Spoon carving, Bowl Carving & Greenwood Carving

Gdurfey

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Kyle, a few of have discussed reloading on this forum. Don’t be shy. I need to build some hunting rounds even though I had to bag my hunt this year; 7mm Mag. I mostly reload 45 ACP. But can do 38/357 as well. Just don’t shoot that very much.

but, back to wood, incredible craftsmanship. Really neat!!

last thought; don’t get down. this is all nuts; come back to the forum and talk/vent. We all need to at times.
 

JerseyHighlander

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Kyle, a few of have discussed reloading on this forum. Don’t be shy. I need to build some hunting rounds even though I had to bag my hunt this year; 7mm Mag. I mostly reload 45 ACP. But can do 38/357 as well. Just don’t shoot that very much.

but, back to wood, incredible craftsmanship. Really neat!!

last thought; don’t get down. this is all nuts; come back to the forum and talk/vent. We all need to at times.

Thanks Gary, appreciate all comments.

Haven't seen any reloading threads recently. I'm always willing to chime in on that. I started loading 20-ish years ago for a couple mil-surps and these days I load six different calibers. Some I've only started on but others I've been doing for years (.303 British, 6.5 Swede) that I'm starting all over again moving the focus from long range target/accuracy to effective terminal ballistics. Also a lot of new, interesting powders available that weren't around when I started.
 

Steve in VA

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It's great seeing you and your work on here again Kyle!

I appreciate the help you provided when I had some questions a ways back; keep the pictures coming!
 

ScoutDog

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Those bowls and scoops are simply amazing! Do you use patterns for the shape and size, or follow your wood-tuned gut for that?
And, I'd like to learn more about your process and tools. What oil do you use for the finishing?
Thanks! --JB
 

JerseyHighlander

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It's great seeing you and your work on here again Kyle!

I appreciate the help you provided when I had some questions a ways back; keep the pictures coming!
Thanks Steve. Happy to have been of help. Did you ever manage to get an adze?
Was showing my son a couple videos of some blacksmithing techniques the other day and took notice that Black Bear Forge out in Colorado is making them along with some of the other tools for the craft. The adze looked fairly comparable to Karlsson's. Looked like he has some stock.
 

JerseyHighlander

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Those bowls and scoops are simply amazing! Do you use patterns for the shape and size, or follow your wood-tuned gut for that?
And, I'd like to learn more about your process and tools. What oil do you use for the finishing?
Thanks! --JB
Hey JB, Thanks.
Most everything initially came from just deciding on a style I was aiming at and getting to it, then seeing where the wood takes me. Sometimes I start out intending on one thing and at some point the wood decides I'm going in a different direction for various reasons. It may be cliche but it is very much like that old saying, the piece is already in there, I just remove the bits that aren't it.
I typically use pure Tung Oil either Master's Blend or Milk Paint brand. Sometimes use a very pure Scandinavian Linseed oil but mostly Tung Oil.
If you'd like to learn, the best thing I can do is direct you to Dave Fisher's site. He has a blog and several videos all quite well done. I'd be happy to fill in any gaps after that. https://davidffisher.com/
 

JerseyHighlander

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Finally had a chance to get a couple, slightly more respectable pictures. Still haven't put a second coat of oil on it or anything but at least I used a real camera this time instead of the crappy iphone.

IMG_0989.jpg

IMG_0981.jpg

IMG_0972.jpg
 

ScoutDog

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Hi Kyle:
Thanks for the info and the much better photos! I watched most anything David Fisher did on YouTube, and I'm hooked on the concept. Next step for me: Getting some wood and an adze, sharpen my draw knives, and dig in.
  • What kind of adze do you use? I know good ones are hard to come by today, but my search can start.
  • How green & wet is the wood? Can you use dry wood? What's the difference in working with them?
  • And, what finishing gouges do you use?
OK, I'll save some questions for later. Thank you again for the inspiration!
Stay well,
--JB
 

JerseyHighlander

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Hi Kyle:
Thanks for the info and the much better photos! I watched most anything David Fisher did on YouTube, and I'm hooked on the concept. Next step for me: Getting some wood and an adze, sharpen my draw knives, and dig in.
  • What kind of adze do you use? I know good ones are hard to come by today, but my search can start.
  • How green & wet is the wood? Can you use dry wood? What's the difference in working with them?
  • And, what finishing gouges do you use?
OK, I'll save some questions for later. Thank you again for the inspiration!
Stay well,
--JB

I use the Hans Karlsson 50mm Adze. Got lucky and it was the first bowl adze I got. They are notoriously difficult to find available but if you track the site often enough, you can find one. There are a number of other options, most of them also notoriously difficult to get but Dave just put up a page of links to sources of tools and there are several new players on the board. I've never used any other then the Karlsson but if/when I purchase another, I would be looking at Kestrel Tool, Black Bear Forge and Jason Lonon.

The craft is one of working the wood green. As fresh cut and wet as you can get it is best and will make things much easier. The wood works much easier green then it does dried. You may get away with some woods being dry but overall, green & wet. All the roughing will go much faster that way and then you dry it slowly to work it the rest of the way when dry to get a good finish.
Black Cherry comes to mind most prevalent. Trying to do the rough hewing on that when dry would be a nightmare. It would tear out like crazy. I do have a Black Cherry log that still has the bark on it and I've painted the ends to prevent it drying. Cutting rounds off it nearly two years later, it's still wet enough.

Finish gouges.... Everything under the sun/whatever works best with the angles I have to work with. You will definitely need a few bent gouges and some out-bevel straight gouges. I'll post a picture when I have a moment.

One thing to consider, many of us started out as spoon carvers with nothing more then a hatchet, a sloyd knife and a bent/spoon knife. Can get you in the wood without the huge investment and starting to understand the techniques.
 

Steve in VA

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Thanks Steve. Happy to have been of help. Did you ever manage to get an adze?
Was showing my son a couple videos of some blacksmithing techniques the other day and took notice that Black Bear Forge out in Colorado is making them along with some of the other tools for the craft. The adze looked fairly comparable to Karlsson's. Looked like he has some stock.

I did end up getting a Coopers adze that Larry at @FranklinWorkshops was kind enough to sell me (along with a few Pfeil gouges), but with the flat edge it isn't great for bowls. I really need to get one! I did find Black Bear Forge as well when I was initially looking, but he's got a 3 year waiting list. And Jason's sell out in about 30 seconds if he ever has them for sale. I did pick up a hook knife from Dale at Pinewood Forge and handled it myself and have done a few spoons and spatulas. It' been a long, slow journey in finding the right tools!
 

ScoutDog

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Kyle:
Thank you for the info and continued inspiration. A quick few searches backs up your
My search begins for a suitable (set of) tool(s) for the craft.
When I can track down some tools and some green wood, I will let you know. It sounds like the trick is to get the wood just when there's time to carve on it.
Thanks again, and stay well.
--JB
 

FranklinWorkshops

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I did end up getting a Coopers adze that Larry at @FranklinWorkshops was kind enough to sell me (along with a few Pfeil gouges), but with the flat edge it isn't great for bowls. I really need to get one! I did find Black Bear Forge as well when I was initially looking, but he's got a 3 year waiting list. And Jason's sell out in about 30 seconds if he ever has them for sale. I did pick up a hook knife from Dale at Pinewood Forge and handled it myself and have done a few spoons and spatulas. It' been a long, slow journey in finding the right tools!

Look at this one.
 

JerseyHighlander

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I did end up getting a Coopers adze that Larry at @FranklinWorkshops was kind enough to sell me (along with a few Pfeil gouges), but with the flat edge it isn't great for bowls. I really need to get one! I did find Black Bear Forge as well when I was initially looking, but he's got a 3 year waiting list. And Jason's sell out in about 30 seconds if he ever has them for sale. I did pick up a hook knife from Dale at Pinewood Forge and handled it myself and have done a few spoons and spatulas. It' been a long, slow journey in finding the right tools!
I could have sworn Black Bear had a couple in stock the other day but nothing there now. If you know somebody with the right skills, you may be able to re-forge the coopers adze to a bowl adze.
It's tuff, I remember...
Keep going on the spoons, that's where I started. Post some pictures when you're ready... (I'm not showing anybody my first spoon.)
 

JerseyHighlander

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Kyle:
Thank you for the info and continued inspiration. A quick few searches backs up your
My search begins for a suitable (set of) tool(s) for the craft.
When I can track down some tools and some green wood, I will let you know. It sounds like the trick is to get the wood just when there's time to carve on it.
Thanks again, and stay well.
--JB

Good luck on the search. Patience is a virtue.
Ben Orford's spoon knives etc are typically easy enough to get and are reasonable quality, especially to get you started.
If you can work the timing to be ready to carve right away that would be great but plenty can be done to extend your time.
  • Keep it in log length as much as possible. Bigger takes longer to dry.
  • Keep the bark on and coat the ends with old paint or some other sealer immediately.
  • Put smaller pieces in plastic bags or tubs for short periods of time. (week or two) Be careful of mold/rot. Some woods better/worse then others for this.
  • Small pieces can be put in a plastic bag and in the freezer for long time. Up here in the north, a log felled in early fall is easily good through spring. Winter has it's advantages.
  • Even just a cool shady basement will give you several days. But some woods dry really fast compared to others.
Take a look here;

 

vegas urban lumber

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@JerseyHighlander i have root burl (corms) of chamise burl that have the tap root attached, i think about spoons every time i look at them. are you interested in trading one spoon carved from my burl in exchange for some more of the same sent to you for your own purposes. or would you carve a spoon and charge me for such?

i'm quarantining for the next couple of days, so i don't have any pictures handy as the wood is at my yard, but i can get you some pictures by end of week
 

JerseyHighlander

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@JerseyHighlander i have root burl (corms) of chamise burl that have the tap root attached, i think about spoons every time i look at them. are you interested in trading one spoon carved from my burl in exchange for some more of the same sent to you for your own purposes. or would you carve a spoon and charge me for such?

i'm quarantining for the next couple of days, so i don't have any pictures handy as the wood is at my yard, but i can get you some pictures by end of week
Hey Trev, So sorry, I never saw this back in January... Haven't been here in a while carving's been on the back burner again.
Don't know if this is still on your radar or not but I'm game. Only question that comes to mind, being a root burl, will it be embedded heavily with stones and grains of sand? Working with knives, including curved knives, taking nicks out of the blade edge can be a nightmare.
Wasn't familiar at all with Chamise, looked it up, looks like interesting stuff.
 
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vegas urban lumber

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Hey Trev, So sorry, I never saw this back in January... Haven't been here in a while carving's been on the back burner again.
Don't know if this is still on your radar or not but I'm game. Only question that comes to mind, being a root burl, will it be embedded heavily with stones and grains of sand? Working with knives, including curved knives, taking nicks out of the blade edge can be a nightmare.
Wasn't familiar at all with Chamise, looked it up, looks like interesting stuff.
no typically smaller ones with "handels" do not have rocks imbedded
 
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