Wood i found for a spoon

[johnnytheboy]

I found a big bit of ash the other day, it was a branch about 6ft long 4" thick thought it would be good for making spoons etc, it is still covered in bark and moss etc, was wondering can i just crack on and make a spoon or should i take the bark off and store it somewhere to try to dry it out??? whats everyones thoughts??

Oh i cut it into 2ft sections, clearly not going to make 2ft spoons, just couldn't get it into my store outside to keep it dry

Thanks again

John

 

[shawn]

ive only made a spoon once, with dried wood. i imagine the more moisture thats in the wood the easier it would be to carve. if you let it dry out though i noticed it splits at the ends, i sealed it with wood glue.

 

[Schwert]

I have never used ash, but I like carving spoons in green wood.

There is a small risk that a carved green spoon could crack but it you let it dry slowly it is fine, and working the green wood is a real pleasure.

Ash seems like it may be a bit too open grained to me but it is definately worth doing for the fun of it.

I keep a tub of wood shavings and once I have my spoons carved put them in the bottom of the tub covered with the shavings. This slows down the drying process quite a bit and so far I have not had any split.

 

[brancho]

DO NOT DRY IT OUT.:yikes:

Make your spoon as soon as you can the greener the better as Ash gets hard when it dries out (well harder than some like birch). You may find the grain a bit course when its done but it will make a sevicable spoon.

Good woods are willow, birch, sycamore, hawthorn and alder maybe not in that order fro prefernce. work with them green and if you stop sessions put it in a plastic bag(not too long though). When nearly done allow to dry for a day or two and finish with either a knife or sandpaper and the comes the debate about oiling.

 

[DoctorSpoon]

Ash is a tough wood for spoon carving which is why I don't use it. It is very fibrous, that's why it makes the best tool handles and chair legs. You'll quite likely find it difficult to get a clean cut and bits will tear out. However, as long as you keep your shape quite simple and use it whilst still green (don't let it dry too much) it should be ok.

It's fine to store wood for a bit. Obviously it'll get dryer and harder the longer you leave it but at this time of year it'll probably be good for six or eight weeks. Whatever you do you'll end up with some little splits at the ends, but these are the driest and hardest parts anyway, so it's best to cut a decent chunk off each end and just use the middle section.

Then post us a picture!
Nicola

 

[john scrivy]

Ive made quite a few spoons from Ash (green ash) had no problem at all in fact I found it a delight to work with

 

[johnnytheboy]

Murder there was loads of birch about as well i thought the ash would be better for a spoon as it was harder, other way around by the looks of it, murder, spent all day wading through birch to find the ash lol

It won't go to waste i'll find a use for it

Birch it is then

 

[Rothley Bill]

If you are going to keep the Ash I would seal the cut ends to help prevent moisture loss, this is usually done with wax.

 

[johnnytheboy]

Great idea, thanks bill, i have two huge candles here with very little wick left, they would work perfectly