Spoon Carving With The Beckers (PhotoHeavy)

The Warrior

The Warrior

🇺🇸 INSANE VIKING 🇺🇸
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I've been making this spoon for some time now. Obviously the photos were taken at different times. This is my second spoon. Not perfect, but was fun to do. Very relaxing hobby. I used my Beckers for the main carving work.

Baton this piece with the BK2:

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Starting the carving work with the 2:

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Plenty of chopping and smoothing:

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The blank. I purposely leave a piece on the end, for something to hold onto while carving. Really, I should draw the spoon out, and make the bowl part first, then cut it out, but hey, whatever works:

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The start of the bowl, using a Mora hook knife:

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You can see how the extra helped for gripping it, while carving the bowl. Really, you should go against the grain, but this was faster. Against the grain will yield a smoother result:

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I kinda sorta made a rookie mistake, and used the part that still had the pith. The center, that is. Should have known better:

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Used the saw blade on my Vic Camper to cut the end off:

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Will have to round off that flat end:

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Reverse chest lever grip smoothing strokes to get the job done, with my custom 11:

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That's better:

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Starting to look like a spoon:

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Thinned the sides down, and removed more stock from the bottom of the bowl:

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Making the neck thinner, and the front of the bowl thinner:

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This past weekend, I used the 14 to thin the sides, bottom, and front of the bowl even thinner:

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Probably not the best grip, but works very well for smoothing. Notice how the thumb on my left hand, pushes against the thumb on my right. What I'm doing, is holding the blade stationary, and pulling the spoon across the edge. I get a lot of control using this method:

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After taking it home and sanding/shaping it more. I put olive oil on it when finished with the sanding. All I had. Some say it will turn rancid, other say they've been using it for 30 years, and it going rancid is BS. Who knows. Anywhos, the finished product:

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This was a relaxing, and fun project. Next time I make one, I'm gonna use my Roselli axe for the initial blank. I also want to try my hand at making a bowl, using primarily the hatchets.

Thanks for looking.
 
Nice work Dub :).

I've made two spoons so far, but both were were done without the benefit of the hook knife (and they looked far, far worse than yours, but were done with tools at hand (hatchet and gerber 400 multitool) when we had forgotten a ladle to get stuff out of the dutch oven when camping). The tip to keep extra length on the end of the spoon is a good one. I remember having issues trying to hold onto the bowl of the spoon. Having that big extra amount of wood there looks like it would really help.

How are those hook knives to sharpen? I've thought about picking one up, just haven't done it yet.
 
Hey Warrior......

What a nice tutorial..... And of course your usual lovely photos...... If you can't make a spoon using this thread you are probably not gonna get a spoon!...... Your step by step is better than a video....... Much easier to follow....... Very impressive......... Thank you.....

Ethan
 
KingMC said:
Dude.

Well done! very pretty and way cool.
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Thanks man, appreciate it.

ocnLogan said:
Nice work Dub :).

I've made two spoons so far, but both were were done without the benefit of the hook knife (and they looked far, far worse than yours, but were done with tools at hand (hatchet and gerber 400 multitool) when we had forgotten a ladle to get stuff out of the dutch oven when camping). The tip to keep extra length on the end of the spoon is a good one. I remember having issues trying to hold onto the bowl of the spoon. Having that big extra amount of wood there looks like it would really help.

How are those hook knives to sharpen? I've thought about picking one up, just haven't done it yet.
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Thanks man. The Mora hook knives are pretty cheap, and well worth it, if you're gonna carve spoons or bowls. I've only had to strop it so far. The bevel is on the outside of the blade, so it's not overly difficult. Just take your time. You could always do the ol marker trick.
 
Ethan Becker said:
Hey Warrior......

What a nice tutorial..... And of course your usual lovely photos...... If you can't make a spoon using this thread you are probably not gonna get a spoon!...... Your step by step is better than a video....... Much easier to follow....... Very impressive......... Thank you.....

Ethan
Click to expand...

Thanks Ethan, appreciate it.
 
That's awesome. I love carving spoons, but I've never finished one. Every single time I get one about 3/4 finished, the kids steal it and use it as a club.

Nice work W. And excellent job making the 2 look like a toy knife with those big mitts :)
 
Very Nice Warrior!
Great Pic's & Knots in wood give it character.
May have to try this sometime...
 
The Warrior said:
Thanks man. The Mora hook knives are pretty cheap, and well worth it, if you're gonna carve spoons or bowls. I've only had to strop it so far. The bevel is on the outside of the blade, so it's not overly difficult. Just take your time. You could always do the ol marker trick.
Click to expand...

Not that I had ever investigated the photos closely, but that was the very thing that I was wondering. If the bevel was on the inside it would be a giant pain to sharpen. Knowing its on the outside is actually really helpful.

And again, the end product looks great. I also use olive oil on my knives... haven't gotten sick yet (also don't store them for years at a time though). I also wanted to say nice work on that 11. I've been seeing a few mods like that lately, and kind of want to do it to mine. As it is right now the 11 is nice, but just has too small of a handle for me. Changing it like that would seem to add a lot of handle space (and mine was given to me with a choil, so I'd have at least another 1/2in or so).

Thanks for the fun thread :thumbup:.
 
Nice, funny Just last night I was carving a spoon with my 11. Don't think it will turn out that good but it is relaxing.
I have found forks easier :p and chopsticks very easy .
 
Very cool Dubs! It is so nice to put steel to wood, and then have something tangible left over to show for the work. Very rewarding, thanks for the share!
 
Creaky Bones said:
That's awesome. I love carving spoons, but I've never finished one. Every single time I get one about 3/4 finished, the kids steal it and use it as a club.

Nice work W. And excellent job making the 2 look like a toy knife with those big mitts :)
Click to expand...
Thanks man, appreciate it.
zakjak221 said:
Very Nice Warrior!
Great Pic's & Knots in wood give it character.
May have to try this sometime...
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Thanks man. I like the knots myself. DO try, it's really not that hard.

Aikiguy said:
Good stuff Dubz. Need to get me one of those Moras.
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Thanks man. It's a good investment. I think they're like $20, iirc.

ocnLogan said:
Not that I had ever investigated the photos closely, but that was the very thing that I was wondering. If the bevel was on the inside it would be a giant pain to sharpen. Knowing its on the outside is actually really helpful.

And again, the end product looks great. I also use olive oil on my knives... haven't gotten sick yet (also don't store them for years at a time though). I also wanted to say nice work on that 11. I've been seeing a few mods like that lately, and kind of want to do it to mine. As it is right now the 11 is nice, but just has too small of a handle for me. Changing it like that would seem to add a lot of handle space (and mine was given to me with a choil, so I'd have at least another 1/2in or so).

Thanks for the fun thread :thumbup:.
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If it were on the inside, I think a round stone would have worked out okay. Creaky Bones did the mod on the 11, and gifted it to me. Really nice having the extra room.

LG&M said:
Nice, funny Just last night I was carving a spoon with my 11. Don't think it will turn out that good but it is relaxing.
I have found forks easier :p and chopsticks very easy .
Click to expand...
Thanks man. It is very relaxing. Hell, I like just plain ol' whittlin' a stick.

iwouldhurtafly said:
Very cool Dubs! It is so nice to put steel to wood, and then have something tangible left over to show for the work. Very rewarding, thanks for the share!
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Thanks man. It is cool to find a spoon in that log I started with.

daizee said:
really nice spoon, Dubz!
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Tanks brudda.

TBL said:
:thumbup: nicely done!
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Thanks man.
 
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