Of Spoons And Fiddlebacks

Mistwalker

Mistwalker

Gold Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
19,042
When I first got the Bushfinger a few weeks back I sat down and whittled out this spoon in hopes of entering it in the contest.

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However I failed to follow the rules and didn't do the "before photo" correctly. Well...as some of you know my wife works 12 hour shifts three days a week and those are my "daddy days"...I usually don't even attempt any serious work until night while she sleeps. So...as i sat in the back yard watching her play today I started on a second spoon made from this Poplar limb. The sun was starting behind the mountain so the lighting was a little off.

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I used the new machete Andy made to rough it out with, With a combination of chopping strokes and some whittling, and man this thing is super sweet to work with. The ergos are just super, the weight distribution is awesome, and the controllability is great. I used a baton at first to split off part of it. The twist put the blade in a bit of a bind but all went smoothly.

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After I got it split down as far as I wanted I started chopping it into shape. The blade bites well and I was taking off really thin slivers at times to get to where I wanted to be.

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Up until this point I had used no other tools but the machete and really had fun with it.

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Time to switch to a smaller knife.

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I whittled on it for a while an hour or so and then it was getting dark. I still have a long way to go, but I made a pretty good start.

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Tools + skills = awesomeness!

The Bushfinger is showing a lot of "character" already and that 'chete looks very much like our itak blades over here :thumbup:
 
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Nice job on the spoon, it's been a while since I've done one. Usually don't finish hollowing out the bowl, but sitting around carving is usually fun and relaxing.

There is some truly awesome cutlery involved in this post too, mistwalker.
 
untamed said:
Tools + skills = awesomeness!

The Bushfinger is showing a lot of "character" already and that 'chete looks very much like our itak blades over here :thumbup:
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Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, the BF is getting lots of love lately, and the machete is simply awesome.


rocketbomb said:
Nice job on the spoon, it's been a while since I've done one. Usually don't finish hollowing out the bowl, but sitting around carving is usually fun and relaxing.

There is some truly awesome cutlery involved in this post too, mistwalker.
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Yeah, I know what you mean, I've only started a few and finished a couple but they weren't too purty.

Definitely some awesome bladeware, pure fun to work with.

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Great review! I handled a couple of Andy's machetes at Blade (I need to drive up to his shop this year for a visit!), and they really were sweet. Carving out the spoon bowl is a beast, even with curved knife...

Your spoon shape came out very good...I usually screw that part up; still functional, just ugly:D

ROCK6
 
Are you using the sharp spine as a scraper? If not you're overlooking another tool in the arsenal. Also the butt, being not as wide, can scrape inside the bowl of the spoon.
 
Fiddleback said:
Are you using the sharp spine as a scraper? If not you're overlooking another tool in the arsenal. Also the butt, being not as wide, can scrape inside the bowl of the spoon.
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Another good reason for the exposed tang.Awesome tools MW.Good luck.
 
ROCK6 said:
Great review! I handled a couple of Andy's machetes at Blade (I need to drive up to his shop this year for a visit!), and they really were sweet. Carving out the spoon bowl is a beast, even with curved knife...

Your spoon shape came out very good...I usually screw that part up; still functional, just ugly:D

ROCK6
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Thanks Rock, yeah it was at blade when I fell in love with them too.

Yeah...I've never worried about aesthetics before either but there is some serious competition in the contest lol.



j williams said:
Good stuff Mist.....

That chete is the bees knees brother.
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Thanks Jake.

The machete is freakin' awesome!


Fiddleback said:
Are you using the sharp spine as a scraper? If not you're overlooking another tool in the arsenal. Also the butt, being not as wide, can scrape inside the bowl of the spoon.
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Actually I have used the spine for some smoothing...forgot to mention that. I know the tang will come in handy on the bowl, one of the reasons I requested it extended. I've also struck the tang making notching...just not while I had Lisa around to operate the camera for me.


mykel m said:
Another good reason for the exposed tang.Awesome tools MW.Good luck.
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Thanks Mykel, with the competition in the contest I doubt I will win but it is fun.

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I worked on the spoon a little more this evening as it was getting dark and cooling off, with a little help from Alayna. The lighting was really low so some of the pics aren't the greatest as they are shot off hand (and one handed) with slowed shutter speeds.

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How about a bite of something warm?

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You can see my little helper adding fuel to the fire in the background...I love the little looks she gives me sometimes.

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And I got the knife handle a little dirty using the tang extension which worked pretty well.

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I'll work on the handle more after I get the bowl sorted out :)

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Good work Bro, those are some great tools. Great "Daddy" time huh?:thumbup:
 
Seeing a machete do what is normally done by a littler blade is cool to see. I need to get better at doing the smaller things with a bigger knife. Of course, would require me to want to do the littler things first. Maybe that will change.

Good thread :thumbup:
 
gunknifenut said:
Good work Bro, those are some great tools. Great "Daddy" time huh?:thumbup:
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Thanks bro, awesome tools they are :thumbup:

Yeah, I try to keep her outside and busy...I think it's better for her all around.


TheGame said:
Seeing a machete do what is normally done by a littler blade is cool to see. I need to get better at doing the smaller things with a bigger knife. Of course, would require me to want to do the littler things first. Maybe that will change.

Good thread :thumbup:
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Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it. This machete is just really sweet. It's really easy to control and light enough not to fatigue the wrist. I hardly have words to describe just how much I do like it.

Just do what you enjoy, that's what I do and it's always changing from one thing to another. Mainly I just like seeing what I can do with different tools.
 
Looks like fun. I haven't made a spoon in a while-ususally carve out the bowl, but think I will try the coal technique next time. Good stuff!
 
Love your daughter's expression.

She's gonna rule the world. Just accept it. :)

Nice illustrated work. Thank you.
 
mistwalker said:
Just do what you enjoy, that's what I do and it's always changing from one thing to another. Mainly I just like seeing what I can do with different tools.
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When things are always changing it keeps things fresh. I remember just a few years ago I really liked to do the smaller things, and mostly used smaller knives. The past 3-4 years I have really began favoring the big knives again. This winter I will have plenty of time to try a lot of new things, hopefully. :thumbup:
 
spoon is coming along nicely.:thumbup:

how thick is the fiddleback? i've been looking to get one but i don't know all the specs...not that it matters, everyone loves the hell out them.
 
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