood.

 

[JonnyP]

Mahonnia..?

 

[Mirius]

Mahonia would be my guess, though I didn't realise you could use it for spoons! Then again Mahonia is evergreen with very spikey leaves, so doesn't really fit the description

 

[SOAR]

Berberis thunbergii is decidous or julianae.

 

[DoctorSpoon]

Hmmm - there is an evergreen with spiky leaves out there - it might have come from that. It was all very overgrown with long branches and no leaves low down, and the leaves start just where you want to enjoy the view from the front room. Robin was pretty brutal with the chainsaw and I just dragged out a few of the lower bits! I will investigate further in the morning. You can makes spoons out of almost anything you know

 

[SOAR]

Sound like Mahonia then.

 

[Snufkin]

I'd say Mahonia, does it have yellow flowers in the summer? I seem to recall it smelling like peas when I worked a seasoned piece.
Very elegant spoon by the way.

 

[Mirius]

Mahonia should be in flower now, but it is yellow.

 

[DoctorSpoon]

Yes, looks like it's mahonia. Thank you. (I was squinting at it from the front room - it was Robin who went out in the rain to take a closer look and cut a bit to check the wood's yellow!) A new photo in natural daylight with a lemon for colour comparison:

It makes good carving wood - tight grained and takes a good finish straight off the tool

 

[JohnC]

I like the look of that, and I've always fancied making a ladle type spoon.
Is the wood safe for use with food?

 

[DoctorSpoon]

Don't see why it shouldn't be good for food use. The shrub has various medicinal claims and no toxic ones.

 

[HERBz]

Don't see why it shouldn't be good for food use. The shrub has various medicinal claims and no toxic ones.

so you can cure your self of illnesses while your eating!

 

[brancho]

I will be more enthusiastic when I prune ours next.
Nice spoon