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Hand Forged Wood Carving Knives     Since 1987

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Spoon Carving

A lot of people ask what tools are best for starting to carve spoons.
For small spoons, my mini Deep Bent Knife (mBN-2) is most popular.
For larger spoons, I recommend the regular size Deep Bent Knife or General Bent Knife (BN-2 or BN-G).
And if you don't already have a favorite straight knife you might consider my Medium Straight Knife (SN-M) which is my biggest seller.



There are so many ways to go about carving a spoon.
Below three different carvers share their methods.


Kajetan

The Carving Shed on Orcas Island welcomes people of all ages on Sunday mornings. Kajetan started showing up and quickly demonstrated a great natural ability to carve. So I arranged with him to shoot some video of him carving a spoon in trade for a few of my knives.
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Justin Starting

Justin shows what can be done with an adze and a few knives. He is an accomplished wood worker. A novice shouldn't expect to achieve the same results right away.


Russian Spoon Carver

A few years ago, some carvers from Russia started buying my bent knives. One of them is a very well known carver (Sergey Appolonov) who wrote an article on spoon carving. With his permission, I had it roughly translated, below. I hope you enjoy it.
Be sure to catch the video at the bottom of this page!

Sergey Appolonov

Russian spoon carver Sergey Apolonov 20 years ago I made my first spoon, the simplest one. I got so much interested in this business that I can not stop carving. For 12 years there haven't been two identical spoons. When I take a piece of wood I do not know what kind of spoon will appear at the end of the work. In each piece of wood a different spoon is hidden. The main occupation of mine is studying herbs, and I spend a lot of time in the wild nature.

Dessertspoon from a thuja [a tree similar to linden or bass wood]

In order to carve spoon, it is necessary to prepare wood rough copy
rough cut out of spoons ready to be carved

We trace a contour spoons (top view) on wood sample.
By the way, I prefer a branch of tree, and in general, a sample with a strongly pronounced structure thank to which it is possible to beat this or that form of a spoon.
tracing shape of spoon to be carved

I cut off pieces on a contour. Then I plan a place of a bend of a scoop, we spend in this place a line a pencil or a marker.
tracing shape of spoon to be carved
tracing shape of spoon to be carved

I saw the noted inflection point of scoop. You be attentive in order not to saw off the excess.
cutting shoulder with saw

After I made cuts saw, I sketch the outline of the spoon, side view. As the model you can take finished figure or devise new author's form.
draw profile of spoon on wood

Now with the aid of shallow bent knife I cut off excess tree on the drawn outline.
carving shoulder with mini bent knife

It is very important to work by sharp tool, observing safeguards. It is not necessary to attempt to immediately cut off much tree, cut gradually. How to be told in Russian proverb "the Chicken eats one kernel behind another and satisfies hunger"
cutting shoulder

Further, by a knife it is rounded all corners and roughnesses giving to a spoon the finished form.
carving back of spoon with straight knife

As a result it is received almost ready spoon, it is necessary to cut out only a cavity and it is possible even to eat such spoon soup and porridge. Now has come to cut out time a spoon cavity. For this purpose to be necessary the bent two-edged knife. Since I have opened for myself this knife, I use exclusively it, improbably convenient tool for spoon-carvers!
gouge cutting shoulder

Cutting off a superfluous tree with scooped spoons, it is necessary to be especially attentive, working as two hands, it is necessary to hold with the left hand a knife not to admit failure!
So, having cut out scooped we receive almost ready spoon which can use.
gouge cutting shoulder

Further to be necessary for me the abrasive paper of different granularity and a grinding fibre. The more carefully we have worked as knifes, the it is less time to be necessary on final processing of a spoon. After processing by an abrasive paper, it is necessary to pour some times over a spoon water. Water lifts pile and reveals roughnesses, we again grind them and so until pile will not cease to rise and the surface will remain smooth and shining. For soft breeds of wood it is required from four to five such water procedures.
finished spoon

Video of Sergey carving a spoon,
with his choice of music




My carving knives are intended for serious wood carvers. They are razor sharp and can be very dangerous if used improperly. Please be careful and don't allow young people to use them unsupervised.

Your satisfaction is fully guaranteed. If you have a problem of any kind with one of my knives, please let me know. I will make it right with you.

 
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with thanks to Tina Rose
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