Spooning

What did you do during the 2020 Covid-19 lock down, Pa?

Well Dear, as you know many of us had more spare time during our isolation, so it gave us the opportunity to do more of our favourite things and try new activities. For me, I was able to spend time in the work shed and emerged with my first carved wooden spoon.

Starting with a piece of wood (probable white beech) I searched for spoon designs online and watched numerous YouTube demonstrations of carving tools and techniques. In the end I was winging it with a pencilled layout and available implements including a coping saw, an old bench chisel inherited from my carpenter father, an inexpensive carving gouge, a carving knife and various grades of sandpaper.

It proved to be an enjoyable learning experience, appreciating the need to properly sharpen the chisels to ensure clean cuts without tearing the wood, understanding the grain of the timber and exercising patience.

Achieving what appears to be a reasonable aesthetic shape and after removing most of my mistakes with the sandpaper, I am more than happy with my first spoon. Then, with a fine coating of food grade mineral oil, it is ready to use, although I may keep it for posterity.

I am sure this will not be my last spoon, maybe I am hooked already. I guess the next question could be “where is the fork”?