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I hear that! I personally don't sand my spoons, I burnish and seal. But I have been known to carve a minor blood smear off a spoon after a crappy cut 😳

My Crocs were in the shop, next best thing is Berks! Haha! Carvers love "safe", footwear!

I do every single day. I have an extensive collection of carvers work from around the globe, which I enjoy using for most meals.

Thanks Marla. I'm making adjustments to how I do things like acquiring a mic for better sound and playing with video. I'll mess around a bit more and fix. Thanks again!

I quite enjoy the apple wood challenge to carve. Much of my early work was spent splitting apple wood that was given to me. It's all I had at the time and spent many hours with sore hands, much like yourself. Apple in early green stages is actually quite soft compared to it being seasoned. But overall, the tight grains and propeller twisting nature makes for a good spoony carving challenge. But! Once you master apple wood, your skills greatly improve for other woods! Cheers!

@@bigbearwoodshack Great encouragement, thank you! Mine is a year seasoned from a 3 inch branch. Yes, just from this small project I feel like I am learning a lot. I've considered giving up a few times, but the more I stick with it, the more I see how worth it apple wood is! Sore hands, for sure, though.

@@BasedZoomer Don't give up! You can check my Instagram account for my early apple spoons made from seasoned apple. Seasoned hurts! 😆

Thanks for asking, friend! The technique comes from Scandinavia and is called "kolrosing."" Simply put, it's all about scoring an image or pattern with a knife and then rubbing fine powders like cinnamon or coffee or from an ancient standpoint, ash from a fire. After wiping off, burnishing, and then sealing with oil, the image pops off. Thanks again!

@@bigbearwoodshack ahh, that makes sense! I’d seen that in a few videos for axe handle stains but didn’t realise it was so effective for engraving, you do amazing work dude/dudette so keep it up because you inspire me 👌🏻💙

@@bigbearwoodshackI’ve also actually just realised that I saw the small logo and thought it was so cool that I immediately came to the comments and didn’t even see the little mountain scenery you engraved in the handle until now! You have no idea how badly I need to carve myself something similar now😂

Thanks so much✌🏼

Silky Pocket Boy!

Yes, exactly. When the wood starts to look worn or grey-ish, make sure it's clean then rub any food safe oil on, except olive oil, it goes rancid. Let it sit in the sunnor under a small lamp for about 12 hours and you are good to go 👍🏼

Thanks friend! Facets are tough at times depending on wood eh? Practice makes perfect 👌🏼

Cheers friend!

Cheers and thanks so much👍🏼

Hey my man! Thanks so much for your kind words! I appreciate you reaching out and sharing part of your green wood journey as well! Thanks for being here! Cheers!

Will do Marla

Thank you! Cheers!

Thanks so much! So this spoon was black walnut wood, but sap wood, so it is lighter in color. I wanted something richer and darker, so I baked the spoon in the oven for about 30 mins at 400°C. I burnished the spoon first. After baking, I applied some mineral beeswax, food safe, of course, while it was still hot. That allowed the oils to penetrate the wood deep and add luster. Hope that helps!

@@bigbearwoodshack Sure does, thank you very much for your indepth response explaining the process you used. ✊

Thank you so much for sharing and following along on my green wood journey! Cheers friend and carve on!

Thank you!

Coming up, my man!

Thanks a lot!

Thanks so much for your interest! Because you asked, I will drop a video very soon on the tools used, following grain direction, and how I hollowed out the bowl. Cheers and thanks! Stay tuned!

I go back and forth between a few axes but keep coming back to Robin's because of the weight and bevel angle. I feel it bites better for me. My go-to is my Jason Lonon carver.

Which robin wood axe is it?

@frozen_toes_ak it's his original carver, not his new release which I'm probably going to pick up soon.

@@bigbearwoodshack that new one is looking good. I’m looking into the large carving axe.

No worries man, to each thier own.

Truth with a capital T

Thanks for watching!

Great question! My goal is to show all of the small and menial tasks that lead up and further progress a carved spoon. I will usually keep billets in the freezer after processing, either wrapped in a plastic bag or on their own (because they don't sit long, I carve often) They're are many techniques in preserving wood, depending on climate and environment. I tend to leave my billets in a pile in my shop or outside in the winter, and freezer in the hotter months. If it's a sensitive wood that I would like to carve wet, than I soak the billets in a bin of water as I carve them. If they sit for a day or 2, change the water out. Hope this helps!

@@bigbearwoodshack that's super helpful! Thank you! Looking forward to your future videos.

Great question. You can actually achieve a bowl without any hooks or gouges. A small straight knife, carefully spiraling the desired hole can get you there, but could potentially be pretty rough. Watch the knife tip for small cuts through the bowl. I have known carvers that will take a straight knife like a Mora 106 and bend it using hammers, pliers and such, to create a curve in the blade to allow for hollowing shallow bowls. You'd need a knife you're willing to sacrifice really. Hope that helps a bit!

@@bigbearwoodshack thanks but I actually carve all my spoons with a knockoff of mora 511 by Stanley and getting hook knives or round gauges is quite expensive an availability is near to none in my country

Honestly, can't be avoided. Hazard of the craft really.

This specifically is Claphams beeswax. I warm the spoon, then apply and cure near a mild heat source for a day or so.

@@bigbearwoodshack any beeswax for wood works?

I pride myself in taking a more traditionalist approach and using hand tools over power. I find it takes more patience and skill. The craft I study requires zero power. Thanks

@@bigbearwoodshack yeah but imagine how many spoons you could turn out with a duplicarver. I was at a decoy show once and all of the vendors were mad because one guy there was running a duplicator farm. They wanted hundreds for their decoys and he was selling his all day long at $20 a pop. He told me he made them out of old telephone poles and pilings. They looked good too.

Fortunately, I don't need to stress about speed, quantity, or anything to do with money. I find more value in the journey, the experience, sourcing materials in nature, and slowing down to seek fulfillment in woodcraft. There will always be someone who is undercutting the "competition" for financial gain, popularity, or accolades and great for them, whatever the motivation. I have nothing to do with that personally. Thanks man

@@bigbearwoodshack I hear ya. Power tools take you on a journey too. They're just a different conveyance. You could go across the country on horseback or in a jet airplane. Either way you're traveling. One way you'll just arrive a lot sooner.

The feedback and analytics I've received are asking for the opposite of what you seek friend.

I like the talking as long as there's no jangly horrible music involved. And you can't spell.

@@bigbearwoodshack Agree, I prefer having someone talk as I personally learn more with the explanations. Also your humor's great, I got real chuckle from the croc speed/stab holes.

Right on!

Thanks!

My pleasure @@bigbearwoodshack

Thanks, you too!

Hey, thanks so much! Very appreciated, my friend! More videos are dropping later this week! I'm on the wood hunt and looking for birch, more maple, and hopefully CHERRY!!

My pleasure Brett! Good luck with the wood hunt!@@bigbearwoodshack

It is tough trying to find a great angle to display how the carve goes. Viewing head-on is fine, but the camera angle, I found, let's you see my line of sight which is super important in creating a symmetrical spoon. Thanks so much!

Cheers friend! Much appreciated

Cheers my friend! It sure does. It takes much practice. A quote from a famous spoon carver is that "You get the knack for carving spoons after about 300". 😂 I'm definitely over that number but in honesty not by much. Maybe 400 or 450 at this stage of the spoon journey.

Keel is something that I used to struggle with. I leave "meat" on the blank to carve my keel out better with a straight knife until my desired thinness. Definitely had many fails leading up to developing a carving system. Cheers!