how hard is natural woodcraft?

[Dynamite Dan]

So, soon im going to attempt my first spoon, on my first walk into a forest, sitting around my first outdoor fire.


I've dabbled in woodwork in jobs before, but using factory cut pieces.

Im going to get the starter knives (both carbon, and stainless) from this site aswell as a crook knife.

Ill look for a piece of wood with a natural kink in it, but is is it hard to whittle a spoon out? cos looking at it on TV, doesnt seem that hard.

Any tips you can give?

 

[leon-1]

Hi Dan, there have been a number of threads on making spoons over the last so many years, but one of the guys wrote a very good article about it, this is the link to it, I hope it helps,

Leon.

 

[mace242]

I did my first spoon a while ago and am now working on something useful. It's not too difficult. Practice - as with pretty much all of bushcraft - is the key I recon. Keep at it - before I completed my first spoon I trashed a couple of bits of wood. One thing I can recommend is tracing round an actual spoon to get an idea of shape.

 

[Porcupine]

heh, make sure you get your first aid kit handy and go for a soft wood like birch.

i still am cursing over the piece of hardwood i started on (and to stubborn to stop )

 

[SOAR]

Yeh just go for it and try not to remove too much wood in one go, if the knife is struggling remove smaller bits. And remember hands and legs away from your slicing action
Birch wood as mentioned is great and so is lime and hazel.
Good luck and keep us posted

 

[spoonman]

I did my first spoon a while ago and am now working on something useful. It's not too difficult. Practice - as with pretty much all of bushcraft - is the key I recon. Keep at it - before I completed my first spoon I trashed a couple of bits of wood. One thing I can recommend is tracing round an actual spoon to get an idea of shape.

Like mace said you may trash a couple to begin with but thats the best way to learn...from experience!

 

[mace242]

aye. And when you get one that's finally usefull then you'll be as chufed as I was. I made a smaller tea spoon for my first one (didn't have a good knife do do much else) and it's now part of my brew kit so I get to use it all the time

 

[shep]

I did my first and second recently and there's nothing to it. Just make sure you allow yourself plenty of time and plenty of bits of wood. Relax and don't rush. Half of the enjoyment of carving is how slow and methodical it is. Try to 'see' where the spoon is in your bit of wood before you start and pause as you go along to reassess.

 

[Dave Budd]

plan what you want to achieve with each cut of the tool. Sounds simple, but really make sure you think about it. This will not only reduce he number of cockups, but will mean that you et to where you are trying to go more easily adn more safely! I taught a group to carve spoons last week and I found that this realy helped

Also make sure that your tools are as sharp as possible and that you know them well (especially the straight blade and the axe. It's too easy to put the tip of you knife through your finger if you aren't watchng the follow through! )

 

[Hoodoo]

Green wood is a good way to start. Carving that is a lot easier than carving seasoned wood.

A simple spoon can be made from a forked branch. The heavy part of the branch forms the bowl of the spoon and the smaller fork coming off can be used for the handle.

 

[Chance]

Why stop at a spoon ? Of my various attempts, the one that I choose to carry is a spoonula.
Of course, I've had to get used to tea tasting of bacon fat, but I've saved an important fraction of a gramme !

 

[rancid badger]

So, soon im going to attempt my first spoon, on my first walk into a forest, sitting around my first outdoor fire.


I've dabbled in woodwork in jobs before, but using factory cut pieces.

Im going to get the starter knives (both carbon, and stainless) from this site aswell as a crook knife.

Ill look for a piece of wood with a natural kink in it, but is is it hard to whittle a spoon out? cos looking at it on TV, doesnt seem that hard.

Any tips you can give?

it's like most things in life, it gets better as you go on.
I made my first spoon out of bitter need,I was about 18 at the time and I had somehow lost my k.f.s. pouch during a winter night navex. I made it to the secure R.V. and set about making a brew and then heating up a ' boiled baby's head' ( small, tinned, steak and kidney pudding!) No problems till I opened up the tin completely and felt around for my k.f.s.-gone!
All I had was an issue clasp knife so I set to, to make something to scoop out the tin, rather than dirty a mess tin!. basically, the 'spoon' was a flattened stick, more of a spatula than a spoon, but it worked ok.

Like I say, it gets easier as your skill increases-what ever happens dont give up and, perhaps most important of all- never work with any edged tool unless you have a faid kit handy-trust me- you will be bitten!
As protection, at least from slash type (incised) wounds to your hands, you would do well to purchase a pair of 'cut proof' gloves from the likes of ARCO. they are made from light weight kevlar and are really good when your learning to use your tools.
Even better is the fact that you only wear one at a time-on the hand holding the job-and they are not handed-i.e. no left or right-so you get twice the life out them.
I think they cost around £8 a pair

hope this is of use
very best regards
Rancid Badger

 

[falling rain]

I did my first and second recently and there's nothing to it. Just make sure you allow yourself plenty of time and plenty of bits of wood. Relax and don't rush. Half of the enjoyment of carving is how slow and methodical it is. Try to 'see' where the spoon is in your bit of wood before you start and pause as you go along to reassess.

Good advice from Shep there. Definately take your time. Stop every now and again and look at the progress from all angles - top, sides, bottom. don't be over -zealous to get a lot of wood off quickly (you can't put it back on !) If I'm carving at home I stick the digital radio on, maybe classic FM, maybe planet rock depends on mood, and open a beer and carve away. It's very relaxing ( but put away the tools if you overdo the beer a couple is fine ) Pretty much the same advice goes for anything in Bushcraft really...............Nice and slow.