Carving spoons is about beauty, handwork, mindfulness, nature, culture, community, connection, tradition, sustainability, awareness, spirit, independence, reliance, skills, art, craft, creativity, love, life-long learning, personal development and eating.
More information on workshop Events
I'm stoked you're interested in learning more about carving spoons. To me carving spoons is a perfect way to offer and add handmade simplicity to your home, pocket, gift or travels. It's really great to eat or cook with a spoon you carved yourself. I also think that these wooden objects are an easy and meaningful way to bring more wild nature closer to our lives and can be a positive offering to the world.
These courses will be set-up with instruction on safe use of sharp tools and provide a series of methodical steps with demonstration and instruction to carve a spoon. I'll guide design, technique, tools & materials you'll do the work.
Things to bring to a course.
I'll have everything you need to carve. If you have your own tools, great, bring them along. Small ax or hatchet or carving knives. We often have a small snack to share, maybe bananas or popcorn, feel free to do the same if you like.
If you are thinking you'd like to purchase your own tools for a course or for your own kit see below. If you plan to carve spoons you'll want an Axe, Straight knife (slyod), and Crooked or Bent knife. Once you have a start with this stuff you will want sharpening items. I suggest getting a good Crooked knife and good straight knife. It's fun to have a great axe but you can get by with a less than great axe if you tune up a cheap one correctly. A small hand saw is also needed.
Tools I use and provide. I have an assortment of axes including a few made by Gransfors & Robin Wood. For knives I will have several from Del Stubbs, Robin Wood and some Mora brand knives. In my workshops I supply enough tools for each student to use a set-up without needing to share or wait on tools.
TOOLs & MAKERS
What tools to get for your personal set-up? There are tons of great options, this is a quick suggestion to get one started.
Sloyd, Straight knife. Mora 106.
Hook, Bent knife. Budget is Morakniv Wood Carving Hook Knife 164. Upgrade to the Del Stubbs hook, #2 sweep, or Deepwoods Ventures hook.
Axe. Bison Hunters Hatchet or Robin Wood Carving Axe.
More details below - this is just a few good suggestions, lots more out there.
Mora 106 (longer) & 120 (shorter) straight/sloyd carving knives: The standard go-to carving knife that happens to be really affordable. I like to have one of each but start with the 106, longer one, if you just want one. About $35. These will be available to use in my workshops and I occasionally stock a few for folks to purchase.
Jarrod Dahl sometimes sells these with his hand-woven birchbark sheaths for a modest cost upgrade - sweet deal. I’d go with this option. Tell him I sent you:). https://www.woodspirithandcraft.com/shop/knifewithbirchbarksheath
Available from lots of tool sellers as well as here : https://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Carving-Knife-Laminated-3-2-Inch/dp/B005IW5YN8
Morakniv Wood Carving Hook Knife 164. This is a good budget knife. It’s really good for small work, ok for larger. I find the shape limiting for they types of things I carve. For a few bucks more the below knives are an upgrade in quality and performance. These are available to use in my workshops.
Del Stubbs. Slyod and hook knives. He has a long waitlist sometimes, so order asap. I prefer to make my own handle, saves a few $ and I don’t love the shape/feel of his handles, although they are beautiful. This link takes you to the hook knife I use a lot. These are available to use in my workshops.
https://pinewoodforge.com/product/open-sweep-2/
Deepwoods Ventures: I recently got one of these and am really impressed. These are hollow ground and I like that so far. Again, I purchase without a handle and make my own. https://deepwoodsventures.com/collections/spoon-hook-carving-knives
Wood Tools. Knives and axes. This is the tool business of Robin and JoJo Wood. Great name, right? They sell great and affordable axes and knives. Even when my more expensive big name tool is handy I often opt for this ax. Robin and his daughter are also both amazing craftsfolks who have done much for the woodcraft community with their work. These tools are coming from the UK so its good to order early, & there is often a wait list but they ship fast. I prefer the compound curved spoon knife over his open sweep. Fantastic service. Several of these are available to use in my workshops.
Reid Schwartz. High end knives. His hook knives are a joy to use, they are also expensive and hard to get due to waiting list. These are very fine tools. I do not own any of these but have used them. https://www.reidschwartz.net/
Bison Hunters Hatchet. Axe. This is an affordable Axe, made in Germany but available online pretty easily at Woodcraft and other locations, nice looking tool, too. This one does not come sharp but with a little tune-up it’s become one of my favorites. For tuning up, if you can’t do that yourself take it to a shop and let them know you want a sharp edge for carving put on the ax. For an affordable price you get an awesome tool. These are available to use in my workshops.
Gränsfors Bruks Axes. These are amazing tools. I really like the Swedish Carving Axe. It’s a beast, not a great choice if you don’t have strong hands/arms or don’t plan to carve a lot. Get one of the above if you’ll only carve from time to time. These are available to use in my workshops.
Old Axes. I have a couple from the trunk of my dads car, antique shops, yard sales...If you have an old ax like this (older may suggest better steal) you can tune it up and it may work great. I love that they have a story too. If your axe blade is very straight it's nice to have at least a little curve or arc on the cutting edge, a blade shop can do that if you can’t. There is some sweet info on restoring axes on Tim Manny & Robin Wood websites.
For sharpening, it’s great to learn how to sharpen your own tools and it’s great to have a local pro. In the Anchorage area I recommend Northern knives. Nice folks, great work and service, and affordable too. If they have the time, they will work on your tools right there while you wait. Awesome. http://www.northernknives.com/
Other online tool Resources.
For sharpening stuff, this place is the best I’ve found: Sharpening Supplies
These folks are part of a classic lineage of American woodworking, classes and tools. The Main Coast Craft School. http://www.mainecoastcraft.com/tool-sales.html
I've found great tools here. Good prices and service as well. Woodsmith in UK. http://woodsmithexperience.co.uk/
Books/Resources:
Slöjd in Wood. My current favorite wood book. Jögge Sundqvist
Spon. Great book by Barn the Spoon. I'd get this if I were to only have one spoon book.
Swedish Carving Techniques. Old School and cool, classic really. Written by a carving legend. Wille Sundqvist
Country Woodcraft. This is a great book with all kinds of great wood projects. I love this one, the old and the revised edition. Drew Langsner.
A Handmade Life: In Search of Simplicity. A book about the ideal of living a simple, intentional and handmade life. Bill was a friend for a short time before his passing, My wife and I carved our first spoons and bowls with Bill. William Coperthwaite
DVDs:
Jarrod Dahl. Step by step video of Jarrod's process and ideas for carving spoons. He's currently writing a book about turning bowls on a foot powered spring pole lathe. I'll be purchasing that as soon as it's out.
Or look more at other carver resources with a search for:
Jarrod Dahl. Peter Follansbee. Barn the Spoon. Peter Forbes. Sylva Spoon. Michigan Sloyd. Alex Yerks. Dave Manning. David Fisher.
Where I'm coming from.
I carved my first spoon and bowl with Bill Coperthwaite in Maine. He captured my interest and inspired me as much as anyone has, his book is awesome and his life was too. Later I spent time learning to carve with Jarrod Dahl in Wisconsin. I chopped wood for room and board in his yurt in the woods and paid for instruction too. He's constantly pushing and encouraging the contemporary wood culture with his work and ideas. Other related lessons came from Peter Forbes, Monroe Robinson, John Manthai, Peter Brondz and time with Dick Proenneke's craft work and cabin in Alaska.
I sought each of these people out and feel honored to get the time with them I did. The lessons range from skill development, human connections to wilderness appreciation and intentional ways of living and being. Way beyond objects.
In the workshops I teach and in my head are thoughts of bringing more nature into our lives. Honoring handmade things for their beauty, function and the connection a handmade object can create from human to human.
In addition to my path as a craftsman I also hold a degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Have taught many years in south central Alaska public schools and I teach as an adjunct professor for Alaska Pacific University in the Outdoor studies program teaching wilderness travel, paddling skills and packrafting.
PAST events:
Spoon Carving at Bunnell St. Arts, Homer, AK. 2021, 2022, 2023
Mayday! Basic carving workshop using invasive trees + invasive trees program mitigations presentation by local groups, KHLT and HSWCD .
Spoon Carving at Anchorage Museum, Anchorage, AK. 2021
TRADITIONAL SPOON CARVING at the folk school, Fairbanks, alaska. 2021
URBAN HARVEST: TRADITIONAL SPOON CARVING at the Anchorage Museum. 2020
URBAN HARVEST: Wooden spreader/spatula CARVING at the Anchorage Museum. 2020
Carve a wooden spoon From log to spoon : The Shop; kachemak bay art space, Homer, Alaska 2019
Spoon Carving : Girdwood,Alaska. at the Four Valleys Community School
Make a Shrink pot (aka Shrink box) : Eagle river Nature Center, Eagle River Alaska
Wood Fest 2019
Fairbanks, Alaska Folk School
SPOON CARVING & historical study : Anchorage Museum
WILDerness week:Wildcrafting, Presentation on the relationship of woodcraft and wilderness. Anchorage Museum & Eagle river nature center
Spoon Carving at the Wrangell Mountains center (WMC)
Week in the woods, Folk School fairbanks
Spoon Carving at the Homer Folk school
Spoon Carving at the Eagle river nature center