Directions for Hand-Carving Wood Kitchenware

You can carve many different types of utensils from fine-grained wood.

Wooden kitchen utensils have been used for thousands of years. The methods used for hand carving wooden utensils has advanced from using stone tools. Today very refined hand tools are available.

Things You'll Need

• Fine grained wood
• Pencil
• Coping saw
• Wood carving knife
• Gouge cutting tool
• Sandpaper
• Food-safe finishing oil

Instructions

1. Draw the outline of the top of your utensil on the top of a fine-grained piece of wood with a pencil. The wood should be attractive, be a little bit longer, wider and thicker than the utensil you wish to make.Using the coping saw, cut off the extra wood, but don't cut up to the line. Instead, leave a little extra wood for finishing.

2. Draw the outline of the edge of your utensil on the edge of the partially cut wood. Using the coping saw cut off the extra wood. Again, do not cut up to the line--leave a little extra wood for finishing. This now gives you the "blank" from which to carve.

3. Carve the finished shape of your utensil. You will need the carving knife for most of this step. For carving concave portions of the design you will need the gouge-cutting tool.

4. Sand the utensil smooth. The grit of the sandpaper will depend on the wood chosen, but 150 grit is often best for the rough sanding and 220 grit for the final finish sanding.

5. Finish with a food-safe finishing oil. Use a small rag and rub the oil onto the wood.

Tips & Warnings

• If your utensil has teeth, as with a fork, do not cut out the teeth until nearly finished. Cut out the teeth after sanding and then touch up with the sand paper.

• Always carve away from you. Never carve toward your body or your hands.