What's the best native wood for a oatcake turning spurtle?

[tombear]

I'm talking the flat spatula like job not the turned affair of porridge (aka a stick).

I'd like it to be a heat resistant as a native wood can be and be able to carve it as thin as possible at the working end.

Currently I'm using a soulless plastic egg slice and a equally aesthetically unappealing pallet knife.

I'd be grateful for images of any Flat spurtles to inspire me if anyone has them to show off.

Atb

Tom

 

[ozzy1977]

Something in fruit wood would look nice.

 

[Goatboy]

Hi Tom, I've had a few over the years and a lot are made from the acer family. Always used the rounded type; referring to the flatter ones as spatulas, but that was just to avoid confusion in the kitchen. This American bunch LINK have quite a range to give you inspiration. Good things, excellent for child discipline back when it was allowed as a rap on the knuckles hurt like blazes if you didn't sit up straight at the table!

 

[Toddy]

Sycamore came in around the time of the Romans, there's some dispute about whether it was here earlier or not though.
It's a clean wood, doesn't mind being regularly scrubbed, and won't taint anything
There's a fresh felled 20' length by 5" diameter one just outside my back gate just now too

M

 

[Macaroon]

Go harvest yourself a nice piece of Holly, very resilient wood with a tight grain, a lovely creamy colour (almost ivory) and best of all for your purposes you can easily find it growing in flat oval section which makes things you carve flat and thin retain a good deal of strength and a degree of flexibility too.............All my stuff is packed away 'till my hands are healed enough to build my new workshop/shed so I'm afraid no photos,
but I have used holly for my utensils for a long while and found it to be durable and very easy to clean because of the tight grain

 

[tombear]

Well cheers for that folks, I can source some sycamore and holly and have a bit of plum that's maybe long enough, it's certainly wide enough.

The example in the book has a almost spear like working end.

atb

Tom