The Spoon Carving Art
Every household needs kitchen utensils. Making your own house’s spoons could be an excellent way for you to enter the world of wood carving. Choosing the best wood for spoon carving is so important. Spoon doesn’t have a complicated design. Therefore, by only knowing a few simple steps, you can make great spoons. As one of the most well-known types of wood carving, spoon carving helps you master maneuvering carving tools. You can carve a spoon with just a wood carving knife and a straight knife. Some people use an ax to cut the extra parts. However, a straight knife can do the very same thing.
Using wooden spoons instead of plastic spoons is a positive step towards sustainable living, which ultimately helps to save the planet and wildlife. Aside from this, you can also do a business out of carving spoons. Last but not least, carving a spoon is a very fun activity that you can really enjoy.
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Choosing The Best Wood for Spoon Carving
You cannot simply use any kind of wood for spoon carving. Softwood is not appropriate for such designs because spoons made of softwood are not strong enough to be used in the kitchen. Using hardwood is the best choice for spoon carving. Of course, you need to be experienced enough to work with the hardest ones. If you are a beginner, you need to start with softer types and then level up eventually to the harder ones. The softest types include willow, poplar, alder, and lime or basswood. After you gained experience using these woods, it’s time to become a pro. The following is the list of the best woods for spoon carving:
Paper Birch Wood
This tree is common and fast-growing. It doesn’t live very long either, so you don’t have to feel guilty about cutting it down. When it is freshly cut, the texture is just a little harder than others. It gets harder when it is properly dried. Its hardness makes it one of the best wood for spoon carving. By using a hook knife, you can easily carve it. Bear in mind that this type of wood is probably not a good choice for a beginner.
Silver Maple Wood
The silver maple tree is famous for its mesmerizing fresh scent, which can easily take you to your happy place. It could be a little difficult to differentiate between the silver maple and the red maple if you don’t access the leaves. Silver maple is an excellent choice for spoon carving. Because of its unique texture, your product will be of the best quality.
Black Cherry Wood
Some cherry trees are massive. This tree’s pink heartwood contrasts perfectly against the pale cream sapwood, which gets darker through time and turns into a reddish-brown. The texture that this wood will give your work is hands down astonishing. Hence, black cherry wood would be a best wood for spoon carving, especially if you are doing it for business.
Black Walnut Wood
This tree has a sharp smell when it’s freshly cut. However, the scent fades away over time. The texture of walnut wood is excellent for making spoons. The great thing is that you don’t need a big chunk of wood to carve spoons and smaller pieces are more available. The black walnut heartwood is dark brown. On the other hand, the sapwood is paler.
Apple Wood
Apple has the hardest wood on this list and usually comes with many knots and twisted grain. The subtle difference between the heartwood and the sapwood is elegant, which makes it beautiful. If you use this wood to make utensils, the result could turn out a little heavy due to the wood’s density. Because of all the knots, carving apple wood is challenging. However, by the end of the project, you will have a great sense of achievement.
Finding The Best Wood For Spoon Carving in Nature
Many carvers tend to find their material for carving after taking a nice stroll in the jungle. Although some types of wood could be more appropriate for spoon carving, don’t limit yourself and try to expand your carving experience. Depending on your geographic location, you can get your hands on specific types of wood. You can try horse chestnut, sycamore, hawthorn, rowan, etc. Working with different kinds of wood could be a great practice for recognizing each wood’s additional features. Such knowledge can be helpful in applying other wood carving designs. Next time you go camping or hiking, watch out for pieces of wood that may seem useful. Sometimes you can find unique things when you look close enough.
Why Choosing the Spoon Carving
Spoon carving is one of the best types of wood carving for beginners due to a series of reasons. First of all, it is not difficult to apply. You just need a template before starting to follow. Also, you will not need various wood carving tools to create a spoon. Secondly, spoon carving is a small project and does not take much time to finish. It would be a great encouragement for beginners to see the result of their works quickly.
In addition, carving spoons can help you master your tools and get to know wood’s various textures, which can, later on, help you choose the appropriate kind of wood for specific designs. Interestingly, many psychologists recommend spoon carving to some of their patients struggling with depression or anxiety because the process could be relaxing and satisfying for them. With all the mentioned things, if you are interested, choose your wood and give spoon carving a try!