Notes from a Swedish Kitchen. David Western
buy entire sets (most of which will remain in the box for years on end), buy tools on an as-needed basis. This will ensure a collection that is best suited for the type of work you do and will save a lot of money. Gouges are supremely useful for cutting concave surfaces and can be used to robustly remove stock or delicately shape fair surfaces from spoon bowls to flower petals. They exist in a bewildering array of widths and sweeps (the term for the curve of the blade). Begin your collection with a ½-inch (1.3cm)–wide shallow tool like a #5 sweep and a ½-inch (1.3cm)–wide deep tool like a #9 sweep, adding more shapes as you need them.
Two tools which are often overlooked but are ideal for spoon carving are the file and the scraper. Files allow you to undertake shaping and smoothing that would usually be done with sandpaper, allowing for a fine and clean surface free of sandpaper’s microscopic grit particles that can dull cutting edges. Scrapers are another alternative to abrasives that enable the paring off of wafer-thin shavings from even the most difficult of wood grains.
There is no doubt that power tools have completely changed the face of woodcarving in the last 150 years. For rapid stock removal, nothing beats a band saw, a scroll saw, and a drill press. A band saw is ideal for milling down log lumber into useful carving billets and for roughshaping the exterior lines of spoon patterns. A drill press can accurately drill away excess interior wood and allow for the easy threading of scroll saw blades for detail cutting. A scroll saw is probably the most versatile of the power tools for a spoon carver, allowing shaping of the blank, cutting of fine interior details, and, when fitted with a sanding attachment, power sanding.
Gouges come in many shapes and sizes, but you will probably only require a select few for your spoon carving.
Scraper
File
Finishing
Once you’ve completed a spoon, it will be time to consider whether or not to apply a finish.
Some spoons were left completely unfinished back in the old days and were allowed to develop the natural patina that comes from dust, dirt, and hand oils built up from years of handling. Others were given a variety of finish treatments ranging from beeswax or shellac to varnish or paint.
The purpose of a finish is to protect the carving against damage caused by dirt, dust, UV light, and oils. A finish can also “bring up” a wood’s colors, grain, and figure and help the piece appear more vibrant and refined.
At their most basic level, finishes occur in two main types. Film finishes sit on the surface of the wood and are generally quite hard. As the name implies, they create a thin film that can be polished to a glossy shine. This type of finish is ideal for carvings with large, smooth surfaces, but it gets a bit too heavy and cloying for carvings with fine details. For richly carved surfaces, a penetrating oil is more suitable. This type of finish soaks into the wood surface and enhances the wood’s colors more dramatically. It cannot be polished to a high gloss finish, but it can be buffed to the soft satin sheen more complementary to a detailed carving.
Whatever the finish, it will only be as good as the surface it is covering, so you must take great care to ensure the spoon has been thoroughly scraped, filed, or sanded before application. Any scratches, dents, or rough spots left on the carving will be immediately highlighted by the first coat of finish and will become very difficult to remove, so spend some time ensuring the carving is clean, crisp, and bright before finishing.
Because these spoons are not intended to be used for eating, a three- or four-coat “Danish oil” style finish (lightly sanded between coats with 1500-grit wet and dry abrasive) is a perfect finish. It protects the spoon, does not clog up fine detail work, and is easily applied and repaired. You can purchase Danish oil, or you can make a good homemade oil by combining 1/3 boiled linseed oil, 1/3 spar varnish or satin polyurethane, and 1/3 mineral spirits. Apply the finish with a small paintbrush until the entire spoon is well soaked. Leave for twenty minutes, then dry thoroughly with a clean, soft cotton rag. Repeat this process a second and third time, leaving 24 hours between each coat. After applying the final coat, lightly and gently sand the entire spoon with the 1500-grit abrasive to bring up a silky feel. Wipe dry and leave for a few days to thoroughly cure. Once the spoon is dry and the smell no longer lingers, buff the spoon with a nice finish coat of wax polish to bring up a soft sheen and impart a nice smell. Wet oil rags may spontaneously combust if not dealt with correctly, so follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper disposal.
For a food-safe finish, consider using mineral oil, 100% tung oil, or a commercial salad bowl preparation applied the same way as the Danish oil finish. If you want to use only a beeswax finish, be certain it is not a preparation containing potentially toxic drying/hardening agents.
Penetrating oil or beeswax polish finishes protect and enhance a finished spoon.
Basic Cuts
Like most types of carving, spoon carving is a subtractive art—you remove all of the material that isn’t part of your vision for the final piece. Most carvers use four basic cuts to remove excess wood: the stop cut, the push cut, the paring cut, and the V-shaped cut. Master these four basic types of cuts and you’ll be ready to tackle a multitude of projects.
STOP CUT
As the name suggests, the stop cut is used to create a hard line at the end of another cut. Your hand position depends on the placement of the cut you need to make. Regardless of your hand position, simply cut straight into the wood to create a stop cut. Make a stop cut first to prevent a consecutive cut from extending beyond the intended area. Make a stop cut second to free a chip of wood remaining from a primary cut.
PUSH CUT
For the push cut, hold the wood in one hand. Hold the knife in your other hand with the thumb on the back of the blade. Push the knife through the wood, away from your body. This type of cut is also called the straightaway cut. For additional control or power, place the thumb of the wood-holding hand on top of the thumb on the blade, and use the wood-holding thumb as a pivot as you rotate the wrist of your knife-holding hand. This maneuver is often called the thumb-pushing cut or lever cut.
PARING CUT
The paring cut gives you a great deal of control but requires you to cut toward your thumb. Wear a thumb protector or be aware of the knife position at all times, especially if it slips beyond the anticipated stopping point. To perform the paring cut, which is also called a draw cut, hold the wood in one hand. Hold the knife in the other hand with four fingers. The cutting edge points toward your thumb. Rest the thumb of your knife-holding hand on the wood behind the area you want to carve. Extend the thumb as much as possible. Close your hand, pulling the knife toward your thumb, to slice through the wood. This is the same action used to peel (or pare) potatoes.