I have a beautiful wooden spoon, one of my favorite things in my kitchen. It was carved by hand and because of that, it was expensive. Totally worth it, in my view, but a once in a lifetime purchase for me. Every now and then I wish I could afford to give one as a gift but cost prohibits. So when I stumbled on an old article from Mother Earth News on how to carve your own wooden spoon, I was intrigued.
Mother Earth News first published the article How to Make a Wooden Spoon in the 1978 November/December print issue of their magazine but it is now available on their website. Author Lee H Arten explains how he taught himself how to make his first wooden spoon, a gift for his wife-to-be. Arten's tone is encouraging and matter-of-fact, making the prospect of carving a wooden spoon seem very reachable. He subscribes to the notion that the spoon is already present in the wood and the maker is just bringing it out.
Arten has never purchased wood for his spoons. He recommends asking lumberyards, furniture making operations, and high school shop teachers for wood scraps that would normally be discarded. He also uses tools that are easy to come by and not expensive, such as a pocketknife and a rasp. You can use a band saw to make the initial cuts, but it isn't necessary.
The article in Mother Earth News might be too sparse for some people. If you want more detailed instructions, consider Edward Smith's Making Wooden Spoons from For the Love of Wood which has pictures or watching one of the many videos you can find on the internet, like the one above.
The bottom line is that making a wooden spoon for your kitchen or as a gift is a relatively simple project that requires very few tools and is rewarding way to spend an afternoon. With autumn just around the corner and the holiday season just beyond that, this might be time to get started!
By the way, the spoon pictured above is the one I mentioned in the first paragraph and it's a far cry from what a beginner might accomplish. Still, it is an inspiration and I would like to credit the maker Lance Herriot as well as his daughter Nikole, who runs the online shop that sells his work and is well-known herself for her blog Forty-Sixth at Grace, as well as her photography and styling work. As I said earlier, the spoon is one of my favorites and it is a blessing and a privilege to be a caretaker for such a beautiful and lovingly made thing.
Related: Homemade Wooden Spoon Butter: For Buffing, Not Eating!
(Image: Dana Velden)
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An interesting idea, but--no offense--I kind of thought after the introduction of the tutorial that you'd actually tried to make it yourself? It seems hasty to call a potential spoon-carving project "relatively simple" without having tried it. As you said, your spoon and others like it are a work of art. And art takes more than a tutorial. As such, this post seems more like a shoutout to the artist of the spoon--which I think I would prefer without the how-to.
Can you tell us where your spoon came from and how much I would need to spend on one? I'm not interested in the DIY version, but I'm interested in perhaps acquiring one.
OMG, were you watching the same episode I saw of Woodwright's Shop with Roy Underhill on PBS this weekend?? The whole episode was dedicated to carving Swedish spoons! It did NOT look easy to me. Roy Underhill looked decidedly uncomfortable with the whole venture and he's an experienced woodworker that only uses hand tools.
Here's the link if you want to watch it...it's long and goofy but I was mesmerized:
Carving Swedish Spoons on Woodwright's Shop
And I'm interested because I'd love some hand made wooden spoons but I'd just as soon someone make me some hand-carved spoons so I don't injure myself trying.
A spoon might be pretty difficult, but you could probably start with a flat wooden spatula...
if you're not in to making your own, this is a pretty great resource: http://www.wannaspoon.net/ - handmade in Oregon. If you're local, I think they set up at the Eugene Saturday Market as well.
@carrotsticks: please read the final paragraph of my post which answers most of your questions. I can't remember how much my spoon was (it was about 2 or 3 years ago that I purchased it) but I'm pretty sure it was over $50.
@slowlorus: No, I didn't see Woodwright's Shop but I'll watch it now. Thanks!
@Carrotsticks, I got swept up in the hype at The Spiral Spoon near Glacier Park in Montana and got a handmade spoon with a big, deep bowl (good for scooping chili, etc.) for $50. There was a lot of entertaining propaganda in the store about choosing a spoon to fit your hand and so forth, but mostly I just liked the looks of it; I feel like one of the three witches. On the other hand, for a spoon that expensive, I hesitate to subject it to much abuse, like leaving it to sit in the stew to get waterlogged, so I can't say that I really use it as often or as carelessly as all my $1 wooden spoons. I probably don't get my money's worth of use out of it.
I've carved spoons before, and I can say that it takes a little practice to get it right. Expect your first few to be uneven and much smaller than you expected. Woodworking stores like Woodcraft.com have blanks (spoon sized pieces of wood with a nice straight grain) that you can buy. All you need is a few bent gouges, a pocket knife and some sandpaper!
Don't let your spoon soak in the sink, keep it FAR AWAY from the dishwasher, and re-seal it every so often by rubbing it with mineral oil. I've got an old wooden spoon that's been used regularly for years, and it still looks beautiful.
Last year, all of my fifth grade students carved spoons, which is often the first project in the Waldorf school's woodworking curriculum. The children were so proud of their work, and each piece was so unique. I like the mention above of the idea that "the spoon is already present in the wood and the maker is just bringing it out."
I'm surprised at the number of nay-sayers here. If a bunch of fifth-graders can do it, so can we! Are you craftier that a fifth-grader? I'm totally going to make one. It looks like fun. I just hope I don't sustain any injuries (knife slippages and the like).
"the spoon is already present in the wood and the maker is just bringing it out." Didn't Michelangelo say something similar about how he carved David out of Carrara Marble? I think I'll start with the the spoon...
This video is sort of creepy...
a man with an ax, sitting next to dead coyote, wood splitters and shavings falling all over his living room... *shudders*
After watching the video, this looks like something I could easily do myself. It looks like a nice way to spend a fall day.
I felt relaxed & happy just watching that video.. There is something to be said for working with your hands in a cozy room with a fire.
Thanks for sharing this! Great spoon! And my 9 year old enjoyed watching it, too.. he'll probably be out with his hatchet attempting this tomorrow.
I think this is a lovely idea. Here in Wales there is an old tradition where a man would carve an intricate wooden spoon as a love token to a women he wanted to court and they were therefore called lovespoons. It was said that the more intricate the design, the greater the love. Nowadays a carved spoon is a popular wedding gift.