what I carved today

[mr dazzler]

I had mislaid my set of carving hooks for quite some time, but rediscovered them yesterday. I also wanted to have a proper go with my new knife which I made a few weeks ago from a lauri (??) blade. It now has a sturdy thick leather sheath to replace the flimsy disaster I made to begin with....

So any way I made a few spoons and ladles from willow, birch and alder

I roughed them out of green logs and crooks with the roselli axe mostly. A tree surgeon cut the crooks for me last week from a willow pollard. The new knife works like a dream, every bit as good as a standard mora-except on the tightest radius concave curves....but even then the tip is still useful for finer detail. These now need to dry and then be finish cut and oiled or waxed. I thoroughly enjoy the process of carving. I am pleased with some of these forms. The birch one started out very promising right from the start, but I ended up going too thin in the bowl and making a hole . It might be salvagable as a slotted spoon perhaps......
cheers Jonathan

 

[_scorpio_]

they look great! have you got some oil to finish them?

 

[robin wood]

Nice work you have been busy. 3 from top and 2 from bottom are my faves looking from the side.

 

[mr dazzler]

Thanks for looking guys

Scorpio I have gallons of linseed and danish, but might try walnut oil on some of these I dont generally use any oil finish though....I also have ikea behandla oil stain which is quite nice. Then again I'd like to experiment with egg and linseed paint too....
Robin I thought I'd have a crack at that sort of "shovel" type form. It makes sense for serving food as its more like a fish slice type thing. I might do an even wider one to use in the wok. I found generally I was tending to make the spoon bowls too round and deep, they dont always need to be.
If you get a spoon crook blank with a slightly "off" arm but otherwise good angle, bowl width etc, is it possible to steam it and straighten it up? I have had a poor sucess rate with crooks, maybe 1 in 8 works out. Maybe I dont choose and cut carefully enough. Many have weird dirt pockets and stuff, luck of the draw I guess...
cheers Jonathan