Contents

CoverAbouttheBook

AbouttheAuthorTitlePageDedication

Introduction

PartOne:WoodCulture1Trees&Woodland2TheRawMaterials

PartTwo:Knives&Axes3SpoonCarvingTools

4KnifeGrips5HowtoCarveaBasicSpoon

PartThree:TheSpoons6MeasuringSpoons

CaddySpoon,FeatherSpoon,Kuksa,FlourScoop

7CookingSpoonsStandardCookingSpoon,BentBranchShovel,RomaSpoon,TurnedSpoon

8ServingSpoonsPouringLadle,SaladSpoons,BentBranchLadle,SugarSpoon

9EatingSpoonsFigShapedSpoon,SwedishSpoon,CawlSpoon,DolphinSpoon

TheNewWoodCulture

Stockists&ResourcesAcknowledgements

Copyright

AbouttheBook

BarnTheSpoon,ashe’saffectionatelyknownisararemastercraftsmanin the art of spoon carving. In this book he generously shares hisextraordinary skill, gentlephilosophyandhis life’swork–designingandcarvingbeautifulspoonsthatarebothajoytouseandhold.

The simple, ordinary spoon is part of our everyday lives, intimatelyentwinedwiththeactsofeatingandsocialising,fromstirringourfirstcupof coffee to scraping the last bit of pudding from the bowl. And whodoesn'tliketospooninbed?

Barn’sspoonswilltakeyouonajourneyintothenewwoodculture,fromunderstanding the relationship between wood, the raw material and itsmajesticorigins inourtreesandwoodland, to theworkshopandtheaxeblock,andintoyourownkitchen.

Barnwill showyouhowtousetheaxeandknife, fromhowtheyshouldfeel in your hand to honing the perfect edge when carving your ownspoons. Featuring sixteen unique designs in the fourmain categories ofspoon – eating, serving, cooking andmeasuring spoons, Barn takes youthroughthenuancesof theirmaking,howeachdesign is informedby itsfunctionatthetableor inthekitchen,andthekeyskillsyouwill learn–such as creating octagonal handles, manipulating grain patterns andmasteringbentbranches.Beautifulphotographywill inspireandactasablue-printtohelpperfectyourtechnique.

AbouttheAuthor

BarnabyCarder,orBarnTheSpoonashe’saffectionatelyknown,canbefound on permanent exhibition in the shopwindowof hisworkshop ontheHackneyRoad,EastLondon.Heisamastercraftsmanspooncarver,co-organiserofSpoonfest,anannualthree-dayspooncarvingfestivalheldinEdale,Derbyshire,andfounderofTheGreenWoodGuild,London’scentre for traditional wood craft offering a range of courses andworkshops. Visit barnthespoon.com or follow @barnthespoon onInstagram.

Theactivitiesinthisbookrequiretheuseofknives,axesandvariouswoodworkingandcarvingtoolsandshouldbeperformedwithgreatcareandunderadultsupervision.Neithertheauthornorpublisherscanacceptresponsibilityforanyloss,damageorinjuriesthatmayoccurasaresultoftheseactivities,andtheauthorandpublishersdisclaimasfarasthelawallowsanyliabilityarisingdirectlyorindirectlyfromtheuse,ormisuse,oftheinformationcontainedinthisbook.

Introduction

Thinkofhowmany timesadayyouusea spoon.This simple,ordinarytoolisapartofoureverydaylives,intimatelyentwinedwithactsofeatingandsocialising,fromstirringourfirstcupofcoffeetoscrapingthelastbitofpuddingfromourbowls.Andwhodoesn’tliketospooninbed?

The spoon is the first tool we learn to use as children, and using ittransportsusback throughhumanhistory toa timewhenour liveswereverydifferent,butourutensilsverymuchthesame.Usingaspoonspeaksofourevolutionashumans,ofourgraduation fromchipsofwood– theAnglo-Saxon spōn – through to the beautiful Roman, Scandinavian orCelticspoonswhichhaveinspiredsomeofthedesignsyouwillseeinthisbook.

Spoons are really bowls with a handle, which ask to be held, and bybetter appreciating our relationshipwith themwemake our lives better.OneofthethingsIhopethisbookwillsuggestishowmuchthoughtgoesinto creating something so small and apparently insubstantial as a goodwoodenspoon–whichrequiressoverymanythingstoberighttobetrulygood.Wewillcelebratethevalueofthetoolsweuse,ofourmagnificentlandscapeandourkeyresource,thewooditself,andperhapsforemosttheactionsoftheindividualmakerandhiscraftprocesses.

Asacraftsperson,spoonsaresomethinguponwhichIhavebeenabletobuildalife.Creatingthesesmall,functionalsculptureshasallowedmethechancetoexploretheconceptofbeautyinthreedimensions,andthroughthe process of carving using axes and knives I have discovered howsatisfyingmakingfunctionalobjectscanbe.Ihavenowspentmanyyearsmakingspoons.Ihavelivedinforests,learningaboutwoodasitgrows;Ihave been lucky enough to spend time with acknowledged experts indifferentaspectsofwoodwork,seeinghowtheyapproachtheircraft.Allofthishasleftmewithagreatandsubtlesenseofa‘greenwood’movement.

The definition of green wood, and green woodwork, is key tounderstanding the way that I create spoons. A live tree is 50 per centwater,andgreenwooddiffersfromthisonlyinsofarasitiscutdown,sodead, but it is still wet. Knives and axes are the key tools of the greenwoodworker,astheyallowustoefficientlywork‘wet’woodintospoons,

whereasdryor‘seasoned’planks–wherethewaterlevelswithinthewoodhavereachedequilibriumwiththeirenvironment–tendtobeworkedwithmoreindustrialtools,likebandsawsandbeltsanders.

Greenwoodworkissympathetictobothenvironmentandmaterials,andquite separate from the industrialised aspects of wood processingwhichonlydistancestheindividualfromthetree.Greenwoodworkersoftencutthewoodthemselves,orsourceitfromtreesurgeons,andtherelationshipswebuild,andtheunderstandingofwoodlandpracticewhichweacquire,hasabigimpactonthewaywethinkaboutmakingspoons.

I see spoons as the emblem of, as well as the gateway to, a broadercultural understanding; what has been called a ‘new wood culture’ orperhapsmore appropriately a ‘wood culture renaissance’. Both of thesetermsareabouthavingaholisticapproach towoodwork,which includeslifestyle,andaboutrecognisingthat treesare fundamental to thewaywehaveevolvedashumanbeings.Weneedthemtobreathe,ofcourse,buttheyarealsocentraltoourideasofhomeandhumanity–treeshavegivenus everything from the timbers for our houses to the bows and arrowswhichdefinedourhumanancestors.

Thewoodculturerenaissanceisabouttherebirthofawayoflifewhichplacesasustainable interactionwithtreesat itscentre.Forwoodworkerslikeme,it’saboutfindingawayofworkingwhichtakesastepbackfrommachinery and puts forgotten skills back at the heart of making. Beingmindfulof thewayweworkdeeplyaffects thephysical formofourcraftobjects, foregrounding questions of provenance and our relationship tothingswe buy.These issues are pertinent today and run counter to thetrendofthelastcenturyofindustrialisedmassproduction.

Peoplehavebeenusingspoonssinceprehistory,withourearliestancestorsadapting horns, shells or chips of wood to help them eat. The ancientwords for spoons suggest this, with the Greek and Latin word derivedfrom cochlea, or spiral shell, and the Anglo-Saxon spōn means simply achipofwood.Virtuallyallearlyculturesusedwoodenspoonstocookwithandalldevelopedtheirownspoonmakingtraditions:theShangDynastyin China used spoons made out of bone, while the ancient Egyptiansreveredthewoodenspoonenoughtobeburiedwiththem.

The earliest known inhabitants of northern Europe were certainlywoodworkers:aNeolithicstoneaxefoundatEhensidetarninCumbriaisbetween 5,000 and 6,000 years old.That the IronAgeCelts of Britainusedspoonsisevidencedbythediscoveryofasmallwoodenladleduringexcavations at Glastonbury Lake Village. Despite the propensity ofwoodenartefactstorot,recentdiscoverieshaveshownthatAngloSaxonsandVikingsbothproducedwoodenspoonsfordomesticuse.

Theprocessofcarvingaspoonprovidesa lens intoahistoricalperiodwhen our lives were simpler and more sympathetic to the naturalenvironment than those we lead today. The humble, rural way of lifesuggested by wooden spoons was largely displaced by our industrial,metropolitanage,andisconsideredold-fashionedatatimewhenwearedissatisfiedwith factory, but not officework – at least on the surface ofthings.Aresurgentcraftmovement,recognisingourneedtomakeanddo,is surely born out of the knowledge that we are not fulfilled by oursedentary,digitallives.Onthefringes,peoplearebeginningtorememberthebenefitsofrurallife,andawell-madewoodenspoon,likegoodstudiopotterybefore it, suggests analternativeworldaway from thatwhichwecurrentlyinhabit.

The spoons Imake today,however, are far fromhistorical recreationsand this isnotabout simply re-enacting thepast.Someof themmaybebased,directlyorindirectly,ontraditionalspoonsfoundinmuseumsbutthesculpturalpossibilitieswithinacraft suchas spoonmakingare reallylimitless, andmy aesthetic is a result ofmy own journey in woodwork.ThisincludeseverythingfromthestudyofancientdesignstotheteachersI’velearntfrom,tomytimetrampinginthewoods,tousingthesespoonsinthekitchen.Thesethingsfeedintomyworkinafluid,holisticway.

Thankfullywenowlive inanagewherethemaker isresurgent,wherethedecisionmakingof the craftsperson is celebratedonceagain.This istied to a broader cultural renaissance. Part of this is the organic foodmovement, which has proved a great stimulus to the general craftenterprise,andpeoplenowcarealotmoreabouttheprovenanceoftheirpurchases. The media has taken a strong interest in craft, helping tochannel new feelings we have as a society as people becomedisenfranchised by industrialised processes. The internet has openedeverythingup,withaflurryofblogsprovidingintimate informationfrompreviouslyobscuremakers,andgivenusawaytobuyquality, individualandethicallysourcedproducts.

Before the internet there were very fewways to find out about greenwoodwork,andnorealwayoflearningtheskills,apartfromthroughafewspecialistbooks,ormagazineswhichwerereallydesignedtopromotethesaleofmachines.Mostwoodworkerswereapproachingtheirmaterialfromanengineeringperspective,tryingtogetthingstowithinathousandthofan inch – that was the twentieth century paradigm. But I think this

processingremovesallof thehumanity.With industrialprocesses, thingsare either right or wrong. We have long embraced the benefits ofsomethingbeingwelldesigned,butforalongtimethismeantdesignedona drawing board, engineered, machined and mass produced, and as aresultthehumanaspectofcreationwaslost.

Partofthebeautyofwoodasachaoticmaterialisthatitcertainlyisn’teverperfectlysymmetrical,onthelevelofthegrain,andthatthisgivestheartistsomethingtoworkwith,orworkagainst.Whetheritisaslightbendinthegrainorawigglearoundaknot,thesevariablesinspiresympathyinthespoonmakerandanintimaterelationshipwiththeirmaterial,whichismorespirituallyrewardingthancreatingaperfectstraightlineoracircle.

Asachild,mynextdoorneighbour,RogerJones,whowasalsomydesignteacher,wasaproperwoodworkerwithan inherentknowledgeofwoodandadrive tohaveadeeper relationshipwith itasamaterial. It soundsstrange,butIcanhonestlysaythatIfellinlovewithwoodatayoungage.Myparentsgotmea lathe formythirteenthbirthdayandIwashooked!WheneverIcarvewithcherrytodayIamtransportedbacktothefirstbowlIturned,tothecurly,warmshavingsbeingbrushedfromtheinsideofthehollow bowl and the incrediblewoody cherry smell that surroundedmeback then.To beginwith I churned out bowls and candlesticks and allsortsofweirdabstractsculptures.Iwouldwanderaroundmyschoolwithsmallbitsoftactilewoodinmypocket,obsessingoverthewoodgrainandtheformsIwascreating.

Atuniversity,Ididabiologydegree,whichgavemetheknowledgeandencouragedmetothinkabouttheprocessesofnatureandwoodinaction.AfteruniversityIwasawoodworkteacherforawhilethentoyedwiththeidea of setting up a wooden jewellery business. I was based in a dustybedsitandusingnoisymachines,whichstartedgivingmebreathingissues;itoccurredtomethatworkingingreenwoodmightbetheanswer.

IfirstcontactedpioneeringgreenwoodworkerMikeAbbottin2007andwent towork as an assistant on one of his chairmaking courses. I wasliving and working in the woods, cooking on an open fire each night,splittinganddryingwood,andhad the timeandspace toexploreanewway ofmaking. I was able to feel theweight of a felled tree hitting thegroundandenjoytheexertionofmovingtonnesofwoodbyhand.Isoondid a whole season at Mike’s, doing forestry work and helping with

courses while working and living on the farm, helping with the appleharvestandgenerallydoingoddjobs.

Ihadfirstmadespoonsduringmyteenagewoodworkphase,butIreallygot into it when I was living and working atMike’s. Spoons were easybecause–unlikechairmaking,forexample–theywerequicktostartandsomething you could make around the fire at night. And yet somehowthey were also the most challenging. I quickly recognised the disparitybetweenabadspoonandafantasticspoon–thedifferencewashugeandprovided lots of opportunity for experiential learning on the way.Recognising that there are grades of spoons hooks you in, as there isalwaysprogresstobemade.

Ilivedaversionofthegoodlifeonthisfarm,withmypartner,butitallfellapart;Ihadnomoneyandwastoooldtojustrunbacktomyparents.I had been living in thewoods and had no desire to change this. I hadsomefriendswhohadwalkedthelengthofthecountry,sleepingoutdoorsandpayingtheirwaybyplayingfolkmusiconthestreet,andvillagepubs.IdecidedIwoulddothesamebutwithspoons.

Sellingmyspoonsonthestreettaughtmealotofthesociologicalstuffabout how to sell something you have made: how to make yourselfapproachable; what you should say to people; how to sit, even. Street-selling also taught me that many members of the public highly respectcraftspeople,seeingthemashumble,andasprovidingahumbleserviceorsimpleproduct.Ilearnedthatthepriceyouputonaspoonhasnothingtodowithwhetheritsellsornot;thattheaverageperson–meincluded,atleast to beginwith – hasn’t the faintest clue as to how youmight pricesomethinglikeahandmadewoodenspoon.

Recently, there was a viral video about one of the best orchestralmusicians in theworldwho set tobusking–andeverybody just ignoredhim.Itsoundsslightlypresumptuous,butIknowhowhefelt.Fewpeoplehaveanideaabouthowmuchtimeandeffortgoesintomakingawoodenspoon. Iwas good atwhat Iwas doing, but you could tell that a lot ofpeoplewhowalkedpastmewerethinking,‘Whoisthistramp?’Ispentalot of time being moved on, despite having a peddler’s licence. Somepeopleofferedmefood;otherstoldmetogetajob.Peddlerschallengeourideas of territory, orwhere and how people canmake a living, and ourideas of the proper boundaries of commerce. I had a lot of existentialthoughts aboutwhether people shouldbe allowed to live in themodernworldiftheydon’thaveamortgageandajobcontract.

Itravelledaloneforthreeyearsanditwasacompletelytransformativejourneyforme.Walkingfordaysalongoldwaysandcanaltowpathsgaveme time to think. I experienced life increasingly on a natural timescale,movingaroundonfootandstoppingtogatherwoodforafire,uponwhichIwouldmakeacupoftea.

Themost perfect time within this period was when I was living in awood just outside Oxford, when I was able to develop a beautifulrelationshipwithnature.Aftersellingspoonsonthecity’sstreetsIwouldgobackto thewoods.Walkingthroughthe treesat theendof thedayIwould find a piece of dead standing wood, or maybe a fallen branchhanginginatree,setmytarpbetweenbranchesandunravelmybedroll.This became my living room for the evening. I really had everything Ineeded.I’dtakemyshoesandsocksoffandsitcross-leggedonmybed,thenbegintoprocessmyfirewoodfortheevening.I’dsawoffnicestraightbitstosplitintokindling,andthenshavethemdownintofeathersticks.Iwouldlightalittlefire,whichbroughtagreatamountofwarmthasIwassoclosetoitandtotheground,andoncethefirewasreallygoingIwouldreach intomy pack formymetal canteen cup andwater flask. I wouldbalancethecuponthefirewood,beingcarefulnottosquashtheembers,andafterboilingIwouldputaspoonfuloflooseleafEarlGreyteaintoit;IlikedEarlGreyasitdoesn’tneedmilk,whichwasahassletocarry,andyoucanchuckthelooseleavesontotheleaflitter.Igarneredahugesenseofpeaceinbeinghomefromaday’swork.WhenthetimecameforsleepI’dpulltheburningcoalsapartreadyforthemorning,andwouldjusthavetoliebacktobeinbed.Iwouldsitforhoursjuststaringintotheflames.Ifyoudo thisas thenightencroachesyourworldgetssmallerandsmaller,finallyleavingyoualoneunderthedarkcanopywithonlywhatislitbythefire.

Thiswasmy own grounding inwood culture, an idiosyncratic and self-servedapprenticeship.Ittaughtmethatit ispossibletomakemywayintheworldbysellingspoons.It’saveryaffirmingthingtomakeaspooninthemorningandsellitintheafternoon.Itgavemeanenormoussenseofself respect that I could go out there with just an axe and a knife, andmakealiving.

In carving fresh, green wood for spoons I hope that the reader willdiscovertrees;Ihopetheywilldiscoverthatcarvingwithbasicedgetools,

the knife and the axe, is a beautiful thing. This book will suggest thatspoons are really sculptural forms, with complex angles and facetsrequiring both measured and instinctive cuts – and often illusions ofperspective–andthatspoonsareassubtle,variedandvalidasanyothertypeofsculpture.

Sincemydaysasastreet-sellingspooncarver,Ihavecontinuedtomakespoons to sell.My favourite spoons are those which stay closest to thisartisantradition,asthisinevitablyhasanimpactuponform.

The artisan tradition involves making things quickly and efficiently –two qualities which make spoon production economically viable for aprofessional carver. By putting a price on their spoon, the artisan isessentially also putting a limit on howmuch time they can spend on aspoon. This places a premium on his skills – the faster you work thegreater your empathy for the material needs to be. By simplifying thestagesofproductionandmakingspoonsoverandoveragain, theartisanhoneshis craft; putting skill into action iswhatmakes things interestingand enjoyable for the artisan. This time pressure encourages bold cuts,andsoboldfacets,whichrelayhowthespoonwasmade.Eachspoonthustellsitsownstory.

My eating spoons in particular are, in some respects, a refinement ofrapidly-made original artisan forms, or historical artefacts, which arerefinedinsofarastheyhaveamuchbetterfinishonkeyareasliketherimand the inside of the bowl, but on thewhole I am still beholden to theidealofadynamic,skilfulandfastapproachtoyourmaterials.

Inolongersellspoonsonthestreet,butIstillsticktotheprinciplesoftheartisan.IopenedashopontheHackneyRoadinCentralLondonin2012, providing a focal point for a newly curious public, who wereimpressed (and perhaps surprised) that a spoon shop even existed. Itcertainlyraisedtheprofileofspoons.Today,thebestwaytogetincontactaboutbuyingspoonsisthroughmywebsite.

If there is a message to this book then it is that products born out offunctionality, saleability and sympathy with your materials, as minehopefully are, have a certain integrity which impacts healthily on theirform. I canperhaps explain this best bypreviewing ahandful of spoonswhichwillfeaturelateroninthisbook.

TheSwedisheatingspoon,forexample,hasaveryshorthandleandasteepcrank–crankbeingtheanglethatthehandlecomesintothebowl–andthiscombinationproducesaverybeautifulrounded‘keel’underneath,muchasyouwouldfindonaship.Butthiskeelisalsopracticalbecauseitmakesthespoonverystronginuse,andascarverswetaketheopportunitytomakethisstrengthaselegantaspossible.

Form also meets function beautifully in the feather spoon. Here thecombinationof a flared, flathandlewitha fine,quill-like ridgecreates a

spoonwhichresemblesafeather.Yetbychoosingtherightsortofwood–inthisbookthespoonismadefromelm–wecanaddanotherlayertoouraesthetic, andbyworkingwith thewood correctlywe canbring out thestrikingchevronswhichconfirmourfeatherdesign.

When Imake a spoon I am also chasing a feeling, or rather trying tocommunicateorpromptanemotioninapersonwhentheypickitup.Mymedieval eating spoon, for example, has a fairly stretched form. It isalmostasifthehandleismoltenglass,likeithasbeenpinchedandpulledout, and that form somehowprovokes a feelingwhenyougrasp it.Thisdeep senseyouget is almostanalogous to listening toa song,where theeffectmaynotbe thatobvious tobeginwithbut,whenmeeting it everyday,afeelingbuildsupovertime.

This book is not a textbook, but it will provide you with a goodgrounding in spoonmaking, as I practise it in my teaching workshops.You will find helpful information on everything from buying tools tochoosing the right type of wood, through to knife grips and a detailedsection on how to create your first, basic spoon. To the beginner, thetechnical aspects may seem a little daunting at first, but much of thisinformationissupplementedbyvideotutorialsonmyownwebsite.

Part three of the book builds on this acquired knowledge and is areference work for the aspiring spoon carver, giving an insight into themethods I employwhen creating sixteenofmy favourite spoons. In thissection I have tried to suggest something of the breadth of techniques Iemploy,andalsothethoughtandcraftthatgoesintocreatingsometrulybeautiful spoons, inspired by designs from across the world and acrosshistory.Beginnersandexpertsalikewillsurelypickupsomehelpfulhintsandtipsalongtheway.Cookswillcertainlyfindoutsomethingaboutthethoughtwhichgoesintothecraftingofgoodutensilsandmayperhapsaskalittlemorefromtheirutensilsinthefuture.Butforemost,Ihopethatthebeginner spoon carver will be inspired to read the whole book, beforebuyingsometoolsandhavingago.

Weevolvedfromapesthatswunginthetreestoapesthatswungaxesattrees, and virtually all of us are descended fromwoodworking cultures.Spoonstakeusbacktoatimewhenthewoodsplayedagreater,ormoreobvious,roleinourlivesandhumansworkedinhealthypartnershipwiththeir woodland environment. Contrast this with our more dislocatedmodern methods, creating fast machines requiring fossil fuels whichdestroyournaturalhabitat.

As spoon makers, we are fundamentally woodworkers, andunderstanding something of woodland processes allows us to betterunderstand our materials. In Great Britain, which is where I work,‘woodland’ really means a landscape shaped by thousands of years ofagriculture. Unlike other countries in Europe, and theUS, there aren’treallyany large,ancientanduntouchedwoodlands left intheUK.Here,wehavespentmillenniacuttingdowntreesforfuel,makingroomforourlivestockandgatheringmaterialsforourindustries,andcertainlydon’tlivein the kind of giant, rainforest-type ecosystem that benefits from forestfires and hurricanes – natural processes that break up the woodlandcanopyandcreateapatchworkofdifferenthabitats.Instead,forcenturieswehavemanagedourwoodland,andmanagedtomaintainsomethingofourforests’biodiversity.

Havingourlandscapeshapedbyhumanactivityunfortunatelydoesnotincrease biodiversity, butwherewe have had an impact,we can do ourbesttopromoteasmuchdiversityaspossible.Wehaveinheriteddifferenttypes of managed woodlands from our forebears, including muchoverstood coppice that could be restored to its former glory, not tomention all of the orchards and the incidental woodlands like thosegrowing in London’s abandonedVictorian cemeteries.Modern catch-allphraseslike‘sustainability’,‘biodiversity’and‘permaculture’areallaboutkeyaspectsofappropriatewoodlandmanagement,andworkingtowardsadeeperunderstandingoftheseconceptsoffersusaninsightintothemostbeautifulrelationshipthatmancanhavewithhisenvironment.

Tomymindifyouaretryingtoincreasetheamountofwoodlandthenwhere possible natural regeneration makes more sense than planting.Essentially,woodlandswillexpandnaturallyandtreeswillgrowwhereveryou fence out livestock. One of the largest obstacles to woodlandregeneration is being gnawed upon by mammals. Trees are particularly

vulnerableatayoungagewhenlivestockcanstillreachbuds,shootsandleaves; as treesmature, thebark alsobecomesmore resilient, or at leastlesstemptingtoopportunisticsnacking.Thisiswherethesmallscaleuseofwoodlandthrives:by livingclosetothe land,andgeneratingadiverseincome from it, individuals are able to take amore holistic approach toforestry. By taking a few rabbits or deer for the pot you can keep thepopulation in check andprotect vulnerable treeswhilst feeding yourself.Beyondprotectingyoungtrees,howyoudecidetomanagethewoodlandismostlydowntohowandwhenthetreesarecut,andwhatyouaretryingto produce. There is huge scope for generating income for individualwoodlandworkerswhilstdoingbestpracticeforenvironmentalreasons.

Coppicingisanancientpracticewherebyanareaofwoodor‘copse’isharvested on rotation, which artificially creates a patchwork of diversehabitat for a diverse group of species to live in. This way of managingwoodlanddatesbacktoNeolithictimes,butitisstillveryrelevantforthespoon carver today. Trees like hazel, oak, ash, sycamore and sweetchestnutsproutfromthestumptheyearafterthetreehasbeenfelled.Theslimpolesthatbegintoemergecanintimebeusedforthingslikefences,charcoalandbeanpoles–andspoons.Moreimportantlyforthesmallscaleforester, these poles are easily cut andmanaged by hand, removing theneed to use chainsaws and trucks. Coppicing encourages us to form arelationship with, and to understand, our woodland on a practical,agricultural level. Clearing the canopy allows light to penetrate to theground,creatingahabitatforeverythingfrombutterfliestobluebellsandprimroses.

Like spoon carving, coppicing is itself undergoing something of arenaissance–thereisanationalfederationhereintheUK–withgroupsspringingupalloverthecountry,anditistothesecoppicinggroupsthatthespooncarvermightbebesttoturniftheywantasuitablebitofwood.I amkeen to encouragepeople to care aboutwhere theirpieceofwoodcamefrom,toaskwhoownsthewoodland,whyatreewasfelledandtolearn generally about how the woodland ismanaged. This all helps thespooncarverjointhedotsontheirpractise.

With nearly 50 per cent of UK woodlands not actively managed, weshouldreallycelebrateanykindofwoodlandmanagementasencouragingourrelationshipwithtrees.Thereareexceptionsofcourse:‘clearfelling’,wherealltreesinanareaarecutdown,orthefellingofveryoldtreesthat

will take 1,000 years to grow back! But using a chainsaw doesn’tnecessarilyequalbadpractice, thoughIconsiderchainsawstobevicious(if efficient) instrumentswhichonly serve todistanceyou from the tree.‘Woodculture’certainlyexistsincommercialforestry–reallyagriculture–with its vast landmanagement plans. It might seem counterintuitive tocelebrate the use of ugly, earth-movingmachinery, but if it is used as apart of what are often complex, sustainable land projects then that issurelyagoodthing.

But the most beautiful form of land management, perhaps, is toestablishalongtermplansuitedtosmallscalemanagementpractices,andappropriate to theneedsof thepeopleworking it, and to the local area.This can include fruit trees alongside growing trees for boards, all ofmixedages,aspartofan80-yearplan,withscopeforcoppicesandgladeswithin this. For me, ideally, the coppicing would be carried out withsympathetictoolslikebillhooksandaxes–itisempoweringtobeabletorelyonyourownskillandstrengthandafinelyevolvedtooltodothejob.Usinghandtools,whichhaveevolvedoverthecenturieswehaveworkedinwoodlands,istohavewhatIwouldcalla‘goodjob’inwood.

As a London-based carver and seller, however, I getmost ofmy woodfrom tree surgeons (who would otherwise have to pay to get rid of thedyingwoodIuse)butIalsosourcematerial fromaspacewhichisquitespecialtome.TowerHamletsCemeteryParkliesintheheartoftheEastEnd of London, a seemingly-ramshackle and now disused Victoriangraveyard, which is sympathetically maintained by a dedicated localcharity. As well as being an important nature reserve and a fresh-airresource for the localcommunity, it isa littleovergrown,andasaresultmuchlikeawoodlandinthecity.Crucially,itisclosetowhereIliveandworkandit’saperfectplacetofindthegreenwoodIneed.Inkeepingthepark safe for local residents, trees are cut down each winter, usuallywindblown treesor trees that are felled to createmore light andamorediverseenvironment(wecall this ‘thinning’)andthiswood isperfect forcarvingspoons.

Whenyougainanunderstandingof thenewwoodculture,you’ll realisethat the materials you need will be all around you. Contact your localcoppice group, a firewoodmerchant or a city tree surgeon.Using localresources,andknowingwhyandwherethetreeswerecutwillgiveyouanewappreciationofthethingsyoumakefromthem.

Greenwoodwork–workingwithaxesandknivesonwoodwhichhasbeenfreshly cut – is the work of the individual, so we canmanage our ownmaterials, without having large companies come between us and ourpractice.

Thecostofseasonedoak,forexample,isaround£60percubicfoot;atreewhichhasbeenstoredbythesideofacountryroadmightretail foraround£40perton.Atthispricethecost-per-spoonissonegligiblethatitliberates us as carvers. Any value which accumulates in commerciallyavailablewoodactually comes from transporting, sawingand storing thematerial.

Throughout history, spoon carving has always beenwith greenwood,andareturntogreenwoodvalues is tocelebrate thedecisionmakingofthecraftsperson.Allwoodworkersmustadapttotheirmaterial,asit’snothomogenous,thesameallthewaythrough,likemetalorclay.Thegreenwoodworkerengageswith it fromthevery first stagesof theprocess, i.e.choppingdownthetree.Wemustmakechoiceshowbesttomakeuseofthetreeasawhole,andasaresultourresponsibilitiesascraftspeoplearethat much greater – certainly more so than somebody working with analreadypre-processedmaterial.Spoonmakersuseallofthetree,fromthesturdy,interlockedfibresatthebasetoourprizedbentbranches–thislastbeingapartthatmanywoodworkersandtimbermerchantswouldconsigntothechipper.

Atthisstageitmaybeworthsayingthatworkingwiththeirregularitiesof ourmaterial, or the dynamic qualities, is key to understandingwoodculture. Another way of putting it is to say that the process of makingspoons involves embracing chaos and the fact you don’t have completecontroloversomethings.

Whether you’remaking spoons from large roundsorbranchwood, it’sworth being efficient with the material if for no other reason than itincreasesyourskills,whichisalwaysagoodthing.Ourbasicsmallunitofuncarvedwood–knownasa‘billet’–canbecleftfromtheroundwoodinmanydifferentways,butthegeneralprincipleistosawacrossthefibresofwoodtosetthelengthofthespoonandthentocleavethewoodalongthefibrestogetthecorrectcrosssectionalsizeyouneed.

Creatingabilletof the right sizemaywell leaveyouwitha sectionofwoodwhichincludesbothsapwoodandheartwood.Sapwoodisthepalerwood,fullofmoistureandsugar,whichisfoundontheouterpartofthebranch or trunk; heartwood is the inner, mostly darker wood, which ispumped full of tannins. (Most of our woods don’t have visibly distinctheartwood and sapwood.) In some varieties of wood, if we use a blankwhichcrossesthesetwotypesthenwemightgetanirregularlytwo-tonedspoon.

A lot of the myths surrounding the ‘flaws’ of sapwood aren’t reallyrelevant in spoon carving, as it is woodwork on such a small scale.Sapwood’sapparentsusceptibilitytofungianditspropensitytorotmightbean issue ifweweremakingagatepost, forexample,butspoonsdon’trotastheyareneverexposedtomoistureforverylong,andthesugarsaresoonwashedoutoftheminthekitchen.

Sapwoodandheartwoodshrink,ordry,atslightlydifferentrates(withwoods like cherry this is exaggerated), so we may get a slightly wonkyfinishedspoon.Whenwooddriesitshrinksdifferentially–tangentiallyataround10percent,andradiallyaround5percent.Inotherwords,whenlookingatthecrosssectionofalogitshrinks10percentalongthelengthofthegrowthringsand5percentacrossthegrowthrings(shrinkagealongthelengthofalogisnegligible,certainlywithregardstomakingspoons).

If the billet has been cleft symmetrically to the grain you will getsymmetricalshrinkage,and ifnot then itwillbeslightlywonkierwhen itdries. I try to work this into my designs to a certain extent, but it’simportant for a beginner not to get caught up in this stuff too much.Shrinkagemightbeimportantforthejoinerormakeroflargerobjectstoconsider,butforthespoonmakertheeffectsarenegligible.

Theexcitingpartofcraftsmanshipisfiguringoutwhichwaythewindisblowing; with woodwork it’s about discovering which way the grain isgoing and responding to that. The final shape of a spoon is a complexthing,theresultofmanyfluid,accumulatingprocesseswhichmakeuptheend product. Each step taken builds upon the last, and the mastercraftsmantakesnosteprigidly.Rather,theyworkdeftlyanddynamicallyand respond not just to the material, but to the outcomes from theprevioussteps.

Sometimesyourespondtothefibresofwood,whicharepredictablelikethe flow in a river. No two rivers flow in the same way, but withexperience you can begin to anticipate the finer nuances of theirmovement over rapids, and how the flow will change at bends in thestream.Theterm‘organic’canbeusedtodescribesculptural formsthatarereactiveandnotnecessarilyperfectlysymmetricaloruniform.Organicforms adapt and evolve according to the environmental conditions theyfind themselves in – by embracing this, craft is lifted beyond mereengineering.Formefindingprofundityinthe‘organic’istheveryessenceofWabiSabi, a Japanese concept thatmanywesterners just interpret asfindingbeautyinimperfection.

This approach leads us into embracing the complexities of growingwood, and working with the idiosyncrasies of the felled tree. The grainwithinabranchwhichbearsalotofweight,forexample,appearsrippledwhere the fibres have become interlocked. This wonderful effect occurswhenthetreehasbeenloadedorunderstress.Aswellasbeingbeautiful–it isusedinthefiguringyoufindonthebacksofviolins–stressedwoodalsotendstobelesspronetosplitting,soisgoodforthewoodworker.

Making a spoon out of a bent branch, using the natural curve in thewoodasthefoundationofyourspoon’sshape,isareallybeautifulthing,andthisisoftenthebestpartofatreetouse.(Inpartthreeyouwillfindreferencetoseveralspoonsthatembracethequalitiesofthebentbranch.)Forme,bentbranchesepitomisewoodculture,andIalwaysfeelthatthetree gods are going to be very happywith you for creating a spoon andembracingthematerialinthisway.Tomakeaspoonoutofabentbranchspeaksofyourcommunionwiththewoodland,ofsiftingthroughpilesandidentifying a branch and making a conscious decision to employ thatmaterialgainfully.Itisarejoindertoourideasofconvenienceandofjustbuyingandmakingthingsoutofstraightplanks.

Thegreenwoodspooncarveralsoturnsotherapparent‘flaws’inwoodtohisadvantage.Isometimesworkwithspaltedwood–whichessentiallymeansthewoodismouldy.Spaltingaffects thefigureandpatternof thewood,whichcanproduceaverybeautifuleffect,as ifapatternhasbeensuperimposed upon the grain at random. Spalting can affect the colourand sometimes gives weird, bold black lines, even zigzags; these areessentially the limits of the fungal infection within the wood. (Whenworkingwith spaltedwood,wealmostwant tomakeour spoon formasplainaspossibletoreallyshowoffthegrain.)

Burrsandburls–thedeformations,knotsandlumpssometimesfoundgrowing on the trunks of trees – can also produce interesting patterns.Theymightbeirritationsforthetree,buttheeffects inthewoodcanbecuriousandbeautifulforthespooncarver.Alsoimportantly,becausethefibres aremore compact at these odd junctions, youdon’t get theusualdifferential shrinkage. This makes for a stronger structure if you aremakingalargebowledspoon,liketheKuksadrinkingspoon(featuredinchapter6).

Asanaside,Ifinditinterestingthatdiseased,stressedordamagedwoodcan be themost sought after.This is also telling in terms of its human

association:weseevalueinthatwhichhasundergoneadversity,andawayfromprivilegedorperfectforms.

I love using plainwoodbest, however, because thennothing distractsfromtheformofthespoon.Iliketheegalitarianbeautywhichcomesfroma plain bit of wood. A nice clean, straight bit of sycamore is the cowparsleyorstingingnettleofthewoodworld;thiscomparedtotheglamouroftheorchid.Ibelievethatthehuntfortherareoruniqueistoneglectoreven despise the ordinary; when we carve a good spoon from ordinarywoodwecelebratethebeautyofordinariness.Thismightruncountertoourmoderninstincts–thesedaysifIwantlotsoflikesonInstagram,Ijusthavetocarveafewpatternsonthetopofaspoon,oruseahighlyfiguredpieceofwood–butifyoufocusonlyonnoveltyorjazzinessyoumissthecrazybeautifulnormalnessoffibrousforms.

Iusea lotofplainsycamoreandcherry, inpartbecause theyareveryeasytogetholdof.Thesematerialsarealsogoodforspoonsbecausetheyareclosegrainedandstrongwhencutproperly.Ifyoucleavesycamoreorcherryonaperfect radiusand thencarve it in the sameplaneyougetadistinctive effect, with the wood displaying beautiful flecks or flames.These are the medullary rays which allow radial transport of sap. Forsome,thisisacheapandplaineffectfromacheapandplainbitofwood,butformeit’sanexampleofallowingthewood’sinherentbeautytoshinethrough.

This simple approach is consistent with that of spoon carversthroughouthistory,and the link to theartisan tradition isone Iamverykeentopromote.Olderartisanspoons,however,don’tevenmakeuseofthiscleavingtechnique,asittakestoolongandisratherfussy,anditisn’tsomethingIdeliberatelyaimforeither.However,whenyouhavesplitlotsofbilletsinawaywhichmakesbestuseofthewoodyouendupwiththegrain orientated in several differentways. If I then find,when carving aparticularblank,thatthegrainlinesupontheradius,Iwillperhapstrytoaccentuate this while refining the shape, aligning the form perfectly tomake themostof themedullary rays in thebowlof thespoonoron thetopsurfaceofthehandle.

Fibrouswoodssuchascherryandsycamore/maplescanbegoodforthepro as they can speed up work because they cut specifically along thegrain.Beginnersshouldoptforlessfibrouswoodssuchasbirch,alderandlime/linden because they aremore forgiving when carved.More fibrous

woodsdig inas soonasyouarecuttingup thegrain, this requiresmoreskilltocontrol.Ringporousoropengrainedwoodlikeoakandashtendto pick up food stains and absorb liquids more readily. I’d advisebeginnersawayfromthesewoodsastheyarealsoveryfibrous.Butneversay never.Close grainedwoods like fieldmaple or box can be lovely astheyaresocreamyanddense,buttheyarehardertocomebyandrightlyforestworkersarelesslikelytocutthemduringthinning.

Don’tbeafraidoftryingsofterwoodslikebirchandwillow;theycanbegreat for bent branches, as they split out more readily. Equally, toughwoodslikehawthorne,beechandhollyaregreatastheyareless likelytochip or split. It’s alsoworth considering darkwoods such aswalnut, astheyagewell;palerwoods,suchasbirchorsycamore,canbecomegrey,sotry staining with coffee or gravy browning. A proper soak in oil willpreventyourspoonsfromsoakingupfoodstains.

EachspoonImakeis individualandit iseasyenoughtoreadthemashavingdistinctpersonalities.Toanextent,thiswillbedeterminedbythecutsofthemaker,butthebuyeroruserisfreetoreadthespoonastheyplease.Inthiswayspoonsarethesameasanysculpture.It’seasytoreadanthropomorphic associations into spoons, and when looking at theirhandles and junctions Ioften seehips, legs and feet.Forme, theRomaspoonpuffsitschestout,andtheCawlspoonissimilarlyproud,buthasmore of a moon face. Some of my other spoons have more organicassociations, resembling forms from nature. So I see the octagonalhandledspoonasastemonaplant,withafigshapedbowl.

Good spoons, then, contain evidenceofhumanity in themarksof themaker,butalsoremindusofabroader,benevolentnaturalworld.Wecanachieve this sublime effect by working in harmony with the dynamicqualitiesofourwonderfulmaterial,andemployingamixtureofskillandinstinct. It isperhaps thebreadthof inputs andassociationswhichgivesthesesmallsculpturalformsanunlikelypower.

BasicTools

Themost basic woodworking tools are the knife and the axe, what wemightcall‘theStoneAgetoolkit’,althoughoriginallyitwouldhavebeenhard to distinguish these tools as we do now. The very first tools werelikelyhandaxes–socuttingorpoundingtools–andthenatsomepointourancestors shovedahandleon theend.These toolswouldhavebeenusedforcuttingmeat,leatherandwood.

AlthoughI’vedescribedthemasStoneAgetoolsthisdoesn’tmeanthatthey’rebackwardlooking.Thereisatimelessandhumanesubtletytotheaxe and the knife, which are the woodworking tools of the individualcraftsman.Axesandkniveshaveevolvedalongsideusoverahugeperiodof human history and our bodies can hold and use them in an evolvedway,whichisafarcryfromtheback-breakingworkofthefactoryorthediscomfort of eight hours in an office chair. We’re not talking about arouteroraplanerhere,whicharethewoodworkingtoolsofindustrialisedcivilization.Theseindustrialtoolsdon’tnecessarilyworklesswellormakea lessbeautifulproduct,but inmyviewtheydrawthe individual furtherawayfromthetree,andsofurtherawayfromtheprocess.

OvertheyearsIhaveusedlotsofdifferenttools(whenIwasachildIusedmachinery,andgougestohollowoutspoons),butwhenIbecameajourneymanspooncarverandlivedinthewoodsIsurvivedwiththebareminimumofkit:anaxeforsplittingandchopping,aknifeforshapingthespoonandabentknifeforhollowingitout.Usingonlythesefundamentaltoolsforcedmetolearnthebasicskillsofspooncraftexceptionallywell.

TheAxe

I see the axe as an enduring symbol of our humanity and our roots inwoodculture.Whereastheknifehasamultitudeofuses,youdon’ttendtouse axes for anything other than wood. The original axe would haveevolvedasatoolforfellingsmalltrees,butalsoforshapingbitsofwood.

Forthespooncarver,theaxeismainlyusedforroughshapinga‘billet’intoaspoon‘blank’,aprocesswhichisdescribedindetailinChapter5ofthisbook.Butbasicallyweusetheaxetosplitorcleavealumpofwoodinto a roughly spoon-shaped unit, which we can then refine using ourknifeandbentspoonknife.

Althoughyoucanuseanaxeaccurately,carvingtoapencilline,totrytocreatetheexactspoonshapewithyouraxe isreallytomissthepoint.Theaxeisbyfarthebesttoolforremovingalotofmaterialquickly,asitcarries a weight of momentum and is very efficient for this job.Conversely,todothisroughshapingwithaknife,hackingawaytogetthedesiredspoonoutline,wouldbeextremelylaborious.

GettingtheRightAxe

The standard axe you can buy from a high street hardware store isdesigned forsplitting firewoodorkindlingand isn’t really sharpenoughfor spoon carving.Most shop-bought axes come to a rounded edge andhaveaconvexbevel,ratherthanaflatbevelaswerequire.Thebevelisthepartofthetoolbladewhichisgroundawaytomakethecuttingedge;itisthe surfacewhichactually touches thewoodwhenwecarve,guiding theedgetomakethecut.

There are a few manufacturers out there who are making moreappropriatelygroundaxesforwoodworking,andyouwill findthenamesofthesespecialistsinthelistoftoolsuppliersatthebackofthisbook.

However, to my mind, many commercially bought tools are still notsharpenoughandthis,alongsidethefactthatnoedgetoolwillstaysharpforever,isaverygoodreasontolearntomaintainyourowntools.AttheGreen Wood Guild in London, where I teach, we run an axe forgingworkshopwhereyouaregivenabitofroughsteeland,overthecourseofaweekend, turn it intoabeautifully functioningedge tool.Thisprocess isbothsatisfyingandempowering,learningtoshapeandsharpenyourowntools,asbothaninvestment inthefutureofyourtoolsandthefutureofyourcraftsmanship.

TheStraightKnife

My approach to knives today is very different to when I used to travelaroundpeddlingspoonswithjustabagonmyback.ThenIhadjusttwoknives,includingageneralpurposeonetocutstringandthelike–whichis actually a terrible thing to do. Cutting a string for a tarpaulin, forexample,willbringthebladeintocontactwithbitsofmudonthestring,meaning your knife gets blunt quite quickly. The edge of a tool isextremelypreciousandfragile,andwhenwearetryingtogetarazor-sharpedge, we’re dealing with absolutely microscopic changes in the surfacewhichcanbeaffectedbybitsofdustandgrit.TodayIhave learnedmylessonandI’llrarelytouchabitofwoodwithasharpknifeifIknowit’stouchedthefloor,butrathercuttheendoffwithanaxeorsawfirst.

The straight knives I use today are produced in an area of Swedenfamous for making knives. These days there is one large company,Morakniv,butoriginally therewouldhavebeenmany individual smiths.Mora knives are great in part because they are mass produced, andaffordable,soIhave40orsoonthego,whichIsharpeninbatches,andusethemoneaftertheother,astheyblunt.Attheendofthischapterseeguidanceonsharpeningyourtools.

Thebevelisthedefiningcharacteristicofanedgetool.TheknivesIusehaveflatbevels:thismakesthemdifferentfromyourstandardkitchenor

pen knife, which have what some call a secondary bevel. On a straightknife this shouldbearound7mminwidth,although thiswidthcanvaryslightlyalongthelengthoftheblade:thebevelshouldbewideenoughatthehilttoguidetheedgeonaflatplaningcut,whichweuseforthehandleof our spoon,but also short enough at the tip tobe able tomake tight,concavecutsattheneck.Youwantyourtotalbevelangletobearound25degrees,soatafine,acuteangle.

Becausethestraightknifehasasymmetricalhandleyoucanhold it inlots of different ways. Specific knife grips allow us to carve in differentways,andthesearedescribedindetailinthenextchapter.

TheBentKnife

There are lots of different types of bent knives andmany trades, not tomentionmanydifferentcultures,employ them.Farrierswilluse themtoclear horses’ hooves; awood turnerwill have aminiaturised version forturning his bowls, which are normally known as hooks. Some NativeAmericanstraditionallyusedamocotaugan,or‘crookedknife’(althoughinusethistoolismoreakintoaEuropeandrawknife).

I tend to call my bent knives ‘spoon knives’, as they are made in aspecific style for hollowing spoons. A spoon knife is most useful whencarving thebowlof the spoon,whereweuse itmostly forcuttingacrossthe fibres.Aswith all edge tools, the bevel shape is crucial, guiding theedgeintothewoodandgivingcontrol.Ifthestraightknifehasaflatbevelandwants to rideona flatbitofwoodwhen theedge iscutting,abentknifedoesthesamebutinabentuniverse:theconvexsurfaceofourbentknife rides smoothly on the concave surface of the hollow, guiding theedgetomakeacleancontrolledcut.

The standard bent knife has an accelerating curve, so in essence youhaveatoolwitharangeofradiuses,whichisadaptabletothecreationofmanydifferent types of spoons.Because of its flexibility, this is the besttypeofbentknifeforthebeginnerspooncarver.

However,Iliketousethebiggertwcacam(Welshforbentknife),whichtendstohaveasymmetricalbladeandsoasingleradiusthattakeswidershavings. To a certain extent, the use of this knife definesmy personalstyle in spoons. Sometimes I use the twca cam early on in the carvingprocess, as the perfect hemispherical hollow it creates can be used as a‘datum’ – a known and predictable surface which I can then use as areferencewhencreatingtherestofthespoon.Ifindthatthesymmetryofthis knife aids accurate carving in the bowl. I can also carve across thewholediameteroftheblade,givingasupersmoothfinishandavoidingthelittlefurrowsyoucansometimesgetwithasmallblade.

OtherTools

Ifyouhaveaworkshopandcaninvestinotherkit,therearefurthertoolsthat make the whole process faster, or make new things possible. Inaddition to being practical, some of these additional tools reaffirm ourstatusasgreenwoodworkers.Wemake themoutof the samematerialsthat we use for our spoons, but perhaps from different cuts of wood.Thinkingabouttheminrelationtospoonmaking–sizingthemforyourown use, for example – will also teach you broader woodworkingprinciplesthatIamverykeentopromote.

TheMallet

Weusethemalletforcontrolledsplitting–sodrivingawedgeoraxeintowood–whencreatingourspoonbillets.

Themalletof thegreenwoodworker isverymuchinkeepingwithourpractice and not what some might imagine when you say the word‘mallet’.Itisstillatoolforapplyingaswungforce,butourmalletisreally

quitearough,disposablething;weuseittohitlumpsofmetalveryhardandthewoodalwayslosesoutintheend.

Youcansimplymakeamalletoutofalumpfromyourpileoffirewood,oranoddbitfromyourspooncarvingstack.It’snicetomakeamalletoutofwoodwithreasonable tensilestrength,soashorhazelworkswell.Wemayalsochooseapieceofwoodwhichmightotherwisebeimpracticalforourspoonwork,becauseithasaknotinit,forexample.

Choose a length which is both easy to swing – it needs to be heavyenoughtogiveyouforceandmomentum–andonethat’sahandyheighttopickupoff the floor.Thediameterof thehittingendshouldbewideenough for it to standup independently – thatway you can just grab itwheneveryouneedit.It’sbesttocarveitdowntoagradualtaper,andthehandleendneedsonlytobebigenoughforyoutograspcomfortably.

TheWoodenWedge

Iseethewoodenwedgeasoneofthemostbeautifulwoodworkingtools.Itisessentiallyasmall lumpofwood, taperedtoanedge,andperhaps thesimplesttool inourkit.Weuseittoforcethefibresapartwhensplittingtreesorlogs.Withjustacoupleofwedgesandawoodenmalletyoucansplit open awhole tree.Reallywhacking thesewedges generates enoughforceandheattogiveahintoftoastedwood.

Awedgeisextremelyquickandeasytomake,andbestmadefromafastgrown, tough wood such as beech. Using an axe and knife, split out abilletandshapeittoarectangularcrosssection,thentaperwithyouraxetothedesiredgradient:1:6isprettygood.It’simportantthatthetaperhasaveryflatsurface,thoughitshouldberoundedonthecornerstopreventitfallingapartwhenhammered.Overtime,thepartofthewedgethatyouhit will become very compressed, so bevel it heavily with the axebeforehandsothattheedgesdon’tsplitwithrepeateduse–otherwiseitisabalancingact.Don’tmakeyourwedgetoothinorfragileoritwillsnap;ifitistoofatitcan’tbedrivenhome.

TheAxeBlock

An axe block is also something we can create ourselves, whose formevolveswithuseandcomestobearthesignatureofourworkingchopsandcuts.

Anaxeblockwithmassreflectstheenergythattheaxethrowsintoit,sotheforceallcomesbackintothewood.Inpractice,itisreallyjustalumpofwoodthatwecanuseasabasewheneverweneedtousetheaxe(wecan’tjustworkontothefloorbecauseifyoufollowthroughyouwillcauseseriousdamagetoyouraxe).

Itdoesn’treallymatterwhatsortofwoodyouuseforyourblock,butbeawarethatifyouuseasofterbitofwoodthenobviouslyyouraxewillstickin,likeadartinadartboard.Itshouldn’twobblesoneedsaflatbase,orbetterstill,threelegs,anditneedstobeasensibleheight.About17inchesisaboutrightforme,butyoushouldadapttheheighttoallowyoutoleanyourarmonyourlegasyoucarve,whenyouaresittingdowntowork,forcontrol.Youideallywantyourblocktobearoundafootor14inchesindiameter and it can be slightly sculpted to be helpful, so angled slightlytowardyou,andyoucanaddanotchorahollowtosupportyourspoon.

TheSaw

Asawisamustinthebasickit.Itis,however,amoderntoolcomparedtotheaxe,knifeandbentknife,andassuchisnotreallyinthatsamegenreof tools. In spoon carving, saws are most useful for cutting across thegrain,whichcanbelaboriouswithanaxe.Inparticular,theyareusefulforsawinglogstolengthintheearlystagesofthespoonmakingprocess.

Ifyoualreadyownasawthenit’slikelytobeajacksaw,whichcanbeboughtfromanyhardwarestore.Theyarelongandefficientbutdesignedtobedisposable–youcan’tsharpenthemajorityofmodernsawsbecauseofthewaytheyarehardened.

Thefoldingsawisanexcellentchoiceforthespooncarver,asit’ssmalland very good for getting into nooks and crannies. When folded, thehandlealsoworksasasheath,whichisveryhandy.Ithinkthatthisisthebestchoicesawforthehobbyistspooncarver.

Theframesawhasawoodenframeandathinbladetwistedintotensionbyawindlass.Thistensionpreventsthebladefrombucklinginuse.Manysawsneed thickerorwiderblades to achieve the same strength,but thismeansmorework for you to push it through thewood.The thin blademeans also that you can cut curves, for example if youwant tomake aprecise jobof cutting a bent branch, or profile-shape a spoon.They arealso flat packable and we like them because you can change the bladeaccordingtoyourtask.

Adze

This adze is a fantastically efficient tool, and, like axes, use weight andmomentum to chop and shave wood. However, the adze has an edgewhich isat90degrees to theplane thehandle swings in.Thisgivesyougreatercuttingaccuracybecausetheedgeisswungataconstantdistancefrom the wrist, allowing very controlledmicro adjustments to bemade,without being knocked off track when the bevel hits the wood, as canhappenwithanaxe.

It also has a tightly curved blade that can be used for hollowing outbowlsandspoons;inthephototheadzeisbeingusedtochopthroughtheendgrain.Inmanywaystheyareasuperiortoolforthespooncarver,buttheyarenotversatileliketheaxe,andnotgoodforchoppingdowntreesor splitting logs. The adze is a great tool to have in your kit but isdefinitely not necessary for the beginner; I made hundreds of spoonsbeforeIgotone.

TheDrawknifeandShavingHorse

Thedrawknife isa fantastic tool,whichbridges thegapbetweentheaxeand knife. It’s not entirely necessary for the spoon carver, but it is abeautifulandhandytooltouse,asitgivesyoumuchmorepowerthantheknife but ismore accurate than the axe. The drawknife can be used inseveral ways but by far the best is with a clamping tool like a shaving

horse.Theshavinghorseusesaleverthatyoupushwithyourfeettoveryfirmly clamp the wood while you work it. It is extremely quick andefficient tomove and reclamp thewood; you just take your foot off thepedal. The harder you pull on the knife with your arms and body thefirmertheclampisasyoupushharderwithyourfoot.

It is a lovely sensation, peeling long shavings from some clean andstraight green wood, sitting on a well-made horse using a razor sharpdrawknife. It just feels right, in a way that pushing sawn boards over arouter table in a noisy workshop wearing respirator and ear defendersnevercan.AndthoseofyouwhousedrawknivesalreadywillknowexactlywhatI’mtalkingabout.

SharpeningYourTools

If your knife becomes blunt then it is not the same tool, so learning tosharpenyourknifeandaxeandhavingasimple,decentkitfordoingso,isessential. Youwill know your knife is bluntwhen you have to raise thebeveltomakethecut.Theknifeshould‘bite’withthebevelrubbing–youshouldn’thavetotiltthebladeuptoslice.

We can define sharpening here as the act of creating a shape andpolishing it, all of which is done with abrasives. A cheap and effectiveoptionistousewetanddrypaper–basicallyasandpaperformetal–withaveryuniformparticlesizewhichleavesaniceevensurface.

The key to the sharpening process is to removemetal parallel to thebevel,somovingaflatbevelwithaflatactiononaflatabrasive.Aneasywaytocreateaflatabrasiveistouseapieceofwetanddrypaperonglass;theglassshouldbecuttoaround30mmx80mmandhavenosharpedges(youcouldalsouseadiamondoraJapaneseslipstone).Placeyourknifeacouple of centimetres inside the edge of a bench or table. Place yourabrasiveon topof theknife,making sure that you finger alignswith themiddleofthebevel.Thiswayyoucanfeeliftheabrasiveisflat.Youthenmove your abrasive from side to side, working along the length of theblade and bevel. When you have the cutting edge toward you, yourknucklesaremoving safelyagainst thebench,away from theblade.The

bestwayofknowingyouhavesharpenedrighttotheedgeisifa‘bur’–atinycurlofmetal–formsonthetipofyourblade.Youcanworkthroughabrasive paper grits, rough to fine, using different types of wet and dryuntilyouachieveahighly-polishedfinish.

You thengivea finalpolishusinga strop. Iusea flatplanedpieceofhardwoodonwhichIrubpolishingcompound,thendragthebeveloftheknifeflatalongit.

Theaxeissharpenedinthesamefashionastheknife,youneedalarge9mm bevel on the inside i.e. the side that rubs the wood. Whensharpening the spoonknife theemphasis shouldalsobeon the insideofthe blade. Use wet and dry paper wrapped tightly around some dowel,pushingawayfromtheedge,maintainingaflatbevel.

Sharpeningaknifeoraxeisabitofanartforminitself.Idon’twanttogettootechnicalhere,butthereismoreinformationintheonlinelearningsectionoftheGreenWoodGuildwebsite.

In thenextchapterwe’regoing tomakeabasic spoon.However,beforewestart,it’sagoodideatofirstlearnandthenpractisethekeyknifegrips.Somemay feel strange, and seem counterintuitive to beginwith, but intimetheywillbecomeapartofyourtechnique,andliberateyourdesigns.

Peoplewhoare self-taught tend touse just a coupleof intuitivegrips,with their initial tentative efforts (rightly) focussed on not cuttingthemselves, as opposed to on craft and technique.But, in the long run,usingarangeofconsideredknifegripswillmakeformuchbetterspoons,asdifferentgripsaremoreappropriatefordifferentpartsofthespoon.Itwill also make the experience more relaxing, as well as safer. Whenpractisedproperly,theywillworkdifferentmusclesinyourbodyandmakethe whole experiencemore comfortable – an important consideration ifyouaredoinglotsofcarving.

Thesegripsaredefinitelybestpractisedonasoftishbitofwoodbeforeyouintroducethemtoyourspoonmaking.Iwouldsuggestthatworkingonsomeinch-thickwillowwandswouldbeaperfectwaytostart.

Beforeyoutryanewgrip,it’sbesttopractisethestrokewithoutcuttinganywood,sojustmimingtheaction.Thenfollowthroughveryslowlytoseewheretheknifewouldendupifyouslipped.Thefirstcutyouactuallytake should be hair-thin, again to check that you are using the correcttechnique; the lack of force makes these first cuts much safer. Onceconfidentthatyouarecuttingsafelyandcorrectly,youcanthenmoveontotakingthickercuts.

Left-handers follow the same process as right-handers but using theirdominanthand,unlessstatedotherwise.

As discussed in the previous chapter, our knives should be extremelysharp,andobviouslythiscarriescertainrisks.Theactivitiesandtoolsusedshould be treated with great care and attention. Here are some other,perhapsseeminglyobvious,safetyconsiderations,butworthmentioning:

Nevercarvewhentired;bemindfultotakeregularbreakswheninthezone.Thiscanbedifficultandyoumayhavetoforceyourself todothisbutitisperhapsthebestwaytopreventaccidents.

Never carvewhen inebriated: itmight sound like a nice idea to hangout,haveafewbeersandwhittlebutitisn’t.

Don’twanderaroundwithrazorsharptoolsinyourhands.Keeptoolssheathedandsafelypackedawaywhennotinuse.

Taking the knife out of the sheath is evenworthdescribing.Give it atwistfirst,withoutanypulling,toloosenit.Itshouldthenbepossibletoremoveitwithoutresistance.

The techniques involved in spoon carving take years tomaster.Whentryingoutnewtechniquesneverrush.Takeyourtime;thinkwhatwouldhappen if you slipor follow through.Thinkaboutwhere the sharpedgewillendup.

Asmentionedabove,practisewithoutcuttingfirstthenstartgentleandsmall.

Being good is about skill, not strength or speed. Getting good takestime;begentleonyourselfwhilstlearning.

If youkeep this advice inmindas youprogress to learningyourknifegripsandcarvingyourspoons, it’llmakethewholeexperiencesafer,andmoreenjoyable.

TheForehandGrip

Thisgripisgreatformakinglongcutsalongthegrain,forexample,whenprofiling thehandleofyourspoon. It isagoodgrip for removing lotsofmaterial in the early stages of your spoon production,when accuracy islessimportant.

Howyousitwhenusingthisgripisimportant,however.Holdthespoonblank in your left hand, up and across your right thigh,with your handbacktowardsyourhip.Makesureyoupointthehandleofyourspoonatthe ground. Rest your wrist on the side of your thigh, supporting thespoon blankmerely by stretching the tendons in yourwrist, rather thanpullingwithanyforce.Wethenmakethecutbybrushingtheknifedowntowardsthefloor.

Hold the knife right at the back of the ‘V’ or web formed betweenthumband forefinger.Your thumband forefinger thenclosearound theknife,highupthehandle,sothatthebellyoftheknifecan’tslipthrough.Don’t hold the knife too firmly with your little finger and ring finger,which can almost comeoff the knife completely, and let the knife angleupwardsandawayfromthedirectionoftravel.

Aimtousethefirstpartoftheblade,closesttothehandle,literallythefirstcentimetre.Asalways,practisetheactionwithoutactuallydoinganycuttingtobeginwith,workingtowardstakingjustahair-thinshavingandusing very little force.Considerwhatwouldhappen if the knife slipped,andwhereitwouldgo,beforemovingontofirmercuts.

Youarealwaysaimingforthebeveltorub,andtocreatelongshavingswhich leaveanicecleanfinish.This inturngivesyouasmoothplacetobegin your next knife cut. If you start getting bumpswhere the knife isdiggingin,youareonlygivingyourselfcorrectiveworktodofurtherdowntheline.

ThePullStroke

Thisgrip is all abouthavingyourwrist cocked,with the tipof theknifefacingaway fromyou inyourhand, so,whenyoupull, thewristwillhityour body before the knife does. This means you can pull really quitefirmlyandbesurethatifyoufollowthrough,youwillbesafe.Thisisgreatfor straight or slightly concave planing cuts where you don’t need hugeamountsofcontrol,likeroughshapingtheneckandhandle.

Placetheendofyourblankagainstyourchestwiththeendyouwishtowork on away from you, and simply rub the bevel of the knife on thespoon, pulling towards you to effect the cut. The force of the pull isopposedby your chest; your lefthand isused to support the endof thespoon. Keep the tip of the knife vertical. This way you can be sure ofwhere the tip of the knife is at all times, and save yourself fromnicking

yourlefthand,asmayhappenifyoustarttorolltheknifehorizontally.

TheReinforcedPullStroke

Thisgripgivesyoualotofcontrolandcanbeusedtogreateffecttorefinethesurfacearoundtheneck,butcanalsobeusedwhereaccurateworkisrequired,prettymuchanywhereonthespoon.

Startwiththeknifeedgefacingtowardsyouinyourclenchedfist,andbringyourthumbbackaroundtheothersideofthehandletorestagainonyourforefinger,otherwise itcanget intheway.Youcanalsobraceyourthumb against the back of the blade,which gives you a real feel for thebevelrubbingandincreasessensitivity.

Placethespoonblankonyourchest,asforthepullstroke,butnowcupthehandsupportingyourblankaroundyourknifehandaswell.Usingthetwohandstogetherlikethislendsyoualotofcontrol.Keepthetipoftheknifepointingattheceiling,andangledawayfromyou;tomakethecutyouonlyneedrotateyourrightwrist.Youmustbequitecarefulofyourleft thumb, but if you keep the tip of your knife vertical and rotate thewoodtoadjustwhereyoumakeyourcuts,thenitwillbesafelyoutofthewayofyourleftthumb.

TheChestLeverGrip

This is quite counterintuitive and requires you to use your full body toworkmosteffectively.Youuseyourbackmusclestorotate,pushoutandliftupyourribcage:thiscreatesthecut.Thisisaverypowerfulgripbutwe don’t use it for long cuts.Rather, it is perfect for cutting across thefibres,suchaswhenweroundthebackof thebowl forwardtowardstheendof the spoon,which is potentially veryhardworkbutwhich canbeachievedveryeconomicallywiththisaction.

Startwithyourfingertipstouchingandpalmsup,knifeinonepalmandspoonblankintheother,withtheedgeofyourknifefacingoutandawayfromyou.Whenyoucloseyourknifegripintoaproperfist,makecertainyouhaveyourfingernailsup.

Thisistheweirdbit–butdon’tworry,itismeanttofeelthisway!Bringyourhandsupontoyourchestwithyourfingernailsstillup.Startwiththefirstandsecondknucklesofbothhandsonyourchestand,usingthefirstpartofthebladeontopoftheblank,engagetheedge,lockyourwristsandrotate your shoulders out, pushing your ribcage up through the action.Your forearms, hands and wrists act together as two levers, with yourchestasafulcrum;yourknucklesshouldnotleaveyourchest.Theactionof your hands should mirror one another and in this way the action issimilar to scissoring.Withpractice,because this is suchapowerfulgrip,you canworkwith the full length of the knife, to carve right across thespoon.

TheWristPush

Here you push with the heel of the palm of your knife hand, which iswheretheforceshouldcomefrom.Yourfingersarethereonlytostopyoufromdropping theknife.This grip is verygood for cutting straight linesbecausetheblankissupportedalongitslength.

Placeyourblankonthelegofyourdominantside,supportingitalongitswholelength–thisallowsustoapplyconsistentforcealongtheentiretyofthecut.Workwiththetipoftheknifeeversoslightlyraisedtoprotectyourself. For safety, pushwith yourwhole body and not just your arm,andslideyourforearmalongsideyourlegasyoumakethecut.

TheThumbPull

Ioftenuse thisgrip forputtingachamferon theendofa spoon,whichgivesaneat,rounded-offendtothehandle.Butreallyitisgoodformanyother parts of the spoon carving process – for example, making acontrolledcutaroundtherimofyourspoon.

Startwithyourpalmhorizontalandtheknifehandle in linewithyoursecondknuckles,andthesharpedgerunningvertically;closeyourfingershigharoundthehandle.Yourpalmisstillopenandsoyoueffectthecutsimply by the action of closing your grip.When you close the grip youwantyourforefingertobearoundthebackoftheblade,withthefingertipcomingbackdownontothehandle,whichgivesyoumaximumleverage.Itisbestto lookstraightatyourhand,withthetipoftheknifepointingattheceiling, andas youarepullingagainst your thumb it is important tohave this offset, sticking out at about 10 o’clock (for lefties this is twoo’clock),sothere’snochanceofcuttingitoff.

TheShinGrip

Thiscutisidealifyouarelookingtomakepowerfulcutsalongthegrain,suchastakingbulkoffthebackofthehandle.Theknifestayscompletelysolid,lockedagainstyourlowerlegbetweenshinandknee,andweeffectthecutbymovingthespoonblank.Aimtogetthewoodcuttingdirectlyinlinewithwhereyourknifeissupported.

WhenIammakingthiscutIliterallyplacethebackofthebladeagainstmykneeorshinandthendrawthewoodbacktowardsme.Theshavingiscoming from thepart of thebladewhich ismost supported, rather thanthetipwhereIamnotgettinganyleverage.

It is important to approachyour cutswith the edgeof theknife at anangle. Drawing the blank diagonally across the blade like this is always

goodpracticeandverymuchaids theefficiencyofourcuts.Thisallowsyoutoemployalongerlengthofbladeandbevel;italsobitesmorereadilyandcutsaflattersurface.Bywayofananalogy,thebestwaytowalkupasteepslopeisbyzigzagging,solesseningthegradient.

TheThumbPush

This grip is great for short, sharp cuts and is particularly useful forsmoothingthingsdownandmakingfinaladjustments,suchasonthebackofthebowlandthetightcurvesoftheneck.

Theemphasishereisonthepositionofyourleftthumb.Positionyourleft hand in such a way that your thumb could rub directly where youwant tomake your cut.You can thenplace your left thumbagainst theback of your knife. You simply use the extension and stretch of yourthumbto‘push’thecut,usingthepartofthebladethatisslightlyoffsettowhereyour thumbis.Yourrighthand isonlyreally there tosupport theknife.

TheThumbPivot

Thisisusefulforgettingintonooksandcranniesbecauseitgivesyoualotofcontrol,andyougetalongercutthanwiththethumbpush.Turnthethumb push into a thumb pivot by having your left thumb even moreoffsettocreateapivotpoint.However,thistimeyouuseyourrightwrist:twistittorotatethebladeaboutthethumbpivot.

Formorepowerandcontrol (useful forcuttingacross thegrainat theneck)movethepivotpointclosertothetipoftheknife.Ifyoudothis,thehandlemovesalotbutthebladetiphardlyatall,givingalotofleverageandacontrolledcut.

Armedwithyour tools andyourknife grips, this chapterwillnowguideyou through the simplemethod of creating a spoon. The expert will ofcourse have his ownpreferredways,mixing intuitivelywhat I have herebrokendown into discreet stages; over time you toowill learn to followyourinstinctsinthewaythatyouaddressthewoodandcreateyourspoon.Buttheskillsyouwilllearnhereincreatingabowl,neckandhandlewillgive you a good grounding in the fundamentals of making, and lendthemselvestoahugevarietyofspoons,includingthesixteenfoundinpartthreeofthebook.

Thereareshortcutsyoucouldemploy.Youmightbetemptedtocutouttheprofileofyourspoonwithabandsaw,forexample,butthiswouldbetodistractyou fromthe real joyof sculpture,which tome isworking inthreedimensionsratherthantwo.Inusinganaxeyouarethinkinginthreedimensions from the outset, amethod that gives you a real feel for thematerial,witheachcutexploringthepropertiesofthewood.Thisalladdstoyourunderstandingofwood’sstrengthsandweaknesses,andultimatelyinformshowyoudesignyourspoon.

CreatingtheBillet

Theveryfirstthingwehavetodoiscreatethebillet.Thisisthebasicunitofwood,cleftwithanaxeorfroe,fromwhichwecreateourspoon.Thegreenwoodthatweuseiswetandthereforeeasytosplit,orcleave,alongthe fibres. Seasoned wood won’t cleave so readily, so modernwoodworkers who can never be sure of the grain direction in a sampletendtorelyonusingbandsawsandabrasivestoshapetotheirwork.

We cleave thewood, as leaving it ‘in the round’makes aweak spoonprone to splitting,becausewooddoesn’t shrinkevenly as itdries.Whenleftintheround,iteffectivelypullsitselfapart.Aftersplittingthewoodweshouldstillremovethepith(theverycentreofthebranchorlog)andthefirst two or three inner growth rings. This is immature growth and thetightradiusoftheringsmakeitparticularlypronetosplits.

Therearetwowaysofcleavingthewoodalongthegrain:radially,whichproduceswedge shapes,much likecuttingabirthdaycake into slices,ortangentially, which is in essence splitting parallel to the growth rings.Woods like cherry have a distinctive heartwood, so splitting the wood

radiallygivesyoua lovelytwotonebilletcontainingbothheartwoodandsapwood.Wood that has been split perfectly tangentiallywill give you aseriesofcircles in thebowlof the spoon.Asyouhollowdeeper into thebowl, you work your way through successive growth rings, creating aneffectsimilartocontourlinesonamap.Thisisdesirableifweareaimingfor precise effects, as with the feather spoon.However, inmost cases Idon’ttendtooverthinkpotentialpatternsandarrangements.

Tocleavewood,weuseanaxeandawoodenmallet.Simplyplacethewoodonthefarsideofyouraxeblock,resttheedgeoftheaxewhereyouwouldliketomakethesplitandhittheaxeonthetopwiththemallet.Forcontrolandsafety,itisgoodtostartwithsmalltapsandthenbuilduptofirmer ones if they are needed. The axe tends to simply penetrate thewoodatfirst,before itstartssendinga largesplitdownthelengthofthefibres;whenyoufeelitbegintosplityoucangentlytapitapart.

You really don’t need to whack the axe as this could send the woodflyingawayfromyou(atwhichpointyou’lljusthavetogoandpickitup).Wealsodon’twanttherazor-sharpaxedislodgingandswingingoutlikeapendulum.Forextrasafetyitisimportanttoholdtheaxeat90degreestoyourbody,sothatiftheaxedoesdislodge,itpendulumsawayfromyou.Alwaysdoubleuponsafetypractices:makesurethatyouareperformingyour technique correctly in the first place, but also have a failsafeprocedure,soevenifyoudomakeamistakethenyouarestillprotected.

Ifyouraxegetsstuck,nevertrytopullitoutwithonehandontheaxeandtheotherclutchingyourpieceofwood.Thiscancauseaccidents. Ifpossible,picktheaxeupwithtwohands,withthe logstillattached,andcontinue tappingdownon the far sideof your axeblockuntil the log issplit. Alternatively, you could use a wooden wedge to force the fibresapart.

Mostofmyspoonsaremadefromlogsbetweensixandtwelveinchesindiameter, though any size is fine as long as you can create a billet bigenoughforthespoonyou’dliketomake.Thesmallestbitofwoodwecanrealisticallyuseisabranchcleftinhalf.Asabeginner,it’sagoodideatostartwithabilletthesizeofacookingspoon–soabout11incheslongand2½incheswideand¾inchthick.Thebilletisthensawntoapproximatelythesamelengthasthespoonwewishtocreate,plusanextraquarterofaninchorso.

TruinguptheBillet

Beginnerspooncarversoftenendupwithverywonkyspoonsbecausetheystartwithanasymmetricbillet,soit’simportanttostartwitha‘true’billet.Aradiallycleftpieceofwoodpresentsyouwithatriangularbillet,andtotrue thisupwe simply take away someof thematerial fromone side tocreateamorerectangularshape.Youmayalsohavesomebarktoremoveatthisstage.

CreatingtheBlank

The start of the spoon carving process involves turning your billet intowhat we call a ‘blank’, something which roughly resembles a spoon.Creatingablankasdescribedbelowisthegatewaytocreatingmostofthe

spoonsinthisbook,andrequiresustouseanaxe.

CreatingtheCrossSectionoftheSpoon

Whenusinganaxeasyouwillhere,‘chokeup’thehandlewithyourhandclose toyourhead. It isessential thatyoutuckyour fingersawayon thehand holding the spoon blank. Make sure you think through each cutbeforeliftingtheaxe;thereshouldbenomindlessaction.

For all axe work on your block, you should always be able tosimultaneouslyseebothyourspoon-holdinghandandtheaxeallthewaythroughitsswing,sothebitofwoodyouareworkingonis leaningbacktowardsyou.Whenworkinghigheruptheblank,makesureyouneverliftthe axe high enough to be able to come back down onto your spoon-holdinghand.Thesedelicatecutsaremadewithjustaflickofthefingers

andwrist,noarmmovements.

Thefirstphaseofcreatingourblankistodevelopthecrosssection,or‘endon’viewof the spoonbowl.Wedo thisby removingmaterial fromtheundersideofourspoon,fromabouthalfway,usingtheaxetoshavethewoodaway.Thiscreatesthreebroadfacets–thenamegiventothesurfacecreatedbyanyedgetoolonthewood–whichrunall thewaydownthebillet.Theseoriginal facetsarevery importantanddictatethedepthandshapeofthebowlofthespoongoingforward.It’simportanttoleavewide,square edges at this stage, as this gives us options later in the designprocess.Also,toremovetoomuchwoodfromtheedgeatthisstageistopotentiallycompromisetheformofthebowl.Alwaystrytothinkinthreedimensions, as a change in shape in one dimension often hasconsequencesthataffecttheothertwo.

Whencreatingaspoonyoualwaysbeginwithstraight lines,nomatterhow elegant and ergonomic you may desire your finished spoon to be.Carving is a process with steps to it and our final, complex shapes are

createdviadefined,linearsteps.Wecanbegintochopawaythesidesofthehandle,usingtheaxetocut

across the fibres. To remove a lot of bulk from the blankwe employ achopping actionwhere the axemakes chips.When chopping, gently tilttheblank so that theaxeedgecuts thewoodaround60degrees: at thisangletheaxepenetratesthewoodreallywell,easilyseparatingitoutalongthefibres–thiscreatesourchips.(Ifindthispartoftheprocessbeautifulandthemereactofchoppingteachesyoualotaboutthematerial.)Withthe blank now heldmore vertically you can then clear the chips with ashaving action, allowing thebevel of the axe to rub and shave the chipsaway.

Next,Iwouldaddacranktomyspoon.Thecrankisthechangeintheshape of the spoon in side profile – the curvewhich allows us to dip aspoon into a bowl without putting our fingers into the food too – andwhichholdsourhand inahelpfulposition inrelationto thebowlof thespoon.Forme,acrankisultimatelyessentialtotheformofagreatspoon,lendinganextradimensiontothedesignandtransformingthespoonintoakindofsculpture.However,ifthisisyourveryfirstspoonyoumaywishtoskipthisstep.Youshouldreallymakeastraightspoonfirstasaddingacrankrequiresamorecomplexaxetechnique.

Beforeyoumake theaxecutswhichwilldefine theangleof thecrankcomingintothebowl,youfirstneedtobreakthefibres inthebowlwiththelowerpointorheelofyouraxe.Wedothisbecausethewoodnaturallywantstosplitalongthefibres,andifyoucomeinatasteepangle,asweneed towhen adding crank, youmay endup splitting thewhole topoffyourbowl.Severingthefibreswiththepointoftheaxereleasesthenaturaltensioninthewoodfibres.Youaregoingtohollowoutthebowllatersoitdoesn’tmatterifyouemployquiteroughcutsatthisstage.

Leanthespoonblankintoyouraxeblock,withthehandletowardsyouat less than 45 degrees. Then use your axe to slice across the fibres,choppingdownthehandleintothefirstpartofthebowlofthespoon(intowhatwemightcalltheshoulderofthebowl),withtheaimofcreatingtheanglewewant forourcrank.Whenyouhaveremovedthismaterial,youcanflipthespoonaroundandworkbackwithasimilarslicingaction,backtowardthecentreofthebowl,usingtheedgeoftheblocktostoptheaxe.

RoundingtheBackortheUndersideoftheBowlForward

Thebestway to roundthebackofyourspoon forward is toemploy thebumpcut.Placetheaxeonthebackofyourblank, justpastthehalfwaypoint ofwhatwill be your bowl,where you intend tomake the deepestpart.Startingwiththebladeonthewoodlikethisgivesyoumorecontrol.

Tilt the axe until the edge bites, then carefully lift the axe and blanktogetherand‘bump’themdownontoyourblock.

Between each cut drop the spoon handle slightly to gently alter theangleatwhichtheaxegoesintothespoonandbegintocreatethecurvingunderside, taking it forward towards the rim. By adding two ‘bumped’facets more at than 45 degrees to the original, you should get a domeshapedbowl.Iwouldrecommendleavingthickish,squareedges(around4mm) because this gives youmore options in shaping the rim, but I’mhappytocreateasharperedgetowardstheverycornersoftheblank.

Ifthehandleisstillreallyfatyoucannowdosomemorechopswiththeaxe.Youmayalsoneedtotakesomebulkoffthebackofthebowl(butbeawarethatyouwillbeusingtheaxequiteclosetoyourfingers).

CreatingtheFinishedSpoon

We have now created our basic spoon blank, and can begin creating afinishedspoon.Takeyourstraightknifeandbeginto‘dress’thesurfaceofthetopofthebowlofthespoon.Thisisperhapsthehardestsurfacetogetright, so we need to do this first and work all the other surfaces upaccordingly.

Thisprocessrequiresavarietyofknifegrips.Youcanusethereinforcedpull stroke for the majority of the bowl, from the very tip back downtowardstheneckofthespoon.

Youcanthencomebackdownintothebowlusingthethumbpush,andstarttoshapetherimbygoingacrossitusingthethumbpull.

Nowyou canbegin tomake theneck symmetrical. I tend toworkbysightbutyoumayfindithelpfultomarkoutthreecentralpointsalongthelengthof your spoonwith apencil.Startwith a centremark at the veryendof thehandle,andoneat theneck, then‘sightdown’thesetwoandlineupathirdpointattheveryendofthebowl.Youwillthenhaveagood

visual guide with which to work. Making sure your carving centres onthesethreepointswilltakeyouaverylongwaytocontrollingthefinishedform.

Begin to shape the back of the bowl by using the chest lever grip,refining it from about halfway towards the front of the bowl. This partshould alwaysbe convex, as to create a flat or concave surfaceherewillmeanaweak structureprone to splitting.Be sure to leave a thin squareedgeofaround2or3mmandbecarefulnottocometoofarbacktowardstheneck,asthiswillmeancarving‘upthegrain’.Ifyoudothistheknifecoulddigintothefibresandpossiblysplitoffthesideofthebowl.

Youcannowuse the reinforcedpull stroke to carveback towards theneck,shapingthesecondhalfofthebackofthebowl.Trytoleavesomedepth to the neck where it is thinnest (as seen from above) to retainstrength.Getting a smooth finish in the tight curves of the neck can bequite tricky, so itmay be best to refine this area using the thumbpivotgrip.

Whencreatingourrim,weareaimingtoachievethreethings:aneven,squarerimof2to3mmthickness;aniceroundeddomeshapetothebackofthebowl;andasymmetricalprofile.Focusoncreatingasquarerimbyusing the thumbpullwhenprofile shaping therim,andthe thumbpushon the back of the spoon. The rim is a delicate part of the spoon andshouldbesmoothandrefined.

Nowwebegintheorganic,orintuitive,processofrefiningtheneckandhandle.WeareworkingtowardshavingafairlytriangularcrosssectionattheneckthatflattenstoagentleU-shapeattheendofthehandle,whichgivesusevenstrengthalongthelengthofthespoon.Youcouldalsoaddachamfertotheendofyourspoonusingthethumbpull.

Hollowing thebowl is the lastpartof thebasic spooncarvingprocessandhereweemployourbentknife.Beforeyoubegin,marktheboundaryoftherimofyourspoononthetopsurfaceoftheblankwithapencilline,runningyourfingeraroundtherimandetchinginaline2or3mmwide.

Using theaxeblock to support the spoon,holdyourbentknifeat thebladeendofthehandleandbraceitwithyourthumb(ifthehandlelengthallows)withyourelbowrestingonyourleg.Startingonthesideclosesttoyou, cut across the fibres of the bowlwith your bent knife.Rotate yourwristtogivecontrolandanicecurvedaction.Beginwithasmallcutandwork towards the axe block, taking gradually longer shavings. You willcreate a shallow hollow and slowly get deeper into the spoon, workingyourwayoutwards,leftandright.(Shownhere,highlightedinblue.)

Thevastamountofhollowingisdoneacrossthegraininthisway.Totidyuptherim,usethefollowingknifegrips.It’simportantthatyouworkfromthetopofthebowldowntowardsthesides,andfromthehandleendofthebowluptowardsthesides.Usingthesegripsweareabletoworkthefourquartersofthebowlwhilstalwayscarvingdownoracrossthegrain.

Employ the thumbpullgrip.Beextracareful tomakesureallofyourthumbisonthebackofthespoon,incaseyoufollowthrough.Itcanbedifficult to keep your thumb inposition so rest it on your leg tokeep itsteady.

Youcanalsousethebentknifewiththereinforcedpullstroke,usingthelonghandle togiveyoumorecontrol.Foronecornerof thebowl,workwithyourspoonhandlerestingagainstyourchest, fortheotherhavethespoonfacingawayfromyouandrestingonyourleg.Slippingdoeshappenoccasionallysokeepyourthumbtuckedaway.

Finally,usingthereinforcedpullstrokeagain,withyourspoon-holdinghandon your leg and spoonhandle on your knee, use your fingers as apivotpointandslowlyrotatetheknifearoundthebackcornerofthebowl.Inasimilarwayyoucanholdthespoonbowlandpivotusingyourfingers,this time rotating the spoon around the knife, a bit like an ice creamscoop.It’simportanttostopinthecentreofthespoontoavoidfollowingthroughandcuttingyourhand.

Towork theopposite sideof thebowlandavoidworking tooclose toyourpalm,flipthewholespoonaroundandcontinuewiththesamegrip.Thisgripisgreatforgettingtothebottomofthebowl.

Maintainthicknessinthecentreofthebowlandfinenessattherimasfarasyoupossiblycan:iftherimistoofineitwillchipeasily;toofatanditwon’t move through your food smoothly. (An eating spoon obviouslyneedstobemuchmorerefinedthanacookingspoon.)Thedecisionsyoumakewillalwaysbecompromisesbetweenstrength,functionandstyle.

Formoreguidanceonhollowing thebowlandallbasic spooncarvingtechniques,seethevideosandresourcesonmywebsite.

Finishes

Thecarvedfacetsfromarazor-sharpknifearecleanandsmooth,andgoalongwaytogivingourspoonsagoodfinish.Thisissomuchnicerthanaroughlysandedspoonwhosegrainfursupassoonasitgetswetinuse.

Spoons tend to agewell as long as they have all of their sharp edgesremoved.Ifcaredforreasonablywell,theyarehardykitchencompanions.Itis,however,bestnottopopthemintoadishwasher.Afterwashing,it’salsonice togiveyourspoonsachance todrygently, rather thanputtingthemonaradiatororleavingthemtofesterinadamputensilholder!

Aspoonwillpickupstainsfromfoodandgainapatina–anicewordfordirt– fromourhands;awhitespoonwilloftenendupwithabrownbowl and a slightly grey handle. This actually looksmuch nicer than itsounds!Ofcourse,differentwoodsalsoagedifferently,but,onthewhole,theyalllooknicerfortheageingprocess.Inmyshop,peopleoftenexpressworryaboutstainingtheirspoonswithfood,but,ironically,ifIeverhaveanoldspoonlyingaround,itisalwaysthefirstthatpeoplewanttobuy!

Itisnotalwaysnecessarytoaddafinishtospoons,andmostlyIdon’t.Thisispartlyoutoflazinessandpartlyasswelledoilcantakesomeofthecharacterof thecutsaway.That said, Iamnot totallyopposed tooilingspoons, which works better than waxing (wax tends to run out of thespoonwhenitgetswarm).

Oiling isparticularly appropriatewith steeper sidedbowls,which tendto have shorter grainmore prone to splitting as the spoon getswet and

driesoutrepeatedly.Oilsthathardeninthewoodaregoodbecausetheysetanddon’trunoutofthegraininuse.Theclassicnaturaloilswhichsetarewalnut,linseedandtungoil.Itisimportanttomakesurethattheoilyoubuyisfood-safe;agoodwayistouseanoilwhichissoldasfood.Ifyougentlywarmtheoilbeforeapplyingittoyourspoonthenitpenetratesdeeper.Beawarethatthesenaturaloilscantakeawhiletoset.It’sbestifyoucoatyourspoongenerously,lettingitsoakinforahourbeforewipingoff the excess. Then leave it for a week or so to dry. Anytime you areheadingawayonholidayisagoodopportunitytore-oilyourspoons.

Withinthespooncarvingfraternity,thequestionoffinishingspoonscanbeacontentiousone,butaseverit’sbesttolistentoadvice,tryitoutandthenseewhatworksforyou.

Ameasuring spoon is a supremely useful thing in the modern kitchen,despite the ubiquity of scales and other measures. A measuring spoonmeansyoudon’thavetofaffaroundwithbulkyinstruments,and,whetherfumbling with your porridge while half-awake, or adding a teaspoon ofsomethingtoyourbakingatthelastminute,theconvenienceofaspecificmeasuringspoonmakeslifeeasier.

Iverymuchenjoythealchemyofrecipes,andmeasuringisakeypartofthat, as much as managing cooking temperatures and timings, and themechanics of stirring.Measures arepart of the languageof cooking andthereissomethingmagicalabouthow,ifyouaremakingsomethingforthefirst time, a dish suddenly begins to take shape out of a disparatecollectionofseeminglyunrelatedingredients.Youputfaithinyourrecipe,andanaccuratespoonmeasureisatoolthatguidesyouonyourjourney.Thewholeexperienceistransformative.Byfollowingthesamerecipeandusingthesamemeasuresashavebeenwrittendownthroughtheages,youarefollowinginthefootstepsofpastcultures(orperhapsyournan).

CaddySpoon(orTablespoonMeasure)

Caddy spoons are designed to fit inside a caddy, which is simply acontainerforholdingdrygoodslikeflourorsugar.Apartfromthespecificsize of the bowl here, which is made to our tablespoon measure, thedefiningfeatureofthisspoonistheshorthandlewhichallowsyoutoleaveit in thecontainer. Inan idealpantryyoumighthavearangeofcaddiescontainingmanydifferentdrygoods,andleaveaspoonineachone.

Traditionally, I suppose, wemight think of a ‘tea caddy’, though thetablespoon-sizemeasurewecreatehereisreallytoobigfortea.Thisscoopisperhapsbestusedasacoffeemeasure,formakingcoffeeinacafetière.

ThedistinctwhaleshapeyouendupwithiscertainlypartofthedesignandofasimilarstyletotheSwedisheatingspooninchapter9,butthisisamuch stockier version. The thumb tab, resembling a flicked tail, isdefinitely inspiredby thewhaleand ithasanice triangularcross sectionwhich allows your fingers to fit comfortably on the back; the topmeanwhileisslightlyconcavesoitfeelsniceronthethumb.Ialsolikethewaytheribrunsallthewaydownthebackofthespoon.

Whencreatingthisspoon,itisimportanttostartwiththerightsizeandshapeofwood.Thisspoonisobviouslyquitedeepsothereisgoingtobealot of end grain to cut across, and cutting end grain is hardwork. It ishelpfultostartwithafairly longandthinbillet,whichisn’ttoofarawayfromyourdesiredcrosssection.Personally,Iwouldcleavethewooddowntoaround40by60mm then shave it onahorse to a fairly square crosssection.Ifyoudon’thaveashavinghorsethenthewristpushorshingriparegoodforlongcontrolledcutsonstraightwoodlikethis.

Youcanmakeafewofthesespoonsatonetimeoutofalongblank–carveonedownandcutitoffbeforebeginningthenext.However,ifyouaremakingonlyonespoonit’sstillgoodtostartwithalongishlengthofwood.Thisisusefulwhenholdingthewoodinaviceorhorse,butitalsomakestheblankgenerallyeasier tohandle.Putthecrank intothetopofthespoonusingaspoonknifetocutdirectlyacrossthefibres, insteadofanaxe.Thisspoonhassometightcurvesintheneckandthebackofthetailwhich is a perfect place to practise the thumbpivot grip using yourindexfingerforcontrol.

Tohaveaveryaccuratemeasure,youneedaflat-toppedspoon,whichmeans an aesthetic compromise, because these spoons look best with aslightly concave top surface. I’m happy to use a concave design, as aheapedtablespoonisalsoapracticalmeasure.If,however,yourequireaveryaccuratemeasurethenyoucanstyleyourbowlaccordingly.

Measures are slightly different in different countries – for example, intheUKatablespoonis17.5mlbutinAustraliaitis20ml.Sowestartwithaboughttablespoonandcreateourmeasurefromthat.Firstplacealayerofclingfilminthebowlofthespoonbeforemouldingsomeplasticineintothestandardmeasure,andthenmeasureitoff.Youcanthendecidewhatshapeofbowlyouwant tomakeandmouldyourplasticineaccordingly,knowing that it will give you the right capacity. This shape is now ourguide.

Iuseasmalltwcacam–thebentknifewithaperfectradius–togetthesamesizecutoverandoveragain,butthehollowcanbeachievedwithastandardspoonknifetoo.

Another thing you need to factor in at this stage is that your bowl isgoingtoshrink,soweneedtocutabowlwhichisslightlylargerthanthemeasure we finally need. Knowing by how much will come withexperience,butaimingfortherimtobe3or4mmhigherthannecessaryshouldgiveyouenough leeway for shrinkage.Leave the spoon to shrinkfor a couple of weeks or, alternatively, you can put it into the ovenovernight at around 90 degrees Celsius (195 degrees Fahrenheit, GasMark ¼). Once the spoon has dried and shrunk you can reinsert theplasticine(theclingfilmkeepsthewoodclean)andcarvedowntherimofthebowltothecorrectlevel.

FeatherSpoon(orTeaspoonMeasure)

This beautiful spoon creates the sense of a feather through the correctchoice of wood, alignment of the wood’s grain within the blank, andcarefulcarving.

Thechevronsrunningdownthehandlearecreatedbycuttingthroughthegrowthrings–moregrowthringsequalsmorechevrons.Tomakethefeatherspoonweuseslowlygrownwood.Thismeansthateachyear thetreeputsonasmallamountofgrowthwhichinturnmeansmoreringsperinchandmorechevrons.Slowgrownwood isnothugelystrongbut fineforasmallspoonlikethis.Wetendtouseameasuringspoonquitegentlyandassuchitisn’treallysubjecttothestressesofcookingoreating,likebeingdippedinboilingwater,orusedtorubandscrape.

Whenheldinyourhandyoucanfeelthatthespoonhasapronouncedribor‘quill’alongthetopofthehandle,whichinpartcreatesthefeathereffect.Thereisageneralcurveupwardsofthehandlewhichgivesasenseofcrank,whichisimportantbecauseitallowsyoutoputthebowlofthespoonfullyintowhateveryou’respooningwithoutdippingyourfingersintoo.

I’ve used elmhere,which iswhatwe call ‘ring porous’,meaning thatyougetdistinctgrainpattern,alternatingbetweendensesummergrowthandporousspringgrowth.Weneedtostartwithafairlybigblank,givingusenoughdepthtocutdownthegrainonthehandle.Thebilletneedstobe perfectly tangentially split, as carving down through the layerssymmetrically gives us the feather effect and also creates these lovelycirclesinthebowl.

Createthefeatheringofyourhandlefirstbycarvingbroadfacetsdownitwithyourknife,centring thechevrons. It isbest toget thisdoneearlyon,beforeyoustart toremovethebulkoff thebackof theblank. Ifyoustartattheendofthehandlenearthebarkoftheblankthenyoucanalsogetthesapwood-heartwoodcontrast,whichaddsevenmoretoourdesign.After this, use your bent knife to carve down towards the centre of thebowl,headingdownthroughthegrowthrings,witheachlayercreatingastripe.

Wecreateouraccurateteaspoonmeasureinmuchthesamewayaswedothetablespoon,byusingclingfilmandplasticine.

Kuksa(orMeasuringCup)

This is really a dual purpose spoon, equally useful as ameasure in thekitchenorasacupfordrinking.Thecrankofthehandlemeansitisgreatfordipping,whether intoasackof flourorabucketofwater. Ifyouarethe outdoors type you may find it useful for collecting water from astream. My design is based upon the Scandinavian-style Kuksa, and IthinkthereisnofinerwaytodrinkcoffeethanfromaKuksa.

Swedishculturehasthisideaof‘Fika’whichverymuchchimesinwithmyownideasaboutsociety,foodandwork.Ihavetaughtatspooncarvingworkshops in Sweden, and if somebody mentions coffee, then joyouschirps of ‘Fika!’ chorus around. Fika isn’t taken at strict times like our‘elevenses’orafternoontea,butusuallyinvolveschattingandcakeofsomekind too. It seems that the emphasis is on the positive, social aspect ofcoffee and cake, rather than the less joyous ‘tea break’ conceptwehavehereintheUK,whichstilldefinesyourtimeintermsofwork,evenifitisabreakfromit.

ThislinksintotheDanishlifestyleconceptofhygge–agentleandcosyactivity that is soft on the senses, heart-warming and rewarding.Eating,cookingandcraftingcommunally isabigpartofhow,associalanimals,ourculturehasevolved.SoitisnosurprisethatinwoodculturessuchasScandinavia it is traditional to sit andcarve together, andparticularly tocarveabeautifulfunctionalspoonforalovedone.

Thewallsofthebowlofthisspoonwillhavewhatwecallashortgrain,comprisedof short fibres,whichareveryprone to splittingbecause theywill absorb water very easily. This can force the shape of the spoon tochangeasitswellswithwater,andthenshrinksasitdries.

Tocounterthis,youcouldalsouseaburl,whicheffectivelygivesyouanetoffibres,oraburr,wherehundredsoflittleknotshaveformedinthewood.Bothwouldprovidegreaterstrength,butIthinkaburlisbetteras

it’salmostasifyouwereusingabentbranch,butwiththefibresbendinginalldirectionsratherthanjustone.Thismeansthatwhenourdrinkingspoongetswetinuse,eventhoughthefibresswellinmanydirections,thespoonisnotweakatanyparticularpoint.However,thesecanbedifficulttofind,soInormallyuseabitofwoodfromthebaseofatree.Herethewoodisstrongerasthebasehasbeentoughenedbymanyyearsofswayingandstorms.Theforcesofmovementhavebeenconcentratedinthispartofthetreeandthegrainreactsbybecominginterlocked.

The design allows you to add bulk to the weakest points – and to acertain extent this happens naturally in the manufacturing as cuttingacrossthegrainishardestsopeopletendtoleavemorebulkontheends.Thethumbtabendwhichformsthehandlealsoaddsstrengthtotheweakend-grain wall, and the other end has a keel like a boat. Some peopleaccentuate these functional features into bird-like formswith the keel atthefrontturnedintobeak/headshapeandthehandleastailfeathers.Thiscanbedoneverysubtlyorasgivenanalmostlifelikequality,usingpaint.

Oftenwiththisstyleofspoon,itismoreconvenienttohollowthebowlfirstasyoucanclampitbythesawnsquareends,whereasifyoushapetheoutsidefirstitismuchhardertoclamp.Carvingthisdeepbowlisalotofeffort,sostartwithanadzeifyouhaveonetoremovemuchofthebulk.Ifyou are able to clamp the wood using a vice, shaving horse or foldingwedgesonabenchyouwillbeabletouseyourspoonknifetwo-handedtocreatemoreforce.

Anothertechniquethatisworthexploringfortheexperiencedspoonerisaneckstrap.Usingalonghandledtwcacam,astrapisfixedtotheshaftofthe blade as a pivot point, then looped over your neck.Your neck thenbecomes like a third arm, adding strength and manoeuvring the pivotpointofthetwcaaswellasfreeingupyoursparehandtoholdtheKuksa.Thistechniqueisalsofantasticforsmallbowlsandlargeladles.

Whencreatingourrim,wewantittobeabletopournicely.Rimswhichcurve out, or overflow, don’twork sowell and quite a steep rimwith asharp edge is best – though of course the rim should be smooth whereyourliprests.

Ifyouareaimingforanaccuratecupmeasureyoucouldweighout(oruseameasuring jugtomeasure)250mlof flour,andthiswillgiveyouaguide.OncetheKuksaisdryenough,theflourcanthenbeplacedinsideandthentherimcarveddowntothecorrectlevel.

FlourScoop

Thisspoonisparticularlysuitedtostickingstraightintocontainerorstackofdrygoods,and,thecylindricalshapemakesitidealforfillingbagswithsmall openings, but you can really adjust the spoon’s size depending onyourpurpose.Thisisadurablespoon.Itworksverywellasaflourscoop,butthinkingofitasavesselformovingcorn,orboiledsweets,givesyouagoodsenseofthestrengthweneedattherimandhandle.Alotofpeopleuse this type of spoon to distribute feed for their ducks or chickens,dispersing the grain over awide area quickly and efficiently. Spoons foroutdoors use are particularly good in wood, because in winter metalspoonsaredeeplyuncomfortableinthehand.Whateversizewewant,wemake this spoonout of straight-grainedwoodas thismeans the rimhasstrength which it needs when forcefully pushed into the material to bemoved.

Start by making your billet into a rough cylinder using your axe orshavinghorse.Beginbymakingthebilletsquarefirst,thenoctagonal,andthen take the corners off. You are looking to create nice symmetrical,parallelfacetsrunningdowntheblankasthismakesanevencylinder.Axeout thehandleof thescoopbeforeyoubeginthehollowing.Chopdownthehandlewith the axe and thindown the cylinderuntil youhave yourhandleshape.Thehandleneedstofitcomfortablyinyourhandbutwantstobequitethick,almostbulbous.Itshouldlineupapproximatelywiththemiddleofthebackofthebowl,sotheshovellingactionputsforcedirectlyinlinewiththerimthatisbeingpushedintothematerial.

Thenwecanbeginhollowing.Foralargescoopanadzewillsavealotof time but a small scoop can bemade quicklywith a spoonknife. Thehollowcouldalsobemadeusingadrillgoingstraightintotheendgrainorbyturningthescooponalathe.Thisworksparticularlywellasthehandlecanbeturnedtoo.ForthisscoopIuseanadze.Startingattherimendofthehollow,Iuseachoppingactiontoreleasebigchipsrightattheendofthescoop,andthenworkinthesameplaceforseveralchopsuntilthereisasizeable indent intotheform.Stillchoppinginthesamedirection,youcannowworkbitbybitbacktowardsthehandleendwhilststillsendingchipsoutthefrontofthescoop.Oncetheadzeisin,itguidesitselfeasily,asyouareworkingwiththegrain.

Completethehollowusingaspoonknife;youwouldideallyclampthescoopsoyoucanusetwohandsontheknife.Youcouldalsoworkholdingthescoopinonehandandsupportingtheendofthescooponablock.Dothisinawaysothattheifthespoonknifeshouldslipitwouldflyintotheblockratherthanyourhand.

Thesurfacefromtheadzemayberoughandneedtidyingupwithcutsacrossthegrainfirst.Onceit’ssmoothenoughyoucancutalongthegrainat the end of the scoop, as this ismore efficient and leaves a smootherfinish. The walls need to be no less than 3mm thick. The rim needs acertain amount of thickness for strength, but you alsowant a degree ofbevellingontherimsothatitcutsmorereadilyintothedrymaterialandalsoprotectstherimfromsplittingoutalongthegrain,whichafatsquarerimmaybeproneto.Youcanchecktheuniformityandfinishofthescoopbyputtingyourthumbandforefingereithersideofthewall,andrunningitaroundtocreatea3Dmentalpictureofthesurfacesbyfeelalone.Thisisasurprisinglyaccuratemeasureandoneworthusingwhenmakingthemajorityofourspoons.

Cooking spoons are probably the type of spoonswhich people aremostused to seeing in wood. They come into their own whether you arescraping tomatoes out of a tin into a pan, trying to flip a bit of bacon,smearingflourinabéchamelsauce,stirringarisotto–eventastingasaucefrom the pan.People obviously cook inmanydifferentways, employingverymanybasicyet fundamental techniques,andallof theseneed tobereflected in the cooking spoon. I wouldn’t describemyself as a ‘foodie’necessarily,but,asaspooncarver,Iendupthinkingalotaboutwhatyoumightcallthemechanicsofcooking.

The very biggest cooking spoons I make are for when you have ahundredpeopletocaterforandtheresultisaspoonmoreakintoacanoepaddle! But the spoons in this chapter are really just tools for yourcooking,andtheirdimensionsshouldonlyeverreflectthesizeofthepansandotherimplementsyouareusing.

Behindallofthis,however,thereisanimplicitrecognitionthatcookingisgood–butthatsharingfood,cookingforothersandespeciallyservingthem,isareallyfinethingtodo.

StandardCookingSpoon

Herewecreatewhatwemightcallaleafshape.Thisisnotshovel-ended,aswewillseeinothercookingspoons,asthisshapewouldbequiteweakinthestraightwoodweusehere.Rather,thisspoonhasalarge,flatareaandadefinitepointwhichallowsyoutogetrightintothecornerofapan,and to accommodate both these things we make the standard cookingspoonasymmetrically.

I tendtomakeacookingspoonanywherebetween8and18inches inlength. For everyday use, however, you don’t want it to be bigger thanstrictlynecessarybecauseitwilloverbalanceinthepan.Youreallywanttobe able to leave your spoon in there. In an ideal kitchen, therefore, youwouldhaveafewdifferentsizes,dependingonyourpansandthepurposesofyourspoons.Agoodall-roundertendstobearound11inches.

The style of this spoon is very similar to our standard eating spoon –covered in chapter 9 – and the production method is much the same.However, the cooking spoondesignhas amuchblunter and thicker rimthantheeatingspoontoprotectitfromchippingandwearingawayinthepan. It is a modern-shaped spoon, for modern-shaped pans with sheersides that come to sharpcornerswhere they intersectwith thebase.Myguessistherounderdesignsofmanyhistoricalcookingspoonsweremadetofitwellinrounder,older-stylecookingpots.

Evenwhenaimingtocreateasmooth,flowingshapeitiseasiesttostartwithstraightlinesfirst.Thismayultimatelybeanasymmetricspoon,butmake thebowlwith symmetrical straight cuts at theneck and the sides.Thencut the frontof thebowlwithadiagonal line rather thanasquareone.Onceyouhavecreated straight linesyoucan thenbegin to smooththesurfacesdownintoeachothertocreatethe‘leaf’curves.

Proportionally,thisspoonhasalonghandle,taperingallthewaydowntothetip.ThetaperingIthinklookselegantandalsostopsthespoonfromoverbalancing,butthatisnottosayyoucouldn’ttryasimilardesignwithaflaringhandle,orawiderandflatterhandle.Eitherway,itisimportantthattheendofthehandleisroundedasyouareoftenusingitendon,andyouwantittobecomfortableinyourhand.

Because this spoon ismadeoutof straight-grainedwood,andbecausewe will use this spoon for scraping, we need to think a little about thestrengthof the rim.Wedon’t take thespoon toa sharp,narrowedgeatthe rim because this would wear or chip easily. If anything, the rim iswidened,soittakeslongertoweardown.Youshouldleavealongpatchon the top of the rimwhich runs straight with the fibres, then create acrisp,bevellededgeallthewayaround.

BentBranchShovel

Makingaspoonfromabentbranchisatruesignofwoodculture.Suchspoons tend tobemade for lovedones rather thanby artisansknockingthem out by the hundred as they require more time and obviouslyspecialistmaterial,amaterialthatthesedaysisusuallydiscardedaswoodchip!Thisspoonisalsothepragmatist’schoice:itisamuchbetterspoonbecause it utilises the natural bend in the wood to create a bowl shapewherethewoodfibresrunalongthelengthofthebowl.Thecurvingfibrescreate a much stronger shape and a spoon which is going to last forgenerationsratherthanjustthirtyorfortyyears.

It is rare to find really old spoons in use, but when you do theyinevitablytendtocarrytheirstorywiththem.Once,atamarketinStroud,Istoppedtotalktoanolivesellerwhowasusingwhatlookedtobereallyold spoons.They turnedout tohavebeenmadeby thegrandfatherofafriend ofminewho is also a spoon carver. I still carry spoons frommytravellingdays,includingonemadebyajourneymanGermancarverwithwhomIdidaspoonswap(he’saveryaccomplishedcabinetmakernow).MymotherhasspoonsthatImadeasa teenager,andthough lookingatthemnowtheyareprettyunrefined,atthetimeIwasveryproudofthem.Handmadespoonsalwaysendupbeinganartefactofsorts.

Ashovel-endedspoonsuchasthisisobviouslygoodformovingmaterialaround,butitisalsogoodforflipping;ithasawide,flatsurfaceusefulforscraping,whichisalsowideenoughforspreading.Inshort,thisspoonisareally useful, practical shape. The large flat dome shape of the bowl is,however, an inherently weak shape ifmade from straight wood.This isbecausetheshort fibrescanabsorbwater,changingshapeover timeandbeingpronetosplitting.Butbyusingthebentbranchweachievestrengthbecausethenaturalbendkeepsthefibresrunningalongthelengthofthebowl,andwithoutopenendstheyabsorbwatermuchlessreadily.

The tool is also stronger when the fibres run straight out of the rimbecausetheendsofthefibresthatwearagainstthepanaresupportedinlongbundles.Aswiththestandardcookingspoon,strengthat therimisimportant,ascookingutensilstendtowearalotontheirleadingedge.So,unlike thestandardcookingspoon,withabentbranchwecanachievearimwithasharperedgewhilstremaininghard-wearing.

Considercarefullytheangleofthecrank,asyouideallywanttobeabletobalancetheendofthespoon’shandleonthehandleofthefryingpan,soitclearstherimwithouttouchingit.Youneedtocreateenoughcrankto stop your spoon fromburning on the edge of the pan if you leave itinside.

Whencreatingablankoutofabentbranch,however,youneed tobequitecarefulwhensplittingthewoodasoftenbentbrancheshavetwistsinthem,whichmakethemquitetough.

Thesplitbilletnaturallygivesusourflatshovelend,butwenowneedtogivesomeshapetothebackofthebowl.Axefacetsonbothsides,fromtheflatendbackdowntowardsthehandletorevealthedepthofthebowl.Decidingwhere the neck should come in is important to get right, andfollowingthissequencereallyhelps.Drawwherethebowlbestsitsinthesethreedimensions,andwiththeaidofyourguidelinesaxeawaythehandle.Ifwhere thenecknaturally comes inmakes thebowl too long, youmaydecidetosawabitofftheshovelend.Takethebulkofwastewoodfromthebarksidedowntowardsthebowltocompletetheblank.

I think the sidesof the spoonbowl looknicer if theyarenotperfectlyparallel,soconsidertaperingthemoutwards.Thisaidsthefunctionofthespoonasitallowsyoutobetterscrapethesidesofaflatpanandgetintothecorners.

Thinking about the spoon in cooking also affects how we shape thehandle, which is a lot chunkier than those we find on mass-producedcooking spoons. Your handle should be fatter towards themiddle so itjamstightinyourhandwhilstbeingusedlikeashovel.Itisimportantthattheendofthespoonisroundedandfacetted,asyoutendtousethespoonforscrapingwithyourpalmpressedontheend.

RomaSpoon

Imaysay thisofmanyspoons,but this is reallymyfavouritebecauseofwhatitevokes.ThisisinpartbecauseoftheRoma’srootsintheartisan–this is a terribly overusedword but here it has a huge impact upon theformofthespoon.Romaspoonsarecharacterisedbythebroad,fastcutsandpronouncedfacetsofthejobbingcarver;theyaredesignedtobemadequicklyformoney.

TheRomaisagoodcookingspoonbecausetheegg-shapedbowlgivesyou thepoint that youneed toget into the cornersof thepan.Theeggshapeisalsoasensibleandstrongshapeforastraightwood;theelongatedfront of the bowl is less prone to splitting from expansion/contractionwhenitgetswetandthendriesout,andithasslightlylongerfibresintheleading edge of the rim than in a circular bowl. And, unlike the leaf-shapedcookingspoon,ithastheaddedbenefitofbeingambidextrous.

Thesespoonsaremadeoutofstraight-grainedwood,andinordertobequick and efficient you don’t want to use too thick a piece of wood.Splitting the smallest possible bit ofwood that you canmake the spoonfrommeansyouhavetheleastmaterialtoremove.Thisnotonlymakesitefficient in terms of speed but also saves on materials. To achieve thecrankinourfairlythinbitofwoodIliketohaveitquitefarforward,sowelook tohaveadistinctive ‘bump’where thecrankgoesabruptly into thebowlofthespoonfromtheneck.Abumpatthisjuncturegivesthespoonextrastrength,reinforcingtheweakestpartofthespoon,butitalsoallowsyou takemorewoodoff theback–and removalofwood iswhat it’s allabout –which in turn allows you create amore shapely backside to thebowl.

When trying to create the crank in a spoon like this, it can be veryhelpfultosawintotheneckandsplitthehandlesidesaway.Thisgivesavery accurate profile shape which makes cutting the crank easier. Youcouldevensawdownatthepointwherethebowlmeetsthenecktocreateastoppointtoaxedowntowards.Whencarvingthecrankinthesespoonsyouareaimingtocreateaflatsurfacetothetopofthebowl,whichgoesfromthetipofthebowltotheneckofthespoon.

Tocreatethedistinctiveneckonthesespoons,undercutthebackofthebowlusingthereinforcedpullstroketogetintotheneckofthespoon.Itisthen possible to ping the wood out with the grain, leaving you a sharpjunctionwheretheneckmeetsthebackofthebowl,ratherthanasmoothcurve.Thistechniquecansavealotoftimethatiswastedgoingbackandforthtryingtocreatesmoothtightcurves.

Continuetotaketheneckintightwithatriangularcrosssectionwhichthenflattensouttowardstheendofthehandle.Oncetheneckisneatandtidyfromthebottom,youcangivetheillusionofdelicatenessbytakingitinfurtherfromthetopoftheneckbacktowardsthetopofthebowl.Thismakes what was a triangular cross-section at the neck into a diamondshape.This techniquecreatesaveryorganic feel and the stembegins toresemblethejointsonaninsect.Thismakesthespoonmoredelicate;butit’salsostrong.

TurnedSpoon

Thisspoonisstartedwithanaxetocreateablankwhichhasnocrankandlittle shaping to the bowl. A lathe is then used to turn the handle androundtheprofileofthebowl,andthenthebackofthebowliscarvedwithaknifeandhollowedwitha spoonknife.Even thoughabeginner spooncarver perhaps won’t have access to a lathe in the first stages of theirinterest,Iwantedtoincludeithereasapolelatheisabeautifulandusefulmachine touse. Ialso think it is interestingbecause thevastmajorityofspoonsboughtfromasupermarketaremadeonrobotlathesinfactories.This spoon shows how, with a very basic homemade lathe, we canproducesomethingmuchmorebeautiful.Perhapsinthefuture,‘progress’willinvolvemakingmorebeautifulthingsthisway.

Turning is a clever way of making things straight and creating apleasinglysmoothsurface,andit’sextremelyquicktodo.Somepeoplearemore impressed by a turned handle than a carved handle, but this isbecausemost people do not understand that a facetted handle requiresmuchmoreskillandeffortonbehalfofthecarver.

Youstillneedtoroughoutyourspoonblankwithanaxe.Thiswayyoudon’thavetoremoveallofthewoodwithalathe.Butwhenyoumaketheblank,besurenottoshapetheendofthebowlasthisneedstobeleftwitha large blunt end, so that the centres of the lathe can be slightly offset.Thisallowsyoutoaddalittlecranktoyourspoon.

Turn the cylindrical handle of the spoon first. Interestingly, we alsocreate the shape of the rim on the lathe. This is done by shaping theprofileofthespoonratherthanthebackofthebowl.Youneedtohavethelathe spinning reasonably fast, and a very steady handwith your chisel.Thispartoftheprocessissatisfyingbecauseitgivesusinstantsymmetryandmakesforaveryneatprofile.

As anEnglish spooncarver, I like to turn an acornon the endof thehandle,asitistheseedofthemightyoak.Youcancarvethesurfaceoftheacorn,whichIleaveslightlylargeronthelathe,addingafewfacetstothecupanddistinguishingitwithafewcutsafterturning.

Takethespoonoffthelatheandroundthebowlforward.Indoingso,remove thenobble from the bowl end entirely.Do thiswith your knife,thenhollowoutthebowlwithabentknifetofinishthespoon.

Thereissomethingveryjoyousinservingfoodtosomebodyand,forme,itproducesverystrongfeelingsassociatedwithsharingandgiving.Itisaphysical gift and something we all do, which is a way of caring forsomebodyandnourishingthem.

Certain foods allow you to use your spoons in a very nice way. Thecurvature of a fantastic serving bowlwith an undercut rim actually rollsthefoodontopofthespooninsteadofhavingtochaseitaroundthebowl.Andthereissomethingprofoundaboutladlingsomethingvoluminousandwet. Part of the joy of serving lies in the movement itself, the simplecarriageofsomethingfromoneplacetoanother– inasimilarveinIamcaptivatedbythemechanicalactionofcranes,bythesimpleandsomehowgenerousmovementsinvolved.

Once,whileworkinginthewoods,Ihadwhatyoumightcalla‘spoonepiphany’.Onelunchtimeonafinesummer’sdayIfoundmyselfstandinginawoodland,fishingeggsoutofabigpan,whichwasboilingawayonanopen fire, with a beautiful turned spoon. I was suddenly touched by asenseofsomethinginherentlypeacefulandgenerousintheactofservingtheseeggs.ItmayhavebeenareactiontoaratherchaotictimeI’dhadintheyearsleadinguptoit,butthismomentreallycameoutofnowhereandconfirmed that I was in a good place. It was amoment of pure claritywhenIfeltthateverythingwasright.

PouringLadle

All ladlesarereallypouring ladles,butwecandistinguishthisoneeasilybecause it has a spout. This feature is my own addition, although thedesignisbasedonaspoonIfirstsawinamuseum.

Afewofmyspoonsarebasedonhistoricaldesigns,andthisonecameout of a visit to Roy Stephenson, who is Head of ArchaeologicalCollections at theMuseum of London. At the time I was interested infinding out more about ‘London spoons’ and Roy suggested I see aRoman-eraspoon.

This spoon is a celebration of the different surfaces you can create inwood.Soyouhaveaniceclean,flatsurfacetothehandle,beautifulfacetswhere the bottomof the bowl has been carvedwith a bent knife, and aseriesofsubtleringswherethespoonhasbeenturnedonalathe.

Creating the billets for these spoons is both neat and economicalbecauseyougettwoladlesoutofthesamepieceofwood,likeayinandyang.Cutyourlogtolengththensplititinhalf.Aftersketchingtheroughshapeofyourspoonswithapencil,sawtwocutsintothehalflog,oneateach neck. This can now be split in half again to create our twoasymmetricalspoonblanks.Takingonebillet,roughshapethebackofthebowlwithanaxebeforeputtingthespoonontoalathetohollowthebowl.Youcan thenuse the lathe to shape theoutsideof thebowlandhollowouttheinside.Forabiggerbowllikethis,turningisaveryefficientwayofremoving the material, rather than using a spoon knife, but there’s noreason why you couldn’t carve a similar shaped spoon using the axe,instead.

Thehandleisoffset,sothewholespoonisasymmetric,likea‘6’,andsoneeds no crank in the traditional sense. You collect your food throughrotation, dipping straight down and turning the spoon in, rather thantrying to get underneath it. You can use these spoons for pouring orserving almost anything. They are very good for soups but could alsocertainlybeusedasameasuringscoop,andoriginallytheymayhavecomeinmanydifferentsizes.

Thisonehasanicesquareholeatthetopofthehandle,whichisquitestraightforward to add. You could use a drill tomake this hole, but asgreen woodworkers interested in traditional tools it ismore in keepingwithourpracticetouseaknife.Ialsotendnottodrillholesbecauseyoudon’t get such a nice surface. Take a chip out from both sides of yourhandle,usingaknifewithatip.Todothis,firstmarkoutyourholewithapencilonbothsides–thepartof thehandleyouarechippingshouldberelativelythin–anddoacoupleofinitialcutstoseverthefibres.Youcanthenmakerepeatedstraightincisions,aimingtomeetinthemiddleofthehandle.Youarecarvingblind,sothetipoftheknifeishiddenfromyou.It’swisetomaketheholesmallinthebeginning,becauseyoucanalwaysenlargeittotidyituplateron.

SaladSpoons

When I used to sell spoons on the street I would often refuse tomakesaladspoons.Mycustomerstendedtorequestaforkasthesecondpartofaservingduo.‘Iamaspooncarver!’Iwouldprotest.However,Ihavetoconcedethat thesespoonsaremostusefulasapair,and ifmakingthemyoushouldbepreparedtomakeaconcessiontothe forkbymakingoneutensilwithasplitinit.ButIwouldstillcallthisaspoon!

Theissuewithservingsaladsisessentiallyhowtopickuplargeleaves.This isbestdonewithyourhands,butthis isunseemlysowecreateourspoonsessentiallyasprosthetics.Thesetoolsneedtoencourageacertaindelicacy as you certainly don’t want to dent your lettuce, but they alsoneedtobeabletodrainawetsaladwhichcontainstomatoandoliveoil.Somespoonmakerstalkaboutneedingthesespoonstobeperfectlyflatsothattheyfittogethernicelyasapair,butIdon’tthinkthisissoimportant.It’squitenicetohavetochaseyourfoodaroundsometimes.

Makethemthesamewayyoudoastandardcookingspoon,butlooktocraft them a fraction longer.Youwant to create a lengthwhich doesn’ttoppleoverorgetlostinyourlettuce,butit’sreallyaquestionofworkingto the bowl you use to mix and serve your salad. For me, this meanshaving them around a foot in length, but you can really alter themaccordingtoyourneeds.

The forked half of our duo of spoons is useful when straining oiliersalads,andthisforkisquiteeasytocreate.Firstly,youneedtoputaholeinto your fig-shaped bowl. However, this can make it quite weak andpronetosplitting,soweneedtopre-emptthesplit.

Maketheholeinyourspoonblankwithatightlycurvedspoonknife,orifyoufinditeasier,useadrill.Ifyouaredrilling,it’sbesttodothisearlyonwhilstthereisstillwoodtoremovefromtheinsideandoutsideofthebowl.A really sharpdrill – preferably onewith a spur on – is best as itleavesanicefinish.Ifusingaspoonknifeforthehole,finishthebowlfirstthen make a small hollow from either side of the spoon with a muchtighter spoon knife, until you havemade a hole that is no larger than amedium-sized olive. From the hole you can thenmark out a split withyour pencil before using a fine saw or a knife to create it – despite thename this shouldbe cut rather than split.Youcan thenbeveldown theedgesofthesplitinyourfinishedspoon.

I love the asymmetry of the growth rings in these spoons. I’m moreinterestedinusinggrainlikethisthanthemuchcelebratedspaltedwoodorburrs.Ilikethatitjustuseseverydaystandardwoodtomakesomethingmorebeautifulandactuallymakes thespoonstronger.Whenthegrowthringslineupthiswaythespoontendstobeslightlystrongerthanifitisonaperfectradius(withstraightlinesthroughthebowl),oraperfecttangent(withcirclesalignedsymmetricallyinthebowl).It’sstrongerbecausewiththegrowthringsrunningobliquelythroughthebowlyougetlongerfibres,whichholdtogetherbetterthanshortones.WhenIgetthecirclescentredinthebowlcustomersarereallyimpressed!Butitdoesn’ttakemuchskill.Ofcourse,youhavetobecareful,butit’sabitlikecarefullyfoldingapieceofpaperperfectlyinhalf.

BentBranchLadle

Hereweuse thebentbranch ina reallyclassicway, togiveourspoonaverydeepcrankforgettingintoadeeppan.Asopposedtoother,smallerspoons,whereweusethebentbranchmainlytocreateastrongrimorasmoothbowlforyourlips,herewealsoemployittocreatestrengthintheneckofabigladle.

You can stop the whole spoon from falling into the food with theadditionofahook,whichisalovelydesignfeatureofthisspoonandalsohelpful for storage as itwill probably not fit in a kitchendrawer.Thinkcarefullyaboutwhereyourhookshouldbeandpositionitaccordingtothesizeofpanyouwishtohangiton.Youmayalsowishtoconsiderwherethehookneedstobeinrelationtowhereyouwishtostoretheladleinthekitchen.Whencreatingyourhook,oneoptionistousethetipofaknifetocarveitout.Theknifethenallowsyoutogetintothetightcornersofthehook.The alternative is to drill a hole in the handle beforewhittling inyourhookshape.

Weneed to consider thepotentialweakness that addingahookcouldbring to our spoon. When flexing the handle, the weakest point isobviouslygoingtobeatthehook,butwhenIflexaspoonIliketobeableto feel the strength along the whole length and not be able to predictwhereitisgoingtosnap.Iownabentbrancheatingspoonmadefromfastgrowingash,sowithahighflexiblestrength,whichisverysatisfyingtoflexandnotehowithasbeencarvedinsympathywiththematerial.

Weaddressthefactthatweareeffectivelyreducingtheoverallstrengthof the spoon by leaving extra material at the weakest point, above thehook.Dothisbybevellingtocreateasmooth,facettededgetothetopofthespoon,muchlikethetopofthefeatherspoon.Thisaddsstrengthandalsohelpsustomaintaintheillusionofthinnessonthesides,aswellastheflatlookofthehandle.Thechallengeofcarvingacomplexshapesuchasthisisalwaysgoingtobeabouttryingtogetallofyourlinestomarryup,tocreatethecoherentshapeyoueventuallywant.

SugarSpoon

Thisspoonisanotherofmyfavourites,inpartbecauseitissoverysmall.Thismeansyoucannotconfuseitsuse.Ifthesugarspoonweretobeanylongerthenpeoplewouldalsouseittostirtheirteabeforeputtingitbackintothebowl.Asugarbowloftenhasa lidon,topreventbugsanddustgetting in,andbecausethisspoon issoshortyoucan just leave it in thebowl,muchlikethecaddyspoon.

Ialsolovehoweconomicalthisspoonencouragesyoutobewithwood.Thisisabeautifulspoontomakeifyouarecuttingdownasmalltreewithsmall branches, as thin as an inch in diameter – with side branches,smallerstill–whichwouldotherwisebewastewood,eventotheaveragespooncarver.

Thisisanotherspoonmadefromabentbranch.Birchisperfectforthisspoonbecause it splitsverynicely,andthe fibresaren’t tooentangled intheknotsatthebend.Takeyourbirchsaplingorbranchandpickwhichlittlesidebranchistobecomethehandle.Firstsawalongthelinewherethissidebranchcomesintothelargerone,thensawacrossthelargerstemsettingthelengthofthebowl.Thiswilldefinehowlongthebowlwillbefromthetwighandle.Usingasawwiththissizeofspoonmeansthereislesschanceofgettingitwrong,muchlesssothanifyouwereusinganaxe.Sosplitthemainbranchinhalfacrossthepith;wecanevenleavethepithinthesidebranch–onsomethingsosmallitshouldn’tsplit.

Due to thebentbranch, youget a reallydeepcrankwith this styleofspoonwhichwouldbeahardworkandveryweakcarvedoutofasmallbitofwood.Becausethisspoonissotiny,thecrank-carvingprocesswouldbeextremelyfiddlyanddangeroustoaxe.

Shapethebackofthebowlfirstintoaroughlyhalfcylindershape;youcan thenhollowout thebowl,or scoop, straightwith thegrain.Usingasmallspoonknifewillgiveyouanicecleanfinishasitwillcutacrossthemajoritythesurfaceinoneshaving.

Firstmakeyourhandlesquare,asthismakesiteasiertofashiontheballon the end of the spoon.Wewant the ball, whichwill be an extremelyergonomiclittletwizzlingnobble,tobealittlebitsmallerthanapea.Youcanthenadjustthespoonbyrollingtheknobblebetweenyourforefingerandthumb.

Tocreatetheball,firstlyfacettheendofthehandleat45degrees.Thenmeasurethelengthofthefirstfacetbyeyeandmarkthesamelengthoutonthebodyofthesquarehandle.Atthispoint,scoreintothehandleallthewayaround,beforebevelling in thebottomedgeof theball.Wecanthen take off the square corners of the handle to create an ergonomic,octagonalshape.

Ifyoulike,youcouldleaveamuchlongersidebranchhandleandmakeamoretraditionalbowlshapetomakealovelytwighandlespoonwiththebarklefton.Youcanevendothisonamuchlargerscaletocreateladleswithbranchhandles.

Makinganeating spoon requires thecarver toconsider the sensualityasmuchasthefunctionalityofthespoon;thesearespoonswhichgointothemouthandsospeakoftheveryintimaciesofeating.Assuch,weneedtoconsiderforemosttheirsoftnessinandoutofthemouth,aswellaswhatwemightcallthe‘mechanicsofeating’–whetherthespoonwillbeusedforsuppingorwithsolidfoods,andwhetheritwillbeusedinabowloronaplate.

The eating spoon needs to be the correct width for your mouth. Isometimesthinkaboutofferingabespoke,made-to-measurespoonfittingservice,wherepeoplecometomyshopforanhourandhavetheirmouthmeasured;thisisadreamscenarioforme.Iwouldn’tuseacrudekindofmedieval-looking device. Rather, customers would be able to eat withseveral different spoons andwewouldwork out the perfect spoon fromthere.

These spoonsareperhapsbest enjoyedusedwithawoodenbowl; thegentlethudthebowlmakesasithitsthetableandthesoftwoodensoundsofeatingareinfinitelymoreenjoyablethantheclunkandclatterofmetalforks on ceramic plates. A wooden bowl keeps the food warmer whileinsulatingyourhandsfromhotstewsoyoucancradleyourbowlinyourhandswhilstyoueatsnugonyoursofa.

Thesefoureatingspoonssuggesttherangeofformspossiblewithinthegenre.The fig shaped spoon and theSwedish eating spoon are in somerespects complete opposites, both in terms of their aesthetic and themethodsyoumustusetomakethem,asthischapterwillreveal.

FigShapedSpoon

This type of spoon is often referred to as a ‘medieval spoon’, and IdiscoveredthespoonwhichinspiredmydesigninamedievalcollectionattheMuseumofLondon.Handlingitwassomehowasoothingexperience,andnoting the familiar techniques and aesthetic qualitiesmademyownpractice feel both timeless and relevant. It confirmed me as part of atradition,thatIhavemuchincommonwiththemedievalman!

I feelquitecertain this styleevolvedalongsidemetal spoons,as tomymindtheydon’tseembornpurelyfromwoodculture.Thisistheobviousformtomakewhenworkingmetalwithahammer.Ifyouareusingsilver,for example, you just keep hammering the bowl until it comes to thatround shape, and the handle naturally starts square then becomesoctagonal–hammeringontopwithsomethingunderneathcreatesparallellinesinthelowerpart.It’seasytogeteightsurfacesinmetal,andit’salsoeasytocreatethisfunctionalshapeinwood.

Thefigshapeof thisbowlhasabeautifulorganic form, just likea fig.The aim is to create a spoonwhich allows you to get a goodmouthfulwithout having to create an awkward depth to the spoon. You need ashallowcurvetothehollowitselfasyourtoplipiseffectivelygoinginsidethespoontopullthefoodoutontoyourtongue,soyoudon’twantasteepsidedbowl.Thisisamulti-purposeratherthanasuppingspoon,andnotreallydesignedforpouringliquidintoyourmouth.

As should be obvious, the major part of the hollow of the bowl isconcave,butwhere itmeets the rimat thewidestpoint,whereyour lipsarebeingstretchedmostandreachingintothedepthsofthespoon’sbowl,youneedthespoontobeconvextowardstherim.Thisgivesyourlipsaneasierridewithouttherimdiggingintoyourlip.Youshouldalsolooktothinyourbowltowardstheleadingedgeofthespoon,creatingagradientwhichgoesfromthickatthedeepestpartofthebowltothinontherim–thisgradienthelpsyourlipsdrifteffortlesslyfromthespoon.

Thecurvetothetopofthespoonhelpstocreatethe‘bump’I lovesomuch,wherethehandletransitionsintothebowl.Thewaythiscomestoasharp ridge reallyaccentuates thecurveat theneck.Wecreate the long,tapering handle by chopping, or even sawing, two cuts in at the neckbeforesplittingthewoodoffalongthefibres.

Whencreatingathinhandlelikethis,it’sreallyworthcarvingwiththefibres.Thismakesitmuchstrongerandit’salsoinfinitelyeasiertocarve.Wehaveagradualtapertothehandlewhichmeansyoushouldbecarving‘downhill’ all the time. This is good because it allows for predictablecarving, where there’s no need to keep flipping it around so the knifedoesn’tdigin.

Asmentionedpreviously,theeight-sidedhandleisafunctional,sensibleform tocreate.Simply startwitha crude, square, four-sidedhandle andthen take the corners off with your knife, taking it to eight sides. Thisoctagonal handle allows you to twizzle it in your fingers, like a pencil,whichencouragesdexterityintheeater–adexteritywemaywellneedtorelearn in an age where people write on a laptop, or even a phone. Iwonderwhetherwewilladoptnewspoontechniquesforthedigitalage?

SwedishSpoon

TheSwedishstyleinspoonsisdefinedformebyalargeshallowbowlandashorthandle.Whencombinedwithaverysteepcrank,asweseeinthiseatingspoon,theeffectisadistinctive‘keel’,muchlikethekeelonaboat.Thekeeladdsstrengthwhere theneck is thinnestandoftenwhere theremaybeshortgrain.Thisisalsoanaestheticpartofthecomposition–anartfulness which I build up by adding bold, clear facets. Pondering thepossibilities of subtly combined function and effortless archaic beauty istheobsessionofthespooncarver.

This is really amulti-purpose spoonwhichworks verywell in abowl,but also on a plate because the spoon is so shallow. I frequently carvethese spoons with shovel ends too. People often say that it looks like aporridge spoon, though I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole it as such. Thatsaid,Idorecommendusingittoeatporridge,becauseslimierfoodcomesoff awooden spoon verynicely, and it is good to get peoplehookedoneatingwithproperspoons.

Wealsoachievearadicalcrankanglebyhavingaverylargebowlandavery short handle. Be aware that if you try to add a long handle thensuddenlyyourcurve,whichiscrucialtothelookofthespoon,flattensout.Adding even a centimetre to your spoon handle can make a hugedifference.

Thereareanumberofeffectiveillusionsinvolvedinthecreationofthisspoon.Aim fora shallowercurve to the topof thebowl,whichyoucanfurther accentuate by thinning down the bowl towards the front.Whencontrastedwith the thickness at the keel, this gives the illusion ofmorecrank. A tactical thickness and thinness, the suggestion of tight curves,givesyouthedramaticmovementwhichmakesthespoonsopretty.Ournext spoon also employs a sleight of hand in order tomake a powerfulvisualimpact.

CawlSpoon

Theway the cawl spoon is cut in at theneck is extremelybeautiful andgivestheperceptionorillusionofdelicacy,asthelineshereareveryclosetogether.Thistechniqueisthesameasthatusedbyfashiondesignerswhomakeclothesoutofstripedmaterialinanattempttoleadtheeyetowhattheywishtoaccentuate.

The form of this spoon is tied intimately to its function as a tool forsuppingcawl,aheartybrothmadewithmeatandrootvegetables,oneofthe national dishes ofWales. So there’s a definite technique to using itfromthesideratherthanendon.Itssidebowl,perfectforsoups,makesitslightlymoreslurpythanotherspoons.

ThetraditionofspooncarvinginWalesseemstohaveenduredlongerthan elsewhere in the British Isles, and the most famous example is ofcourse theWelsh lovespoon.Thesehavenowsadlybecomerather tweeand cheesy, which is a shame because they are born out of a beautifultradition. Early twentieth century Welsh love spoons are often slightlygrotesque, with chains and balls and cages, and loaded with weirdVictorianmeaning.TheolderWelshlovespoon,whichmighthaveaheartor two people’s initials on it, is much more beautiful, and part of atraditionofgivingacarvedspoonasatokenofyourlove.

It is perhaps worth reflecting here that working in three dimensionsallowsyoutotellacomplexstory,attimeslettingyoubaffletheviewer.Inotherwords,youshovelotsofinformationatapersonandhopethattheycomeawaywitha feeling, rather thana completeunderstanding.So theneck on the cawl spoon isn’t as delicate as it appears. It suggests bothstrengthandfragility,andforme,withthisparticularform,thatillusionisalmostthemostfascinatingthing.

Thecawlspoonhasawide, lozenge-shapedbowlwitha longandthinhandle.Legendhas it that the thinhandlewasdesignedtopierce it intothestacksofpeat–anancientfuel–withthecawlbubblingawayonthefirebehind.Thismaywellbeamyth,butyoucanwellbelieveitfromthearrowshapeofthehandle.I’veevenusedspoonsastentpegsinthepast,whenIwasatrampierkindofspooncarverandsleepinginafieldwhenIcouldn’tfindsuitablesticks!

Thethinhandleisgoodfortwizzling,becauseifusedproperlyyouareturningthespoon,finallytippingitwiththewristtofinessethesoupintoyourmouth.The spoon also has a deep crank to help you get into thebottomofthesortofdeepbowlyouinvariablyuseforbroths.

DolphinSpoon

This spoon is also reminiscent of an oldWelsh implement. Indeed, thedesignwasinspiredbyaspooninJonathanLevis’bookTreenfortheTable,where he suggests that dolphin spoons originally came fromCaernarfonshire,whereyoucanseedolphinsoffthecoast.Thisisanothereleganteatingspoonand,justasotherspoonsinthisbookareinspiredbyhuman, animal or cultural elements, aspects of the design suggest theinfluenceofmarineforms.

Whatcharacterisesthedolphinspoonistheelongatedthumbtab–thatdistinctive flick of the tail which suggests the dolphin. In practice, thethumb tab/tail allows us to get quite a large crank out of a thin bit ofwood. Because the tab comes out at a very steep angle, you hold itdifferently to other types of spoon, and itworks verywell if youhold itrightontheend.Again,this isreallyamulti-purposeeatingspoon,fromanagewhenmostpeoplewouldreallyjusthavehadoneeatingspoon.(Itellmycustomersthatwenowliveinanagewhereyouareallowedtoownseveral.)

Iuseafairlythinbitofwoodtocreatethespoonandstartbyputtinginquiteanabruptcrankattheneck.Inatechniqueuniquetothisspoon,wecanalsoaxe in fromthe tailend tocreate the thumbtab,cuttingacrossthegrain,andsplittingofftheexcesswoodfromtheretoo.Don’tmakethetailtoolongorthespoonwillbeweak.

Aimtohavethefibresofthewoodrunningstraightestatthejointoftheneckandbowl,becausethisisgoingtobetheweakestpart.Iliketomakethisstyleofeatingspoonwithquitearounded,eggshapedbowl,andIusethe twca cam tomake thehollow,comingback fromthe tip towards thenecktogiveareallynicesymmetricalcurve.

I often create this spoonout of a banana-shapedbent branch –not asteeply bent piece we might value elsewhere, but rather a subtle bendwhichwouldgiveyoumorestrengthtothebendofthethumbtabitself.

TheNewWoodCulture

There are a few things I hope you’ll take away from this book, frompracticaltipsregardingthehands-onbusinessofcarving,rightthroughtobroader social, environmental and philosophical points. In my mind,however,thesethingsarenotreallyseparable,orrathertheyarealljoinedup.Thisbookrepresentsaholisticapproachtomakingspoons.

Perhapsnowwhenusing spoons,you’ll takeyour time toexist in thatmomentofaction,appreciatingyourowndexterityandskillwiththismostdemocraticoftools.Thisbookisdesignedtoencourageyoutoseethejoyin the circularmotionof a spoon in amixingbowl, in the long slurpofsouppouredwithatippingactionfromaladle,andintheage-oldchaseofanolivearoundasaladbowl.

Ihopethatyouwillbegintonotetheimportanceofform,andhowtheshapeof all tools affectsnot onlyhow theywork, but alsohowyou feelwhenusingthem.Personally,IfindthatthemorespaceIgivemybraintoponderingform,takingtimetoappreciatethedetails,themorerewardingitbecomes.

Thebookisalsoabouttheefficiencyandbeautyofthemostbasicedgetools;perhapsIhavesuggestedsomethingofthedepthofmyownloveofsimply peeling shavings. Just a few edge tools and some simplewoodenones, like themalletandwedge,whichyoucanmakeyourself,arereallyall you need. For me, there is no need for noisy industrial machines,especiallywhenyouareworkingwithgreenwood.

Thesafeandefficienttechniquesdescribedheregiveyouthecontroltoshape freshwood. From choosing thematerial right through to refiningtherimofthebowl,the‘foundationskills’arerelativelyquicktoacquire,butveryhardtomaster.

I hope that the spoon carver will be inspired by the sixteen designsfoundinpartthreeofthisbook;IwishI’dhadafewofthesedocumentaryphotos when I started out carving, to suggest the three-dimensionalpossibilities that existwith spoons.However, the spoons featured in thisbook are really just a starting point, and I sincerely hope that you willshareimagesofsomeofyourcreationswithme.

I have, of course, tried to suggest something of my own love ofwoodland, and to inspire you to care (and read more) about trees.

Shouldn’tweallknowatleastadozenspeciesoftrees?Orhowoldanoakcan grow? We should all strive to learn more about woodlandmanagement,grafting,treespirits…Attheveryleastweshouldlearnhowbesttoprunetheneglectedfruittreeinoursuburbangarden.

Ihappentobelievetheworldwouldbeabetterplaceifweallfoundoutwho owns our local woodland and who is managing it. If your localwoodland seems neglected, then perhaps this book will prompt you toenquire if itmightbebettermanaged.If there isa localcoppiceworker,thensupport thembybuyingtheirproducts,orvolunteerwithacoppicegroupandgetinvolvedyourself.Ifyouareluckyenoughtoownafieldortwo, thenmaybe you can fence out livestock and allow somewoodlandregeneration.

Most importantly youmust get out there andmake contactwith realtrees. In an agewhere a growingnumberof people are calling forus toturnawayfromoilculture,withourendlessresourcewarsandtheplasticnowchokingouroceans,Iamprofferinganewdirection.Don’tpanic:Iamnotaskingyoutothrowawayyoursmartphone(thoughyoucouldturnitofffortheoddafternoon).Rather,anagewherewearemoreconnectedto nature, sourcing energy where it is freely available from the sun andwind, and using materials sustainably harvested from diverse managedwoodlands.

I suspect the greatestwood cultures are ahead of us, and I hope youmay be part of getting us there. I for one, on any given summer’s day,wouldcertainlyrathersitinthedappledshadeofanoldoaktreethantheshadowofabarrelofoil.

Nowgetoutthereandmakespoons!

Stockists&Resources

For spoons, tools, wooden blanks and video tutorials, visit my website:barnthespoon.com

Anddon’tforgettoshareyouradventuresinspooncarvingwithmeonInstagram@barnthespoon

For classes in spoon carving, woodwork and blade-smithing visitthegreenwoodguild.com

I also co-organise theworld’s first annual international spoon festival,Spoonfest.Meetotherspoonenthusiastsandenjoyarangeofworkshopstaughtbytheworld’sfinestcarvers.FindoutmoreatSpoonfest.co.uk

MySpoonspiration

JanHarmterBrugge,theDutchmasterofdesign.Mylittlesugarspoonisbasedonmy favouritespoonwhichhemadeand inhiswords isa ‘littleschoop’.houtvanbomen.com,@spooncarver

FritiofRunhallisoneofmygreatestinspirations:hehashadmuchtodowith the way I feel about woodwork and has taught me many carvingtechniques.HeteachesattheincredibleSwedishcraftschoolSaterglantan(saterglantan.com)andcanoftenbefoundsharinghisskillsatSpoonfest.

JarrodStonedahl isanincredibleAmericanwoodworker;hetaughttheworldtomakespoonswithshorthandlesagain,andwewereallbetteroffforit.woodspirithandcraft.com,@jarrod__dahl

JoggeSundquist–thereisnobetterlettercarverontheplanet.Hisfunandfolkyspoonsarefantastic.surolle.se,@surolle

OwenThomaswasthefirstinlineofthelongsufferingapprentices.Hebore the brunt of working with a willfully awkward and slightly mentalmastercraftsman–theothershaveno ideahoweasytheygot it! I taughtOwen in my shop and we worked on the Roman Ladle together.owenthomaswoodcraft.com,@owenthomaswoodcraft

RobinWood.Co-founderof ourbeautiful little festivalSpoonfest andmaker of exceptional wooden bowls that are the perfect companion ofspoons.robinwood.co.uk,@robinwoodcraft

Tools&Suppliers

BenOrford,benandloisorford.comDelStubbs,pinewoodforge.comNicWestermann,nicwestermann.co.ukRobinWood,robinwood.co.ukWoodlandCraftSupplies,woodlandcraftsupplies.co.uk

FurtherReading

Agate,Elizabeth(Ed.)Woodlands:APracticalHandbook(BritishTrustforConservation Volunteers, UK, 2002) Rackham, Dr. Oliver Trees andWoodland in theBritishLandscape (W&N,UK,2001)Levi, JonathanandRobertYoungTreen for theTable (AntiqueCollectors’ClubLtd. reprintedition,UK,2013)Sundqvist,WilleSwedishCarvingTechniques(Tauntonreprintedition,UK,2013)NationalCoppiceFederation,ncfed.org.uk

Acknowledgements

ThankstoElenforbeinganincredibleeditor,forunderstandingwhyit’simportant that we get proper hand carved wooden spoons in everyhousehold,andformakingthisbookhappen.

Iwouldalsoliketothankmyteachers.Therehavebeenmanyalongthewaythathavemadeallthedifference,whetherinspooncarving,teachingmethecorrectwaytoshovelgravel,orparallelparking(thanksDennis!).I’dliketosayaspecialthankstomyparents,whohavebeenteacherstheirwholelives.Sogladyoudidn’tforcemeintobecominganaccountantorlawyer(thoughsometimesIthinkthemoneywouldhavebeennice).

Thanks toBenmy long-suffering ghostwriterwhomade sense ofmytangledthinking;Debifortakingbeautifulphotos;Lizforsortingthroughthe copy;BenG for thedesign, andall thepeoplebehind the scenes atPenguinwhobelievedintheproject.

ToKen,TerryandPaulatTowerHamletsCemeteryParkforallowingus to take the woodland photos, and who epitomise the countlesswonderfulpeopleIhavemetonmyjourneythathavemadeitallpossibleandworthwhile.

ToCathmypartnerforbeingwonderful,andallmyfriendsandfamilywhoareusedtoputtingupwithmyspoonobsession.

TherearemanyotherswhoIwouldalso like to thank;youknowwhoyouare.

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