Search...
Home Subscribe
Pie
Home Subscribe
Recent topics Flagged topics Hot topics Best topics
Search...
Search Search within pep round wood woodworking
Advance search Google search
Register / Login
online permaculture design course Purchase PIE (Permaculture Inner-Circle Elite) timber framing at permaculture technology jamboree homesteader singles forum Sepp Holzer Desert or Paradise Documentary
  • Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com private forums all forums
Better Wood Heat DIY Rocket Mass Heater DVD Build your own pizza oven! list of PIE benefits here on permies Build your own solar power station! Full online Permaculture Design course and Appropriate Technology Course video
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Anne Miller
  • Pearl Sutton
  • r ranson
  • Nicole Alderman
  • Mike Haasl
stewards:
  • paul wheaton
  • Joseph Lofthouse
  • James Freyr
master gardeners:
  • Carla Burke
  • John F Dean
  • jordan barton
gardeners:
  • Jay Angler
  • Greg Martin
  • Leigh Tate

Carve a first-timer spoon - PEP BB roundwood.sand.spoon

BB round wood woodworking - sand badge
posted 2 years ago
  • Likes 10
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEP curriculum.  Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in round wood working.

This project will be carving a beginner spoon using only hand tools.  It should be of useful size and shape, smooth and something you might actually use. This should be a very basic and simple spoon, able to be built pretty quickly.

You should consider the type of wood to use for making the spoon, avoiding ones with potential toxicity or strong tastes. Here's a thread discussing it further. best wood for a wooden spoon

Be safe when using hand tools, work at your own risk, and enjoy building!

Here's a picture, and this one is finished more than necessary, it can be a lot simpler than this.



This video shows the general process and what the finished product should look like.



In this video Paul talks with Michael "Skeeter" Pilarski, permaculture and wildcrafting instructor, about the best wood to use for the spoon.



Minimum requirements:
   - useful size and shape
   - smooth
   - something you might actually use
   - made with hand tools only

To get certified for this BB, post three pics.  

  - Your chunk of wood that you are starting with  
  - Progress about half way through, with the hand tools you have decided to use for this
  - Final product
COMMENTS:
 
paul wheaton
steward
Posts: 33177
Location: missoula, montana (zone 4)
∞
I like...
hugelkultur trees chicken wofati bee woodworking
posted 2 years ago
  • Likes 5
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I like this style much better - although i think that might be some pretty dry wood.   I think you would want to start with some really green wood.

My book, my movies, my videos, my podcasts, my events ... the big collection of paul wheaton stuff!
Tis the season for wood heat

 
paul wheaton
steward
Posts: 33177
Location: missoula, montana (zone 4)
∞
I like...
hugelkultur trees chicken wofati bee woodworking
posted 2 years ago
  • Likes 8
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Here is my all time favorite wood spoon.

This spoon is made of serviceberry and has never been treated.   The coloring is some sort of staining of wood.  This spoon has seen extremely heavy use for ten years.  

I like how the spoon is not symmetrical - proving that it is not made in some factory.



carved-wood-spoon.jpg
[Thumbnail for carved-wood-spoon.jpg]
carved wood spoon made from service berry, never treated

My book, my movies, my videos, my podcasts, my events ... the big collection of paul wheaton stuff!
Tis the season for wood heat

 
Steve Thorn
gardener
Posts: 1975
Location: Zone 7b/8a Temperate Humid Subtropical, Eastern NC, US
752
I like...
forest garden fish fungi trees foraging earthworks food preservation cooking bee woodworking homestead
posted 2 years ago
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I love the look and color of that serviceberry spoon, so cool it has lasted that long and never been treated too!

Striving to grow things as naturally, simply, and cheaply as possible!
My YouTube channel

 
Nicole Alderman
master steward
Posts: 15019
Location: Pacific Northwest
6812
I like...
hugelkultur kids cat duck forest garden foraging fiber arts sheep wood heat homestead
posted 2 years ago
  • Likes 11
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Does this count as a "big, ugly, nearly useless spoon using only hand tools"?  Made it today and had to stop early because, well, I cut myself and was bleeding thtough the bandage onto the spoon, and so figured I should stop....

(I just ahve to say, I've wanted to carve a spoon since I was a kid, and got the mora spoon carving tool about 4 years ago for my birthday. Of course I've had babies and toddlers that whole time, and so never got around to finally carving a spoon. This Badge Bit worked as excellent motivation for me!)

This was carved from a dwarf apple tree that died almost 2 winters ago from the weight of snow. It's been sitting outside, soggy wet. I brought it inside and carved this spoon from it
IMGP9742.JPG
wood selected for spoon
wood selected for spoon
IMGP9743.JPG
wood cut to size for making spoon
wood cut to size for making spoon
IMGP9744.JPG
shaping wooden spoon
shaping wooden spoon
IMGP9747.JPG
shaping wooden spoon
shaping wooden spoon
IMGP9749.JPG
shaping wooden spoon
shaping wooden spoon
IMGP9750.JPG
shaping wooden spoon
shaping wooden spoon
IMGP9753.JPG
shaping wooden spoon
shaping wooden spoon
IMGP9755.JPG
shaping wooden spoon
shaping wooden spoon
IMGP9756.JPG
shaping wooden spoon
shaping wooden spoon

~ Dragons, Fairies and even a Mini-Paul! ~ You Know You're a Permie When...~ All About Permies, including tutorials ~Herbal Hugel Spiral of Randomness!~Tricks to Keep the Dirt from Sliding off a Hugel~List of Cascadia Bloggers and Facebook Pages!~

 
paul wheaton
steward
Posts: 33177
Location: missoula, montana (zone 4)
∞
I like...
hugelkultur trees chicken wofati bee woodworking
posted 2 years ago
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Nicole,

I think you will discover that the carving will go about 7 times easier if you use green wood.  

To qualify for this BB, your spoon needs to be a bit better than that.  

My book, my movies, my videos, my podcasts, my events ... the big collection of paul wheaton stuff!
Tis the season for wood heat

 
Nicole Alderman
master steward
Posts: 15019
Location: Pacific Northwest
6812
I like...
hugelkultur kids cat duck forest garden foraging fiber arts sheep wood heat homestead
posted 2 years ago
  • Likes 6
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Yeah, I discovered that fun fact about seasoned/green wood when I tried to carve swords and staves out of 2-year seasoned holly. Thee detail I could get was fantastic...but they were REALLY hard to carve. On the plus side, they didn't bend out of shape like the green wood ones do



Anyway, I'd been wanting to use up the apple wood from my apple tree, and the only green wood that is thick enough and I can easily access by my self is alder (which I'm pretty sure wouldn't make a good spoon, as it's so fluffy!).

Hmmmm, maybe that maple tree we copiced has thick enough branches now...

~ Dragons, Fairies and even a Mini-Paul! ~ You Know You're a Permie When...~ All About Permies, including tutorials ~Herbal Hugel Spiral of Randomness!~Tricks to Keep the Dirt from Sliding off a Hugel~List of Cascadia Bloggers and Facebook Pages!~

 
Nicole Alderman
master steward
Posts: 15019
Location: Pacific Northwest
6812
I like...
hugelkultur kids cat duck forest garden foraging fiber arts sheep wood heat homestead
posted 2 years ago
  • Likes 14
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Approved BB submission
I got further along today!
IMGP9758.JPG
hand made wooden spoon
hand made wooden spoon
pep-roundwood-woodworking-first-spoon-carved.jpg
hand made wooden spoon
hand made wooden spoon
IMGP9765.JPG
hand made wooden spoon
hand made wooden spoon
IMGP9772.JPG
hand made wooden spoon
hand made wooden spoon
IMGP9761.JPG
hand made wooden spoon
hand made wooden spoon

~ Dragons, Fairies and even a Mini-Paul! ~ You Know You're a Permie When...~ All About Permies, including tutorials ~Herbal Hugel Spiral of Randomness!~Tricks to Keep the Dirt from Sliding off a Hugel~List of Cascadia Bloggers and Facebook Pages!~

Staff note (paul wheaton) :

I certify that this BB is complete

 
r ranson
master steward & author
Posts: 21553
Location: Left Coast Canada
6172
I like...
books chicken cooking fiber arts sheep writing
posted 2 years ago
  • Likes 3
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I have serious spoon evenvy.

Because I have a million urgent things that need doing before new years (a week ago), I decided to spend the afternoon making a spoon and discovered that I'm really crappy at making a spoon.  But I learned a lot and I want to take what I learned and try again.  Maybe even get one of those curved knives.

I also discovered why a hand-carved spoon (even a machine-hand carved spoon) goes for 35-50 dollars in the local markets.  

You did say it could be an "ugly, nearly useless spoon".  I tried to make big, but my tools for cutting wood weren't good enough for that.

My tools: pocket knife, billhook, loopers.

My wood: willow



I cut it to length and split it with the billhook.  I then used the billhook to take off the bark.  



a pocket knife and kindling block





Things I learned:
1. willow is stringy.
2. green willow is nearly impossible to sand
3. making a spoon is kind of fun.  
4. I really like my handle shape.
5. I should have noticed the pithy bit in the middle of the wood was softer than the rest and chosen a different piece of wood.

I need to find some way to dry this so it doesn't split too much and then sand it.  But until then, I think it looks pretty neat.





"be kind, be calm, be safe"
homegrown yarn and fibre
homegrown linen ~ crowing hen farm ~ how permies works

 
paul wheaton
steward
Posts: 33177
Location: missoula, montana (zone 4)
∞
I like...
hugelkultur trees chicken wofati bee woodworking
posted 2 years ago
  • Likes 2
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
    Send
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Raven,

Keep shaving it down a bit.  You're almost there!

Don't try to sand green wood.   Once you have it pretty well shaped with knives, then you let it dry and you can sand it then.

My book, my movies, my videos, my podcasts, my events ... the big collection of paul wheaton stuff!
Tis the season for wood heat

gift
 
Rocket Mass Heater Manual
will be released to subscribers in: soon!
click here for details
reply
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
Boost this thread!
Similar Threads
More...