First Gouge for spoon carving

[Matt Lau]

Do you guys have a recommendation for a good gouge for spoon carving?

[David Bassett]

Do you guys have a recommendation for a good gouge for spoon carving?

What are you using as your guide? (There are different traditions, I'm sure some use gouges....)

All of the recent tutorials & instruction I've seen are "Sloyd" or Scandinavian tradition and use hook knives. (In addition to carving axes & straight knives.) Some sources I've book marked are:

Maine Coast Craft (http://www.mainecoastcraft.com/store/c10/Spoon_carving_hook_knives.html), (heirs to Drew Langsner's Country Store & Workshops.)

Wood Tools (http://wood-tools.co.uk/tools/robin-wood-spoon-carving-tools-starter-kit/), Robin & JoJo Wood's company. (BTW- JoJo's young, but incredibly talented. Peter Follansbee wrote about her watching him carve for 15 mins and making suggestions which improved on his 40 years of experience.)

Pinewood Forge (https://pinewoodforge.com/product-category/spoon-carving-supplies/)

Orford knives, e.g. at TFWW (https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TX/item/OR-CROOK.XX), who also has Ray Illes (https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/dept/TX/item/MS-RISPN.XX) tools.


ETA: forgot North Bay Forge (http://www.northbayforge.com/bn.htm), who I've also seen recommended.

[Karl Andersson]

for bowls and spoons, I get a lot of use out of a Pfiel D5 bent gouge at 12mm (D5L/12) and a straight D7 20mm (D7/20). I also use the bent knives, but the gouge is faster at clearing waste and shaping for me. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if the 7 were bent as well - for bowl bottom transitions. I use the 7 (deeper curve) first for rough shaping, then the 5 for 'smoothing', then a scraper or knife.

Peter Follansbee uses gouges when making his spoons- if you look up spoon carving on his blog, he should list what he uses. I think he posted something along those lines this winter.
good luck
Karl