1st attempt at a carved spoon = fail

[theedge13]

i was in the garage this weekend and i bought a couple 6' fence pickets for halloween (scarecrow stand) 97 cents each..cant beat that. while i was out there i had to rip one of them in half lenght wise so it would fit his arms (ala crucify style)...had about a 9" piece of scrap that i started playing w/. of course had the scary as hell sharp knife w/ me so i started carving...then i thought back to when i spent alot of time on bladeforums survial forum. so i thought...lots of dudes carved spoons out of stuff like this in the wild...:idea: im gonna do that! got the rough shape done and started shaping the bowl section of it. i started by drilling a hole w/ the knife point and slowly started carving out the concave section....so..another idea came...burn the hole then scrape it...this resulted in failure as i didnt have a coal going and was just trying to burn it w/ wood curls that resulted from the handle..still digging w/ the knife slowly scraping out the concave shape..then on to the back side to make the convex shape. i got a little over zealous w/ my carving the convex shape and made a pin sized hole in the back...grrrr...so i scrapped it..tried to do a fork and it didnt work well..the progress on the spoon gave me some good practice w/ different cutting techniques...next weekend a spoon will be carved! i was ok w/ myself as the only tool i used was my mora 2000...if i had a spoon carving knife a spoon woulda been had... first time.. to try it...

 

[SIXFOOTER]

So, 9 hours later you have what? a pile of shavings and a stick?

 

[theedge13]

yeah...tinder like i like to call it..

make lemonade outta lemons

and practice w/ several types of cutting techniques. Been awhile since i got to really practice that kind of stuff

 

[dipbait]

Bet it would make a decent stirrer.

 

[ZombaiO]

I've tried to make a spoon as well - no success for me
It's very hard for my unskilled hands.But you inspired me to try again at the weekend :thumbup:

 

[dawsonbob]

My first attempt (many years ago — I think I was about 15 at the time) at a spoon didn't come out very well, either. I ended up with a pile of shavings on the ground, and a good stick to poke the fire with that only vaguely resembled a spoon. Actually, you would have to have been really imaginative to see the resemblance to a spoon. My Dad laughed his a** off, and told me to stick with it. Eventually, I could make a spoon. Keep at it, and you will too.

 

[theedge13]

im thinking if i get to try again this weekend ill have a spoon...lots of things i picked up last weekend on do betters

 

[siguy]

My first spoon looked more like an ugly paddle, but about three or four spoons later, I was getting something that looked pretty good, and would hold some food pretty well too.

Instead of a crook knife, I have always used a small, cheap carving gouge. I just never got around to buying a crook knife. I still might get one sometime...

 

[dawsonbob]

im thinking if i get to try again this weekend ill have a spoon...lots of things i picked up last weekend on do betters

That's the thing: just keep at it and you'll win. You have lots of time and, Lord knows, there's lots of wood in the world to practice on.

 

[theedge13]

That's the thing: just keep at it and you'll win. You have lots of time and, Lord knows, there's lots of wood in the world to practice on.

Indeed. Those 97 cent white wood fence picketts courtesy of Home Depot are the way to go for city dwellers like myself

 

[dawsonbob]

Indeed. Those 97 cent white wood fence picketts courtesy of Home Depot are the way to go for city dwellers like myself

I've been playing a little with the dried palm fronds in my yard. Even cheaper than Home Depot.

 

[theedge13]

i wish i lived where there were dried palm fronds were abundant

 

[dawsonbob]

i wish i lived where there were dried palm fronds were abundant

And I often wish I lived where everything was green. But then I think of all the rain and snow. Actually, if we ever get rain again in my lifetime, it could get green around here. Don't they have palm trees where you are?

 

[theedge13]

No palms in Oklahoma...not native anyway...can hit up the Home Depot for some indoor variety tho Our trees are various oaks, some fruit trees, some coniferous types, etc...no palms tho

 

[dawsonbob]

No palms in Oklahoma...not native anyway...can hit up the Home Depot for some indoor variety tho Our trees are various oaks, some fruit trees, some coniferous types, etc...no palms tho

I'm in the center of San Diego, and there are palm trees everywhere. Very little else in the way of trees, except for Eucalyptus. I could always send you a piece of palm to play with. Never tried a spoon from palm, but it carves just fine.

 

[theedge13]

Thats mighty cool of ya man.. you dont have to do that... My 97 cent ventures wont break my bank (too quickly ) ...itd cost ya more than that to ship even a small piece. You are awesome tho for even offering! I've been to the san diego area before and it is hella nice! Last adventure to cali was the other san..francisco... was a cool little time stayed in china town (dont.ever.do.that.) and did the wine country tour (FTW!!!) i like cali's climate..very nice

 

[dawsonbob]

Yeah, the climate's nice. It would be great if there were fewer people and better politics.

 

[theedge13]

Yeah, the climate's nice. It would be great if there were fewer people and better politics.

This is true of most places my friend

 

[dawsonbob]

This is true of most places my friend

Roger that.

 

[theedge13]

My first spoon looked more like an ugly paddle, but about three or four spoons later, I was getting something that looked pretty good, and would hold some food pretty well too.

Instead of a crook knife, I have always used a small, cheap carving gouge. I just never got around to buying a crook knife. I still might get one sometime...

hmmm that sounds like a good idea too...maybe sears will have one that isnt too pricey