SPOON # 18 - Saturday 4th May

A couple of new spoons for a new month. These eating spoons are based on a design I saw at Spoonfest last year - a really nice little spoon by Barn Carder. I've made a couple before but not been entirely happy with the shape so thought I'd try again.

Two spoons; two varieties of wood and two very different experiences.

The larger of the spoons, the one on the right, is green apple. Easy to carve but wet and now needs a couple of weeks of drying out before finishing (the sides on the bulb of the handle need straightening - they're too curved for my liking at the moment) and oiling. It looks very blonde at the moment but should take on some nice colour with age.

The spoon on the left is probably the hardest spoon I've ever done. Before I discovered a bag of green off-cuts in the garage (hence the green apple wood) I carved the smaller one from the nicest bit of fire wood I had on the log pile - a bent piece of seasoned ash. And boy was it hard work. My thumb feels like it's been tenderised with a meat mallet. Having said that, it carved so clean - no tear-out and no real need for finishing (unless I decide to sand it).