Wooden Ware Care
Wooden ware is both elegant and functional. Once you have enjoyed a meal or a desert with it, you will find yourself using it not only for those special occasions with friends and guests, but also every day for your own pleasure. It is light, quiet, and a delight to use. I have a crock full of spoons, spreaders, and spatulas on my table for a multitude of kitchen uses and enjoy their beauty and
functionality daily.
Some people prefer to simply collect and display their wooden ware for its natural beauty and artistic value. However, I prefer to use mine and do so everyday. If you would also like to use yours, the following instructions will help you keep it looking beautiful.
My spoons go through a thorough finishing process, beginning with many steps of sanding with consecutively finer sand paper, soaking for several days in edible flax seed oil, and then a long drying period of about three months.
Generally, after the spoon has dried for three months, the flax seed oil has permeated and polymerized the wood and made it impervious to staining and normal washing. Daily use will keep it smooth and polished. Simply wash like any other fine table ware but do not put in a dish washer or soak for long periods, as that might draw the oil from the wood. I prefer to hand wash my spoons soon after use and dry with a towel, as this helps to maintain the natural patina of the wood
If your spoon seems a little rougher (this is a result of the grain raising from contact with water) after you use it a few times, you can try one of the following:
1. Simply continue using it, making sure you thoroughly dry it with a towel after washing. Over time it should regain its luster. If not follow step two.
2. Make sure the spoon is completely dry and then sand with 400 or 600 grit sandpaper. Oil generously with edible flax seed oil from your local food co-op and let it sit for a day or two, replenishing the oil if need be. Wipe off excess oil and let dry for several of weeks. It is then ready to use again and you should
not experience any more grain raising.
Note: The intended use of your wooden ware may dictate which type of wood you should buy. The very hard woods like apple, apricot, pear, buckthorn, lilac, and juneberry will hold up better under heavy use and retain a high luster. However, any of the woods we use will be very serviceable and even the softer woods like birch, box elder and soft maple achieve a pleasing patina after much use.
The Woods I use
Apple: I call this “muscle wood” because of the undulating waves in the wood as it is carved. Rub your fingers along its surface and you can sometimes feel the “muscles” of this extremely hard and durable wood. Difficult to carve but very suitable for all types of utensils, especially where extra strength and durability are needed. Stands up well to the toughest use and keeps its luster indefinitely. The soft earth tone colors (mellow tan of the sapwood and darker brown of the heartwood, sometimes with a hint of orange) are both pleasing and relaxing. Because of its exceptional strength, it may be carved to more delicate forms than some other woods.
Apricot: Very similar to apple in color but both the heartwood and sapwood are lighter (creamier) and the grain is more interesting. A very hard, durable wood.
Birch (paper): The wood of choice in far northern forests where it is the dominant hardwood. I call it the “Pearl of the forest”, as certain types of birch may obtain an astonishing translucent quality when sanded and oiled. Hold one up to the light and you can see the light right through it. Medium hardness and density and requires a tad more care than the very hard woods, but is quite suitable for all kitchen utensils. A pleasant creamy yellow color to tan or brown and even grain makes this wood a good choice for kolrosing.
Box Elder: Well known, easy to obtain but not much appreciated as a tree, yet this wood can make some very nice spoons, often with redish tinting in the normally white sapwood. Medium density, even grain, and great for kolrosing.
Buckthorn: A pugnacious shrub or smaller tree that is invading and destroying native habitat in parks and forests, especially near cities where it was introduced many years ago as an ornamental. If you have this on your property, please cut it down, but do carve it into spoons! Del Stubbs calls this the “Minnesota Rosewood”. From sapwood to heartwood, it ranges from light yellow to dark orange with beautiful patterns in the grain and rays of the wood. Very strong and durable but difficult to carve and larger spoons of this species are more prone to splitting.
Cherry, Black (also known as Rum Cherry): Very nice spoon wood, med to hard in density, durable. Creamy tan (sapwood) to reddish brown (heart wood) tones with pleasing grain.
Juneberry: Very hard, dense and durable with coloration similar to apple but slightly lighter, rarely with a tinge of purple. Wonderful berries similar to blueberries, so don't cut this down to make spoons until you've at least tried the fruit! If you have a juneberry in your yard, thin out the old canes for spoons, thus renewing the bush to produce more and better fruit.
Lilac: Quite difficult to find in sizes large enough for spoons.
Wood is extremely hard, dense, and durable with beautiful lavender tints similar to the flowers.
Maple, Amur: Another invasive species that is suitable for carving. Similar to birch but whiter with occasional red streaking and darker heartwood. Good for kolrosing.
Maple, Mountain: Much like Amur Maple. Grows in the far north (especially in areas that have been logged) where not much else is readily available. This is a very weedy species in some areas so cut all you can for spoons.
Mulberry: This is a softer wood that works for eating spoons but not so well for utensils that get rough usage. It is nice to carve and has a grain pattern very like Buckthorn, but the colors are in the yellowish green tones and it is quite beautiful.
Pear: Very similar to apple but not quite as hard, lacking the “muscles” and usually with more interesting features in the wood such as unusual coloration and knots.
Plum: One of the most beautiful woods with interesting color variations and grain patterns. Hard, durable and holds its finish well.
Red Cedar: Very abundant and easy to obtain in some areas. Wonderful aroma. Heartwood can be bright purplish red and the sap wood is a pleasant blend of natural tan to brown tones. The wood has a natural waxy sheen. Not at all strong and cracks are common - should be used mostly for display spoons or eating spoons that won't be abused..
Other woods worth trying: Choke and Pin Cherry, Mountain Ash, Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Silver Maple
"Carve Your Own" Spoon Blanks
How to care for your spoon blanks
Your spoon blanks are shipped frozen but will be thawed by the time you receive them. Remove from the plastic bag and place them in a pan of water to rinse them off. Then replace in bag while still wet and refreeze them once more until you are ready to carve. If you do not finish a spoon during one carving session, either refreeze it or soak it in a pan of water until you can carve again. It is essential to keep the spoon from drying out until it is completely finished so it does not crack or become too hard to carve.
Blank preparation
I try to ship blanks that have as much waste wood removed as possible without limiting you in your choice of design. The first thing you will need to do is to choose a design appropriate for the blank you received. Some of the endless possibilities are illustrated below under “Design Considerations” but it is always more fun to create your own designs. Primarily, this will involve shaping the bowl and the handle. After you have selected a preliminary design, draw it on the blank. A charcoal pencil (available at art supply stores) works well if the wood is wet. If it has dried on the surface, an ordinary soft graphite pencil works fine. Drawing a centerline the length of your blank will help in keeping your design centered and symmetrical.
Design Considerations
Your blank piece of wood will, to some degree, dictate what your final design will be. Try to follow the grain as much as possible, especially in the weaker points of the spoon such as the bowl tip/rim and the neck of the handle. Knots in the wrong/weak places can ruin a spoon, but in some places (such as the broad part of the handle) may add considerably to the beauty or character of the finished piece or may even suggest other design possibilities.
When the blank is cut, I try to follow the grain along the bottom of the spoon bowl and handle to eliminate exposure of end grain as much as possible. You can tweak this a tad to change the elevation of the handle to suit your preference, but not too much. There is more latitude for tweaking with harder woods such as apple than with the softer woods such as birch.
Spoon Carving Instructions
There are as many ways to carve a spoon as there are spoon carvers, so this is not intended to be authoritative. It is simply the way I have found best for me with the tools I use and the conditions I carve in. You will eventually find your own “comfort zone” and work in that. To get started, you can try my method if you like.
For carving the blank, I use only hand tools and work entirely in my lap. My tools consist of a Pinewood Forge sloyd knife and hook knife plus an apron. That’s it. The nice part about this is that I can carry my entire tool kit in my shirt pocket or a small bag. I start by carving away the waste wood up to the design I have drawn on the blank. Then I do the rounding on the back of the bowl. Next I go to the handle and completely shape the top and bottom. All that is done with the sloyd knife. Last I take the hook knife and carefully carve out the bowl, stopping often to check its thickness using my thumb and forefinger as a “feeler gauge”.
The above is all done keeping the wood wet or "green". When the knife work is done, let the spoon dry slowly in a cool place out of the sun for a couple of weeks. Now start sanding with 80 grit paper and proceed through 100, 200, 300, 400, and 600 grits. Do not skip grits or you may wind up with scratch marks still visible after oiling. Soak in edible flax seed oil for 3 days and dry for 3 or more months. Now you are ready for one of the most delightful culinary experiences of your life; enjoying a meal with your own hand carved wooden spoon!
For more information, check out our list of classes and demos on the events page.
