I just finished hand carving an Apple wood spoon. The wood was dry and tried my patience with the slow going. Green wood is definitely an advantage while hand carving.
I just finished hand carving an Apple wood spoon. The wood was dry and tried my patience with the slow going. Green wood is definitely an advantage while hand carving.
The spoon on the right below is the one made from Apple wood. It's just a simple, functional spoon that's already been used in the kitchen. So far I've carved spoons using dried Walnut, Basswood, Poplar, Birch and Apple wood and somewhat green Olive wood. The Apple wood was by far the hardest and most difficult to carve by hand.
Spoons 003.jpg
PS So far I'm having a lot of fun carving, particularly spoons. It's a different kind of enjoyment than turning on the lathe, flat work, etc.
Last edited by Steve Mathews; 02-05-2019 at 8:29 PM.
I make spoons from dried Walnut and have tried Apple and Maple. Apple was almost impossible, Maple somewhat better. I will carve Walnut anytime it is great.
I finished four spoons in Eucalyptus last week. Sometimes I like the harder woods so I can appreciate something softer.
Aj
What did you carve it with, knife, palm tools, full size?
I have a pile of apple wood I have been planning to use for "something." Whenever I pull a piece out to plane it, I am reminded how tough it is. Even on surfaces that look like they are going in one direction, I often get tear out. Very tough wood.
Can feel your pain. I'm having a lovely time with a set of cherry cooking utensils. This is my first experience with cherry so I did not realize how hard it is. Started with 2x4x12 inch blocks I had in the woodpile. Band saw didn't really like blocking them out. Further carving with spoon gouges, straight chisels, carving knives, spoke shave, and rasps - getting there gradually but cutting edges better be sharp. They do finish up nicely, though, with a simple mineral oil finish.
Last edited by al heitz; 03-26-2019 at 12:27 AM.
those apple spoons are beautiful. Well done.
Never thought about using olive. How has it worked out for utensils? I have several large olives and often get 4" to 6" prunings that seem ideal for spoons.
What kind of olive? I have some pieces of Russian Olive and it's nothing like the true Olive from Europe. For one thing it's ring porous (very porous) and has a coarse texture. True Olive is diffuse porous with tiny pores, very fine, smooth texture.
I wouldn't use Russian Olive for spoons or anything in contact with food. The true Olive, on the other hand, is perfect for spoons and such. I love using it for platters, bowls and such, recently made a mortar and pestle for the kitchen.
When in Athens, Greece I found a shop that sold nothing but things made from Olive. It was incredible. They hand hundreds of spoons, forks, cutting boards, rolling pins, platters, bowls, stools, chairs, picture frames, and much more. I couldn't find any Olive to bring back from Athens but I did find some in Italy. (A carpenter gave it to me. With all that olive around guess what his favorite wood is? White Pine!)
I haven't carved any spoons yet from Olive but I plan to this summer. it's a dream to turn and I suspect it would be wonderful to carve. I made this from Olive:
penta_olive_comp_IMG_7459.jpg
JKJ
True olive makes wonderful spoons. They’re my favorites since boxwood spoons are next to impossible to find. I’ve. It tried carving it yet - couldn’t bring myself to sell out the $$$.