First Spoons of 2011

I just completed my last batch of coffee scoops. They are not my favorites, they are fun enough to carve, but the finish work is tedious since they are small, but with large bowls. I think I will be done carving these for a while as this last batch should complete my obligations on already spoken for spoons

If we look at the top right picture for reference

2011 - 1 Mulberry with Kelrosing
2011 - 2 Alleywood with Kelrosing
2011 - 3 Maple with tiger stripes in the bowl
2011 - 4 Boxelder - not my favorite carving, but I decided to finish it anyway.

Next up is completing the ladle shown in the previous post. It is the work in progress shown on the work bench. After that my wood supplies are dangerously low so out in the snow I shall have to go...

Workbench

I decided to start off 2011 with a couple of pictures of my workspace. It is not large, but works great for spoon carving. I used to carve in the basement of the house in a typical shop space. It was cold and isolated. After seeing Robin Wood carving in the living room I knew I needed to make a change. I repurposed a rolltop desk of my sons into a carving bench. It continues to slowly evolve.

The top left is a nice overview of the space I work in. I do the rough out either outside on my chopping block or in the basement with my bandsaw.

Top right shows the tools I use most often. There are several knives from Dell  http://www.pinewoodforge.com  A Left handed Carving Jack from Flexcut, a couple of Japanese tools (plane and spokeshave), and a small drawknife.

The bottom left is another view and the middle picture is a ladle I am working on. I copied the desk vice from an article I found on Barry Gordon's site. http://www.barrygordon.com/
He is a master and I hope to one day meet him and maybe acquire a spoon of his.

Finally the bottom right shows a few accessories. There is a old leather strope, a couple of homemade scrapers, and new this years is a spoon scraper and marking gauge from Lee Valley - thanks to Santa....

Walnut and Apple Splash

This spoon was a long time coming. I mean I have had the idea for months, but never acted on it. Mostly because I was scared of messing up. Long ago, I tried wood turning buying the tools and setting out to be the next great turner. As it happens turning was not for me as I did not appreciate the noise, and all the chips that landed everywhere. Carving is very Zen like for me - proably why I carve so many spoons. My son actually turned this little 'handle thing' when he was about 10, and I carved the apple scoop a couple of years back and both sat quietly until this afternoon when I finally attempted to drilling the hole. It took all of 30 seconds and was a none issue.

The result is quite nice as the chocolate and golden browns work well together. Most impressive is that it stands on its own base. And it looks cool too.

2010 68 Maple Ladle

I like the shape of this spoon with the keel running along the back. I gave it an Octogon handle which is hard to see, but there none the less. You can see the darkening that occured as it dried. I scraped and scraped, but was not able to remove all of the discoloration. Kind of depressing, but nowhere near as bad a dropping an almost finished spoon only to have the bowl crack....

Anyway as long as we are palying critic. The bowl needs to be a bit larger to have any real use, but the general S shape gives it good user properties.

If you look close you can see a bit off my workshop. It is a small rolltop desk where most all of my carving is done. I plan to take some pictures of my tools and process over the holidays. The desk works well and the rolltop is great to hide the mess. I only wish is was more sturdy. On my long list is to build one like you would a workbench - a someday project.

2010 67 Maple serving spoon

One of last pieces of maple in the freezer. I have enjoyed the simple chip carving patterns I have added to my spoons as of late. I went so far as buying a book on technique this weekend only to realize what an amatuer I am.

2010 65 and 66 Chestnut Coffee Scoops

Here are 2 Chestnut Coffee Scoops. There are 2 sizes. I prefer the longer one since I can reach into those silly coffee bags. Both turned out nice are potential xmass gifts for a couple of people I know.

Spatulas

Hera are a couple of saute spatulas I recently finished. These are both Boxelder.

1 has a flower coming out of a pot and the other is a vine with flowers.

I recently carved 2 other saute spatulas one in Mulberry with a chipped carved handle and the other is Elm with a small frog on the handle. In my haste I forgot to take pictures before selling them. I had big plans to photograph all 4 together since these pictures did not turn out as well as I would have liked. Luckily, I plan to stick to carving and not selling pictures....

I have 2 small coffee scoops to finish off this week and will post them soon.