r/Spooncarving

i believe it's made from Ash wood. what do you guys think? finished with cutting board oil and bees wax

Really happy with how this one came out.

I made my first spoon! Nice little side quest from the woodcarving I sometimes do.

This was with a starter kit from slojd.nl, with a Morakniv 106 & 164.

I found the 106 a bit too long, so I already ordered a Mora 120.

In the meanwhile I used some of my woodworking knives for detailing, and a gouge for the open shape of the heart.

A lot of sanding up to 240 grit, and some oil to bring out the colors of the wood. The blank, that was vacuumpacked and thus quite soft and easy to carve, was marked ‘vogelkers’ which translates to birdcherry / hackberry.

I really enjoyed the process, and it took me about 5 hours in total.

Not bad for a first time, right? The cat liked (and licked) it as well!

I already have a log of random wood lying around, and have sharpened a little axe.

Lets see if we can make some blanks, and then some spoons!

Finally finished building and setting up this folding workbench to replace the ratty, unstable, buckled ikea table I had been using for years!

Lots of carving in my future!

What’s everyone’s setup look like?

I see this question come up sometimes so thought I'd post what I do with fresh cut/green wood to prevent checking and splitting.

Pretty simple, leave the bark on and apply sealer to all cut surfaces. Dries mostly clear (2nd pic).

Been spending some time with a Thornwood Forge Merlin carving axe and wanted to share my impressions for anyone considering one.

The thing it really excels at is smaller, more controlled carving work. It feels very precise and confident in the hand, especially when shaping spoon blanks and doing more accurate cuts. For detail-oriented work and controlled stock removal, it’s been a really enjoyable tool.

What I’ve found is that my carving style may be leaning toward wanting something with a bit more blade length bevel for more flowing stock removal in the early stages. The Merlin still performs beautifully, but it’s made me realize I may eventually want something slightly different for roughing out blanks.

Curious if anyone else has had a similar experience with the Merlin vs. longer carving axes?

Also, if anyone in the US has been looking for one, I might consider parting with it depending on where my kit ends up — mostly just trying to gauge interest before making any decisions.

Lost a lot of depth from that . Got mad at it and just left the cross section however it was and burnished and oiled.

Some times I regress into that rage that would have a spoon axed to shreds in the past. This was one of those moments and I'm proud I'm held it back... But I'm still mad at that stupid wood.

Edit: almost forgot. I also still love the ripples in the grain at the bottom of the bowl. It was a great surprise

one of my spoons im kinda proud of as a new carver!

For me it this tiny ladle made from a small ake ake branch( all done with hand tools) the bowl is hollowed out with a drill bit

First one is on the bottom and is finished except for a few last knives strike to make it more equal where it thins, and oiling, of course. Second was almost finished, but it broke, so im turning it into a spatula/spoon hybrid to scarpe stuff at the bottom of jars. Last one is the most unfinished.

Btw, what oil should I use for finish? What is the chepest for a good job?

Had the idea to use wet cardboard mush on top of these birch logs to keep them green longer. Had inspiration from Bastionhead woodworks, but he uses chainsaw shavings.

Don't really know what I'm doing, I just started. I've been playing Playstation most nights but the other night I started carving for the first time and didn't stop for 3.5 hours, I was in the zone! I had to go to bed at some point, and frankly my hands were sore in some places. I made the mistake of thinking starting small would be easier, oops - but I do need a coffee spoon so it's okay. I used a vise, and a sanding slat to improve the shape (it was uneven). I want to make the handle a lot thinner (and a bit straighter) but I'm sweating because I keep thinking it'll break. Any tips on how to handle that, or general advice?

P.s. I got the right handed hook knife but honestly I expected the blade to be on the other side, and regret not getting the left handed one instead. Maybe it's a beginner thing or a small project thing but I'd really prefer to push! Sometimes I turned the knife with the gap towards me so I could push. The spoon is very small so I don't know how much I can use the hook anymore, any advice on hollowing out the spoon?

Two more axe handles from the local shagbark hickory.

First time doing some pommel panels and using a crazy crotch figured black walnut off cut also from local here in CT, USA

These will go on a Japanese hatchet and combo bearded/adze carver

I’ve seen this technique before and seems like a good way to use thinner stock and still have a robust handle grip