Making spoons ...

[TobyB]

I was visiting a friend of my partners who is a potter and was hosting her annual sale. She makes salt/sugar pots ... and after one conversation led to another she asked me if I could turn her some wooden spoons for these.

I've been playing this weekend with bits of beech firewood - and made some reasonable efforts (or maybe my standards are low!). But not finding the last steps easy.

I am turning a cylinder between centres about 15 cm long, then holding it in jaws in the chuck. I'm forming a round-oval end for the spoon, and sanding it smooth. I then forming a bead or two behind it. I then support the spoon end with a conical revolving centre and form a slender shaft so the whole spoon is 10-12 cm long. I get it all sanded and polished and waxed. I then finish off a bead or two or a conical end to the spoon, ending with the spoon being parted off. I hand sand and finish the parted end smooth. All that goes fine.

It's forming a spoon from the turned ball that I'm struggling with. One of the problem is what tools to use. I've used both a small coping saw and shallow-curved caring chisels to form the basic shape, and neither has been ideal. I've then used the carving chisels and sandpaper to form the bowl and edges of the spoon - lots of sanding! The main problem I think is how to hold the spoon to work on it.

I tried all sorts of things ... hold across the spoon in a vice and I'm crushing it, or it's too lightly held and slips with each saw stroke or chisel cut ... holding the handle in a vice (wrapped in layers of rag so as not to damage, and get a "good" hold) gives poor visibility and stability and lack of access for the saw. I also tried fixing it in place with a hold down. I'm struggling so much frustration means I'm tempted to hand hold it ... until sense makes me realise that'd mean pushing the chisel straight towards my left hand!

I'm sure lots of people make these ... how ... probably how do you hold it for the last steps of forming the spoon bowl?

 

[loz]

don't know how to hold to turn,

But i have one of these for camp fire sppon making sessions.

Loz

http://www.greenmanbushcraft.co.uk/cutting-tools/frosts-single-edge-crook-spoon-knife.htm

 

[Bodrighy]

I've seen a jig for these where the whole thing is turned. I'll see if I can find it on the net and post it.

Pete



here's one

 

[Richard Findley]

Hi Toby,

There are a few versions of these. There are scoops, which are basically goblets without the foot with a section of the cup cut away (hope that makes sense!!, I may have a photo if not...)

The other method requires a little jig making for it. It's difficult to explain but is well illustrated in Phil Iron's book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-One-Woo...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257712202&sr=1-1

(Pretty good price at Amazon at the mo!!!)

HTH

Richard

 

[bobham]

If you have a way of mounting wooden jaws on your chuck you can hollow out a recess for the turned ball part and cut a notch for the handle so that you can hollow the "bowl" of the spoon on the lathe. That is the way I did this one:

Take care
Bob

 

[CraftNav]

Hi Toby

The only spoons I have seen being made are what I call 'Caddy Spoon's

I saw Phil irons making them at Axminsters Strictly Woodturning event a couple of weeks ago, he had made his own jaws from ply and then soaked them in super glue.

He also used a modified 2" hole saw to make the dish part which was impressive to watch. Phil used to make these for a big contract he had with a tea shop and told us he has made over 12,000 :shock:

He can make one fully finished in six minutes :shock:

The full method is described in detail in Ray Hoppers book 'Multi-centre woodturning' which I just pick up on Amazon for a £1 + postage (mega-gloat)

john

 

[TobyB]

Thanks everybody ... some helpful ideas ... except I hadn't been thinking of mounting the ball section on the lathe and hollowing out a circular cup ... now I'm going to give this a try.

However ... if you were going to make a flatter/shallower spoon rather than a deep cupped hemispherical scoop ... perhaps sawing or hand chiselling away the upper and lower sections and then chiselling out (fairly flat gouge?) a shallow spoon before sanding smooth ... how would you hold the work (in a vice for instance)?

 

[Richard Findley]

Hi Toby,

Here's a picture of the scoops I mentioned earlier in the thread:

I think you have more a traditional wooden spoon in mind though from your description? I've never made these as such although I occaisionally made spatulas which are great for stir frying:

Wooden spoons could be made the same as these I should think. Again, these are discussed in the Phil Irons book I mentioned earlier. Basically you rough out the shape on the bandsaw and hold on the lathe either between centres or between chuck and revolving centre. Turn the outside shape - best done at a high speed with a light touch!! Part off and clean up. The shallow spoon are is going to need some carving of some sort and then some power sanding and Bob's your uncle!!

I hope this is of some help!!

Cheers,

Richard

 

[TobyB]

Thanks Richard

I've made a few scoops like you show - but larger, good for cat food! Those spatulas are more like what I'm trying to do (nice work). Only larger - so maybe easier to hold with a larger and stronger handle to work on the blades? How do you shape those ... saw off the front and back and then sand?

These are the sort of thing I'm trying to do - the smaller ones were first attempts and not very good, the larger ones are better but not that great. With handles this small and possibly fragile I don't want to snap the spoon off or crush the detail on the handle in a vice.

I've been looking at making a turned hemispherical spoon/scoop too ...