Carving Green Wood

Spoons© Michael Ramsey 2014

Intended for private use only. Any printing for distribution or sale strictly prohibited without written consent of author.

Start by cutting a Crepe Myrtle or other Non Toxic tree that has a straight trunk. Straight wood grain makes a stronger spoon and is much easier to work and to carve.

(Again, any tree you have access to will work but check to make sure it is not toxic for your spoon or any other item you may decide to carve as a useful kitchen or eating utensil.)

Cut your wood down to the length that you will need and square off each end. Shown is a Rockwell Jaw Horse, which is a very handy vice but you and easily use a clamp or bench vice to hold the wood when you cut.

Below you will find step by step instructions for making a functional spoon using basic hand tools. There are a wide variety of tools that could be used in the process. Here Michael breaks it down to its simplest of form as the pioneers and early settlers would have done to create functional cooking and eating utensils.

One of Michael’s Hand Carved Spoons. Though embellished with additional details it was produced using the same fundamentals as described within this tutorial.

You can use your knife, I use a drawknife to smooth out the cut because it works so fast. I made my shaving horse to make Windsor chairs but never made any chairs, it works great for this step.

I also have a spokeshave that works very well for fine smoothing and as well as removing bark on wood such as crepe myrtle which has a thin bark. For a wood such as oak or other thick bark species a drawn knife would be a better choice.

Split your wood at the center. This is another reason that straight wood works best. Never swing the hatchet to do this. Once the hatchet is in the wood simply lift the wood and hatchet up together and pound against your splitting block. Watch your hands and legs!

I cut away the extra wood, some people use their hatchet or knife. I used hand saws on this spoon.

Now, using my hatchet, I shaped the back of the bowl of the spoon and brought it down closer to my line. Now the blank is ready to start the actual carving process.

I freehand the layout of my spoon shape because many times I design as I carve. You may want to take the time and make an accurate pattern, especially if you are new to woodworking or this is your first spoon. It is always a good to draw a centerline to help you keep your proportions on each side the same.

This little knife works great to start removing material and smoothing out the inside of the spoons bowl. You can also use carving gouges or a scorp, which is another specialty knife used for hollowing.

A wood rasp and a spokeshave makes it easy to shape the back of the spoon.

Green wood carves much easier then dry wood.

A little more sanding when it dries out some and now you have a completed spoon. If you choose to put a finish on your new spoon make sure that it is a food safe finish. There are several food safe finishes commonly available.

Go out and carve some green wood spoons! You will never look at your trees again without thinking about what may be hiding inside of them! They not make only useful utensils but make great gifts.You can easily add decorative details and carve them in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

This is an old cheap knife I bought when I was a teenager. It's not very good for anything else but it is perfect for using like a cabinet scraper. I hold the blade straight up and scrape in the direction of the wood grain. It makes the wood very smooth without sanding. It is great for shaping the handle.

© Michael Ramsey 2014Intended for private use only. Any printing for distribution or sale strictly prohibited without written consent of author.