How to Make Spoons With Dry Wood
Wooden spoons are easier to carve than you'd think, especially when you are working with wood that is already seasoned and dried. It may take some planning to get the shape of the spoon right, but if you are careful, you can create a serving spoon, a soup spoon or a decorative spoon in a matter of hours. Be proud of what you create and use your spoon during dinner parties or give it as a gift.
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Things You'll Need
- Sharp whittling knife
- Block of dry wood
- Rough rasp
- Medium sand paper
- Fine sand paper
- Food grade wood finish
- Spoon scoop
Instructions
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1
Draw a sketch of the spoon you'd like to carve. Draw the spoon from the top and the side, including the shapes of the bowl and handle. This will help you conceptualize the dimensions of your spoon.
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2
Select a block of dry wood. Choose a wood that isn't too soft or too hard -- you want the spoon to be able to withstand heavy use but not be too difficult to carve. Cherry wood is a good choice for your first spoon. Be sure to get a block that is bigger than the size you want your spoon to be, because you'll have to sand the wood to make it smooth and this will remove extra volume.
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3
Draw the top view outline of your spoon on the top of the block of wood.
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4
Carve all the excess wood from the sides of your spoon. However, don't carve right up to the outline. You'll take down the rest of the wood with the rasp later.
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5
Carve out the bowl of the spoon with the spoon scoop tool.
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6
Using the whittling knife again, shape the back of the spoon bowl.
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7
Using the whittling knife, carve away excess wood from the handle of the spoon. Be gentle, or the handle could break. Leave plenty of extra width on the handle; you can take off excess wood with sandpaper later.
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8
Use the rasp to turn the roughly carved spoon into a more shapely form, and get the spoon closer to its finished size.
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9
If you are making a decorative spoon, add larger embellishments now, before the medium sanding, or finer embellishments before the final sanding.
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10
There are many grades of sand paper for finishing wood products. Use the medium sandpaper, and then the fine sandpaper, to smooth the dry wood spoon. The higher the sandpaper number, the finer the grit. Use at least a 400 or 500 grit sandpaper for your final finish.
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Rub a food-grade oil, such as olive oil, walnut oil, food-grade mineral oil or coconut oil into the spoon to preserve the wood and make the grain shine.
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Tips & Warnings
Vegetable or nut oil finishes may spoil over time if the spoon is not used frequently.
Nut oil finishes may cause allergic reactions.
References
- Photo Credit BananaStock/BananaStock/Getty Images Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
