Jar of Wood: Spoon Carver’s Blog

Carving lessons I've learned in the past 6 months.

Mon, 16 Jan 2017 07:58:13 GMT

(A blogpost I started in Nov that I’m finally finishing up because it’s still relevant. Sorry for the random photo sizes, I’m too worn out to fix them. Now I remember why I like Instagram so much…)

For years I have been living with the mentality that since my carving time is limited, I had better only spend it carving what I love most, eating spoons. Someday, when I think I have more time, I’ll take time to learn to carve other things, like making toys for the kids, or by that time, grandkids.

I have been discouraged about my carving ability, or lack thereof. It feels like for every pretty nice spoon I make, I make about 10 more that might be called decent, but probably not. It feels like a waste of time.

This spring, when the Spoon Gathering rolled around. I debated whether or not it was worth going. I had not carved in almost a year, and it felt like too much trouble to start again. I knew that if I didn’t go, it could be years before I was motivated to carve anything again. So we went, and I even went early to take a refresher course with Patrick Diette.

(Check out his work Klipnocky Wood Shop, I Love it! I own more of his spoons than anyone else.)

I left the Spoon Gathering in the middle of making a spatula (I haven’t done a big carving project in years!) for a cousin’s wedding that was due in two weeks.

Nothing like a deadline to keep me going. So instead of enjoying the gathering and putting my knives away as soon as I got home, I had something I had to finish.

When I finished, and posted a photo to Instagram (my account is @jarofwood ),

my sister reminded me she was getting married in two months… So, I dug in my freezer for another blank and started on another spatula since she already has a mixing spoon from me. I was kind of enjoying it too! (Note, this particular blank has been waiting in my freezer for many years waiting for just the right time and occasion to come out.)

The theme of the Spoon Gathering this year was decorating spoons. I’ve never felt brave enough to do any decorations, because after all the work I put into a spoon, I sure didn’t want to ruin it by trying to do something I had never done before. But decorating had caught on, and there was a lot of inspiring photos on IG (Instagram) and I thought it was time to give it a try, after all, I’ve owned Del Stubbs’ kolrosing and detail knives for about 9 years already.

For the first time in a while, I purposefully let myself carve something other than a spoon (a good spatula is just about ask tricky as a good eating spoon), just for the sake of learning. I decided to carve a batch of butter knives to take with me to on vacation for my sister’s wedding, so I could experiment with different angles of blades, and different decorating styles.

It has been a fun process! (Experimenting between kolrosing and chip carving)

When we got back from the wedding, I pulled a piece of wood out of the freezer to have a deadline-free go at another spatula. After all, the wood has been in my freezer for quite some time, and it is taking up a lot of space. While I was at it, I pulled out a few pieces for some eating spoons, to have a smaller project to work on when I got tired of the spatula. When I picked up the axe to work on the spatula, I noticed a difference in my carving. For the first time ever, I wasn’t scared of the axe. Apparently making two spatulas, and seeing how much waste wood I have to remove to make a nice one helped me to have the confidence I have been missing. Even when I moved to the eating spoons for a break, I used the axe to shape the spoons more than I have in the past. Even to work on the neck and the inside of the bowl, two places I have otherwise avoided. And it felt good!

I am proud of how the spoons turned out. Maybe some of my nicest work so far.

(A baby spoon for my new niece.)

The spatula isn’t finished. I have made good progress, but the apple wood I am using is knarly, and it is teaching me a lesson of it’s own: Choose your wood carefully. Bad wood isn’t worth spending time on… But I will finish it sometime…

I don’t have any more deadlines for gifts that I know of right now, so I’m not tied to making things for other people.

You know what I did this week? I carved a twig bird.

Not even a bird attached to a spoon or a knife. A bird without a purpose, but to make me smile, and to see if I could. My boys think it is super cool and want me to make them one to play with. You know what? I am.

I have realized that it is because of my NOT making eating spoons that my eating spoons made a jump in quality. (At least two of the three did…)

You know what else I did today? I made some hooks for the wall out of branches. I’ve wanted to do that for years. There just happened to be a good stock of branches down the street waiting to be picked up. For once I looked at a branch pile by the road and didn’t think about spoons. First I grabbed twigs to make more birds, then I went back for the hooks.

I still have wood in the freezer for spoons, but for now, I am giving myself permission to carve something else for a while.

The spoon I owned for less than a week

Mon, 14 Jul 2014 20:02:09 GMT

Last year at the Spoon Gathering, I was again able to add to my growing woodenware collection. I have been slowly collecting spoons from my carving friends, as well as plates and bowls from Jarrod StoneDahl This was the first time I decided to also buy a spoon from Jarrod. I think I especially fell in love with the colour he used on the handle.

Well, I was enjoying the spoon so much, that I threw it in my purse one day as I went out to do errands. (You NEVER know when you will need a spoon on the go, you might meet someone who invites you out for ice cream. It is always good to be prepared!) That was the last I saw of that spoon. I think it maybe fell out of my purse in a shopping cart, I’ve even gone back to ask 3 times, it hasn’t been found.

It is still a good idea to take a spoon with you wherever you go, but maybe make sure the bag you put it in can be zippered shut first.

Morning Light

Sat, 12 Jul 2014 20:09:23 GMT

I recently opened an Instagram account (jarofwood) and found I really enjoy how easy it is to post photos and a quick caption. Unlike my blog, which feels like it takes all night just to put up one post, therefore I don’t. This year at the Spoon Gathering in Milan, a number of people said they still check out my page, so for them, I’d like to post a little more often. No guarantees about frequency, and if we open our home to more foster children the web page will go back to the back burner, but until then, a few photos for you to enjoy.

This photo I took early this spring, of my new coffee stirring spoon in the morning light. I was mesmerized with the play of light on the coffee, and how the coffee was in constant motion.

Short story behind the spoon. I made it at Spoonfest in the UK last summer. I was frustrated with trying to create a perfect spoon that I purposefully gave up and worked on scrap wood that I picked up from the ground. It was pleasing to my eye but not to my mouth, so it sat on my spoon board for months. Then I saw a blog post by Jarrod Stone-Dahl about handcraft in use. I loved that he used a spoon to make his wife’s coffee, something I drink a lot of but have never regularly used a wood spoon for, so I hunted on my board for a spoon that would be perfect, and that I wouldn’t mind if it became dark from coffee.

It has gone from a reject spoon to a favorite spoon. I love it when that happens.

Spoon Gathering 2014

Wed, 11 Jun 2014 19:52:48 GMT

My family and I just came back from our 6th Spoon Gathering in Milan, MN. What a nice weekend. My favorite part about going to things like the Spoon Gathering is how much I take home with me and keep pondering over even when it is done. Especially when so much happens in such a short amount of time.

In my pondering, here are a few of the highlights for me:

Carving. Last year I only took out my knife to loan to someone to carve their name; I’m not even sure they used it. This year I was glad to be able to do a little carving myself. I haven’t finished the spoon I started, but I hope to soon.
Talking to other carvers. Catching up with old acquaintances, meeting new people. Where else in the world can you find people who readily understand the pleasure of carving a spoon by hand? (Besides Spoonfest…)
Seeing Chuck, who we met at Spoonfest last summer. We were one of only 7 people there from USA, and the first person, along with his wife, who we met at Spoonfest. It was a lot of fun to catch up with him.
Seeing someone motivated to carve a spoon similar to one of mine. High praise indeed!
Watching my son have the time of his life playing outside almost all day.
Great weather, including a great thunderstorm at night.
Sitting with, chatting with, and carving with the older gentlemen in the crowd. The people that aren’t on Facebook. Just enjoying good conversation and not worrying about trying to impress anyone.
The Spoon Circle (or whatever you want to call it). After being at Spoonfest last summer, and participating in their closing Spoon Club, I hoped we would do at the Gathering too, but it wasn’t in the plans. I asked if it was something we could do, and I was told sure! If I organized it…. So I did, even though it made me nervous, because that is how much I was hoping it would happen. What is it? Everyone comes with their knives and a spoon blank (we didn’t have enough chopping blocks for everyone to start with the axing out) and spend 5 minutes carving on it, then pass the spoon on to the person on the left, and taking the blank from the person on the right. Spend 5 minutes on that spoon, and then pass it on, etc, for an hour. At the end of an hour you get to keep the spoon in your hands. Everyone leaves with a mostly finished spoon. Sort of a group project/instant gratification thing. With a lot of friendly banter in process.
Having people tell me “thank you” for organizing the Spoon Circle. It was a lot of fun! I’m glad other people enjoyed it too.
Listening to Robin Wood’s talk about his journey in wood working.
The spoons and bowls I was able to acquire while there.

There is more, so much more, but that gives you a small picture of the weekend. For photos, check the Spoon Gathering 2014 in the Photo Galleries.

(Photo by Jim Sannerud)

Spoonfest 2013

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 19:46:40 GMT

My Hubby and I were able to go to Spoonfest in the UK this summer, I am finally working on putting photos up in the photo gallery if you are interested. It is a work in progress at the moment, so check back in a few days to see how far I got.

In Christ,

Rita

Progress

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 19:16:19 GMT

So, has my carving corner helped?

I’ll let my progress board speak for itself.

Some of these spoons were mostly finished before I touched them up and added them to the board, a few are made from scratch since I had the carving corner, and a few were already on the board before I started my corner. Some are even a few years old, that I finally found time to finish up.

Now I am working on sanding and oiling them all. My goal is to have them all finished by the end of March; so far I am on track.

In Christ,

Rita

Dream World meets Reality

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 09:44:59 GMT

I have been spending a lot of thought time in the past few weeks creating my dream workroom in my dream house.

I was inspired one day when seeing this come through my news feed.

by Captain Michael Schiller

Pretty isn’t it? Why did it spark me to recreate my dream work space? Three reasons: 1)Windows. I love to just watch the world around me while I am working. 2) Windows. I want to to be able to watch what is going on in my own home, and still be able to carve. 3)I want a space that has a barrier between me and the kiddos, they are so spontaneous that I don’t want them accidentally running into my knives while they are playing.

Then last week Reality came a knocking on my dream door. It reminded me: “Rita, you may never have your dream house, or your dream work room, can’t you find a way to make it work with what you have now?”

Hmmm… good point.

Looking around our apartment, there was really only one place that would be ideal, so with a little moving of furniture, this is what I came up with.

Nice eh? It has 1) a window to the outside world. 2) point of view that I can watch the kiddo and be part of the home while I carve. 3) a barrier keeping little fingers from my knives as I carve. And the added bonus 4) I was able to rig up a sheet to catch most of the wood chips, so I don’t have to clean up after myself every time I leave the carving area.

On my first test run last week, it was so lovely! I have just what I need. A stump for when I want to use the axe (in the back corner), a favorite chair to carve in, my work tote with knives that I can lock if needed, and a stool for my spoons that I am working on. The baby (14 month old) spent most of the time hanging around the barrier, playing with the c-clamps or pulling books off the shelf and giving them to me to read to him.

(After the first trial run, moving things more out of baby’s reach)

Know what? It’s better than my dream work space, because it’s real, and I am finally carving again, the first time since the day the baby learned to crawl.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 09:52:33 GMT

Wishing you adventure in the new year, and time for plenty of carving!

In Christ, Rita

Peg Boards, Part 2

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 08:16:46 GMT

I wanted to give a few more photos of the peg boards, now that they are up and in use. I am very pleased with the boards, and they have been doing exactly what I was hoping they would.

This progress board is my favorite.

This is where spoons go when I am finished carving and ready to sand and oil. For whatever reason, this board is the most exciting for me to fill up. It means I have been carving. Carving is the part I love, not sanding, but I like sanded spoons. So I fill this board up, then sand them in batches, or better yet, when I have a spoon on this board, I can just grab it, and sand paper, and bring it with me to work on for ten minutes here or there. They will get finished eventually.

It was while I was working on sanding a batch of these spoons that I realized I’d like a board to hang the spoons out of the way to dry. Somewhere I could see them, but wouldn’t be so tempted to touch them or use them before they were ready. That gave way to the Drying board.

Taking spoons out of oil signals the completion of a spoon of me. That is when I take out my log book of finished spoons and record the details of each spoon. Last recorded, I have carved 222 spoons since I started (give or take about 5 that may have left my hands too quickly to remember to write it down). That is when I give a real big sigh of satisfaction, and move the spoons somewhere to dry and be admired.

The last board I have is the “Reserved” board. It’s the place to display finished spoons that are ready to leave my hands but have already been spoken for. The longest spoon that is on the drying board will move here when it’s done drying.

Here are a few photos of the lay out of the boards in the apartment. We have a small, very white apartment, so I am very glad to have a few punches of colour to liven it up.

Here is the view from the living room, walking into the kitchen. The primary boards are the finished and for sale board and the progress board. I wanted them both close, the for sale board for others to be able to look at and touch, and the progress board for me to be able to look at and reach easily. The purple reserved board is down the hall (on the right), still visible if someone wants to go look, but out of sight for those few friends that hope everything is for sale.

This is the view going into the kitchen. Notice how the drying board is very much out of reach. At the moment my drying process takes a while (I need to invest in a different oil) so I put them out of reach on purpose, but I can still see them and admire them.

For a complete look of the boards, here is the drying board, along with my own display and use board. And notice the beautiful plates and bowls on the cabinet, they are also used every day!

Thank for checking out my spoons!

In Christ, Rita

Peg Boards, Part 1

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 05:33:27 GMT

So, to start this blog again, I wanted to share something that is making the biggest difference right now in my carving. It’s not the carving itself, but more of how I am encouraging myself to keep it up.

Last year I was honored to be a demonstrated at the Spoon Gathering in Milan, MN, and for the occasion I thought it would be easiest to display my spoons if they were all in one spot. I had most of my spoons a peg board, but the board wasn’t quite big enough to hold all the spoons, so I made another one.

Now that peg board hangs in the kitchen, keeping all my spoons close at hand for use and display.

One of my thoughts since coming home from this years Spoon Gathering was trying to figure out how to keep on carving even if I only have a few minutes here or there, instead of feeling like I need an hour block to even bother getting started. Then the idea of a “For Sale” board popped in my head. What if I used my peg board idea, and made another one, one to hang all the spoons I have ready for sale. Maybe that would encourage me to fill it up!

So, David and I went to Menards to buy a peg board. they only had 2x4 foot boards, and I was thinking I wanted something smaller, so I cut it in half, and the second half turned into my “Finishing” board.

My two boards turned into 4 when I realized that I would like a board to dry my oiled spoons on. And since I had already discovered that I couldn’t get a board smaller than 2x4, I used the second half of the drying board for a “Reserved Spoons for Sale” board.

I will write a little more about these boards later. Here is a photo of my for sale board. The painting is painted by my Oma, and was a gift for our wedding. I love it!

In Christ, Rita