My first attempt

[Donny]

This is actually my first go at everything. My first Bushcraft Knife, first time sharpening one, first axe and sharpening of, the first log I've split, and so on...and of course the first spoon I've carved...

It's a bit poor... It's rough and odd looking but I still have a bit of tidying up to do on it, but I don't want it ending up like numerous wooden spoons we've bought for use in our kitchen! I like the clearly-hand-carved-with-a-knife look

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3

What tree is this? I know nothing about trees yet, i'm still learning:
Photo 4

I'm not going use this spoon, it will just be kept as a token of my first attempt at carving. Should I treat it with linseed oil, polish it with some nice dark pine bees wax? or both?


Also, I'd like to thank Steve again for his kind gesture of providing me with a great knife! After all the carving it was still sharp enough to shave the hair on my arm! I'm dead impressed!

 

[Matt Weir]

That's great stuff Donny

I wont offer any advice as I've only just done an MFS but I will tell you that I soaked mine in linseed oil overnight and it brought the grain up nice.

Well done mate.

 

[godfather]

Donny,

well done on all fronts. It's a great looking spoon I will give you a big confidence boost to continue doing other projects.
Looks like the start of an affliction called "acute spooncarvingits" which I and may others suffer from. It is a precursor to many wonderful afflictions!! Long may they continue.

 

[Donny]

Thanks to both of you! I must move on swiftly to my second project, which is an owl for my Grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary. I can't afford gold so wood will have to do I'm sure that log will make a nice owl...

 

[godfather]

Donny,

that is a great idea making something as a present.

Earlier this month I made my 6 year old nephew a spoon and he glowed with happiness when he first looked at it. It is now a treasured possession of his over and beyond the hundreds of toys he has. He uses it every day to eat with much to the annoyance of by brother!!

 

[SOAR]

Very nice looking spoon, lovely handle shape, the wood looks like Lime or Sycamore. Was it easy to work?

 

[spamel]

Barks a little dark though, I would have said beech, but I'm carp at that sort of thing!

 

[Donny]

Very nice looking spoon, lovely handle shape, the wood looks like Lime or Sycamore. Was it easy to work?

It is quite a hard wood (although I have nothing to compare it too! hehe). It has been out in the rain, and maybe recently felled so was a little wet. But overall I'd say it's nice to wood to work yes. It seems to quite dry already and I can't wait to give it a soak in linseed oil to bring the grain up

 

[Greg]

Thats quite an interesting design, looks nice.
Do you think it is strong enough?

 

[Rosco]

Tree looks like Conker to me.You've made a good job of what I consider to be the tricky bit- maintaining symmetry of the spoon bowl, well done , especially as a first effort.
John

 

[Donny]

Thats quite an interesting design, looks nice.
Do you think it is strong enough?

I'm not sure if i'll use it yet, but it seems to be pretty strong. The design took no planning, I just made it up as I went along haha!

 

[fishfish]

nice work!

 

[Earlyturtle]

Yeah really nice design on that spoon, well done Donny
I'd have said Beech too, Spamel, but looking at it again the spoon doesn't to have the kind of grain that Beech has.

EDIT: By the way Donny, what brand of axe is that? I like the colour.

 

[Mirius]

Beech would be the lower piece of timber. Sweet chestnut perhaps?

 

[scottishwolf]

Horse chestnut, maybe sweet. Not too sure of the difference between the two yet

 

[Donny]

Yeah really nice design on that spoon, well done Donny
I'd have said Beech too, Spamel, but looking at it again the spoon doesn't to have the kind of grain that Beech has.

EDIT: By the way Donny, what brand of axe is that? I like the colour.

Not sure, but it's this one here

 

[robin wood]

Nice one Donny, great to see different designs. Its often not possible to be conclusive about wood IDs from photos so sadly you will probably never know for sure on this one. The most striking feature is its very very fast grown. Looking at the cleft piece in photo 1 compared to your knife I would say the growth rings are close to 1/2" wide which is huge. I don't think beech ever grows that fast, though the bark looks a bit beechy there are no medulary rays in the tangential surface shown in your spoon so its not beech. Horse Chestnut is a possibility (sweet chestnut is brown, looks just like oak without the rays) and it can grow this fast it would be quite easy to carve. Another possibility would be Norway maple but it is very hard and normally quite bright white...so I think I would go with John on Horse Chestnut.

 

[Dave Budd]

welldone on your first spoon! It's addictive, but for me only to the point hat onceI've carved a load I can't be ars*d for a long time until I need to do it again

It's good to see that although you have the requesit bushcraft uniform of the frosts mora and the frosts spoon hook. I have to say that I'm pleasesd to see you haven't been sucked into thinking that you have to have a GB axe to carve spoons! I have a very similar axe that I bought as part of a magazine articale I'm writing adn the only real problem was the handle shape and the fact I had lots of grindsing to do to start with, big deal!

 

[Dean]

What an amazing first attempt on a spoon, I remember my first you could see sunlight through it. I personally use "Walnut" oil to treat the wood, as this is safe option if the spoon is going to be used. If the spoon is just for show then I would use "Linseed" oil as it contains toxins that are harmfull to the human body.

 

[Donny]

... I have a very similar axe that I bought as part of a magazine articale I'm writing adn the only real problem was the handle shape and the fact I had lots of grinding to do to start with, big deal!

Regarding the sharpening of the axe...It's currently sharpened to a "convex" shape, ideal for splitting obviously, but would a full flat single bevel be best for carving use? The only thing is I will use it for both splitting and then carving things to shape...