Interviews

I’m happy to share an interview with Chuck Trella.

Tell us a little about yourself:

I am a husband of 33 years and father to four fantastic adult children. Professionally I have worked for 20+ years as an IT Business/Systems Analyst in the Publishing, Insurance, and Professional Services industries, mostly in New York City. Prior to that, I dabbled in photography, recording studios, and various retail positions.

My passions since high school have been –

Music: I play guitar and sing (church musician since 16), play Native American Flute, Didgeridoo, and mess around with recording technologies.
Crafts: I have always admired pro crafts persons and had an interest in jewelry, woodworking, and the visual arts – namely photography (worked as a wedding photogragher for 11 years, and assisted in a small commercial studio).
Other: Faith, philosophy, community, nature, conservation, permaculture, and voluntary simplicity are other interests for me.

How long have you been carving and how did you first get interested in it?

In my late 30’s I dreamed of acquiring a full-blown shop and becoming a furniture craftsman (I have a strong affinity for Shaker, Arts & Crafts, and Japanese styles & aesthetics). Or of becoming a luthier – given my love for guitar. I would devour Fine Woodworking and the other such mags each month. But with a young family, tool costs were prohibitive, and I was nervous about having the big powerful shop tools around with young children. So I got interested in seemingly simpler forms of hand woodworking and that led to woodcarving as a less expensive and possibly less dangerous entree into woodworking. I managed to acquire a nice small selection of Flexcut palm gouges & knives. I loved doing wood spirit faces in hiking sticks & cottonwood bark, gnome and fairy homes, Christmas ornaments and Santa figures, etc.

Then I got interested in relief carving too, so I acquired a selection of Swiss Made Pfiel full-sized gouges. But commuting (4 hours a day in & out of NYC) and family life demands severely limited my time to little more than dabbling over 10 years. I also struggled with the design side of carving. I don’t sketch or draw all that well, so I usually just copied work in Carving magazines. My wife Theresa is the drawing & painting artist.

Then I stumbled on YouTube videos by Alex Yerks carving kuksas, and Barn’ The Spoon’ Carder carving spoons. So around 2013 and started thinking that spoon carving seemed like a simpler & less time-consuming pursuit that could satisfy my crafts & carving itch and allow for completing something relatively quickly, and maybe someday I’d get good enough to sell some to pay for gear. So I joined the Spoon Carving, Green Woodworking & Sloyd FB group and trying to learn via the web.

That led to going to a gathering in May 2014 at Oliver Pratt’s parent’s place up in the Catskills in NY about 2 hours from my home. That was my real immersion into spoon carving. Met so many fantastic carvers there – Oliver, Pat Diette, Alex Yerks, Darrick Sanderson, Don Nalezyty, Luc Lavoie, Jeff Kuchak, and others. I knew next to nothing. I bought a cheap Bahco axe, a Mora 106, and a twca cam that I got from Jarrod Dahl, but I hadn’t yet actually carved a spoon. Oliver was so very generous with his time that weekend to help and guide me and let me try tools from makers like Nic Westermann, Del Stubbs, Hans Karlsson, etc. Thanks, Oliver!

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

Well, I am very fortunate to have gotten the guidance at those gatherings. I’ve bought some very high-quality tools over the last 5 years. But the basics can be had pretty inexpensively to get started. I saw carvers like Luc Lavoie create fantastic spoons with Mora sloyd and hook and a hardware store axe. It is so so easy to get caught up in gear acquisition syndrome (GAS). I am no different and lust after great tools too. Yes – great tools DO make things a little easier, but people shouldn’t let that stop them from just getting what they can afford and get access to and START carving. So, my axes are the Svante Djarve Little Viking Axe, and the Hans Karlsson Sloyd Axe. Love them both. For sloyd knives – I have several Mora 106, and the Nic Westermann sloyd and small sloyd blades that I put walnut handles on. Love love love Nic’s tools! It’s a long wait now – but worth it. I’d still love to get some of Matt White’s sloyd knives also. For hooks – I have Nic’s Finishing hook and his 65mm & 50mm Twca Cams. I also have Matt White’s Monadnock and Mellow hooks. I haven’t used the twca’s that much, mostly reaching for the Monadnock & Mellow (these hooks have really allowed me to do a much nicer job hollowing my bowls) and sometimes Nic’s Finishing hook. I am about to do a Spoon Mule build with some guys from Rise Up & Carve (more about Rise Up below), and I hope to get more into using the twca cams – using them two-handed with a good holding device.

Any suggestions of books or websites to learn about spoon carving or woodwork?

Well, my first source and the original ‘spoon carver’s bible’ was the blue reprint of Wille Sundqvist’s Swedish Carving Techniques, and it is an excellent place to start. Barn Carder’s Spōn book is likewise excellent. Joggë’s Sloyd In Wood from Lost Arts Press is also fantastic. Those are my top three book suggestions.

The web is a wealth of resources at this point. Look for YouTube videos by Barn the Spoon, and invest in a subscription to the Spoonclub UK site – an incredible resource & a wealth of videos from Barn and some of the world’s finest carvers. Also, YouTube videos by Jarrod Dahl, Lee Stoffer, Adam Hawker, Emmet Van Driesch (and his & Matt White’s – Spoonesaurus IG), & Tom Scandian (Spoon Carving With Tom).

Are there any particular spoon carvers who inspire you in your work?

Oh my – too many to list them all, but all the names mentioned so far. Most recent inspirations are:
Adam Hawker @adamhawker1
Roy Rocke @somnolentsparrow
Dan Lawrence @dan.lawrence.uk
Dane Licina @dane.licina
MaryAnne McGinn @turnaleg
Adam Kowalsky @donkadonk

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

Well – I make fewer blood sacrifices now than when I started, though still too many. (Not what you meant? Lol) I really just dabbled with my spoon carving for the three years after that first gathering. I think largely because I let a few things get in my way.

1. My perfectionism. In the sense of knowing enough to see quality – ‘perfection’ (from the carvers mentioned above IG feeds), and then seeing my results and the gap between the two led to discouragement.

2. Not getting good at sharpening. It really is critical to learn early on how to sharpen well to maintain edges. Nothing will sap your energy and increase risk of cuts more than dull edges. Spoon Carving With Tom is the best resource on the web for this!

3. Not having a solid grasp of a ‘process’ – or ‘order of operations.’ Lack of a good step by step approach led to inefficiency and inconsistent results.

4. Not going far enough with the roughing out axe work which led to too much wood to hog off with the knife and my hands getting tired.

So I tended to only carve a couple times a year at a gathering. Then Oliver moved to Maine, and his Catskill gatherings ended. What got me back on track was attending the Spoonesaurus gatherings at Matt’s (in March each year) and Emmet’s (in June this year, July the previous year). These re-ignited my drive and passion, and Emmet’s ability to analyze and articulate his process & order of operations really helped ground me and get me out of my head. I also got great advice from Matt and Emmet about sharpening and how critical it is. I made it to Pat Diette’s gathering for the first time this year and that was flat out phenomenal. Five straight days of greenwood bliss.

The biggest shift for me has been deciding to work on developing a daily carving habit. Just carving on weekends or a couple times a month doesn’t really allow for solid skill growth or retention. Emmet really pushed us to carve every day. (I did his free Virtual Apprenticeship Challenge (VAC) last Nov and the paid one in Jan). But I needed something more to help motivate me, and one of Emmet’s challenges in the VAC was to do something to foster community.

My wife does daily motivational & knowledge sharing video calls early in the morning as part of her work using the Zoom Video Conferencing platform, and I thought – ‘Why not a spoon carver’s version?’ That was the genesis of Rise Up & Carve – a daily ‘virtual’ Spoon Gathering using the Zoom Video Conferencing app. Perfect for those who either don’t have access to Spoon Clubs or gatherings or who like me need that extra motivation to carve daily. I need to leave for work by 7:30am, and by the time I get home around 6pm and have dinner, I usually just want to veg and watch a show or read before bed. So, in Feb 2019 I put it out there on IG that I had this idea and would anyone else be interested in getting on at 6am (Eastern US time) to carve for about an hour – 7 days a week? We can talk spoons, ask questions, share ideas, talk life, or even just sit in silence and carve together. The only guiding principle is no politics and no religious debate, as it can just get too divisive. There is no obligation, either. People are free to come and go as they please. I had a couple guys from the Spoonesaurus gatherings join me – Sean Miller and Dano O’Connor – and it has grown slowly from there.

We also have had spoon carvers from the UK, Germany, Austria, and Australia come on, and now there is a group in the UK led by @rachel_bainton @russelljwest and Sean Warburton @greenwoodtales doing a 6am UK GMT+1 call, and @jill_a_day is leading a 6am EAUS (Eastern Australia) call daily. I would love for it to grow to where at any time of day – you can join the meeting, and a group is on carving – going round the world. If folks are interested – check out the @riseupandcarve IG account. The details are on there in the second posting and the About. Or you can DM me (or any of the folks I just mentioned) on IG.

Carving daily and getting better about sharpening and stropping has been a game-changer for my carving, and will have the greatest positive impacts on your carving skill and results, in my opinion.

What are your thoughts on popular decorative techniques like milk paint, kolrosing, or chip carving?

Love them all. I haven’t yet done much with them, but do intend to. I’ve been more focused on form and the process and grasp basics for the last 6 months. But I have started dabbling with kolrosing and pyrography to add decorative elements and my maker’s mark. Really admire the likes of Adam Hawker, Don Nalezety and Ty Thornock’s kolrosing. Dane Licina’s too and his use of color. Maryanne McGinn also. Dan Lawrence’s bird finials. Lee Stoffer’s and Alex Yerk’s chip carving.

What do craft, sloyd, or wood culture mean to you?

Hmm – I see it as a desire to get back to the ideas and feelings that come when your focused and creating with your own two hands – in a state of flow; but tied in to the primitive and history of mankind and our ties to nature and the natural materials – like wood. It’s about creating functional objects of beauty, fostering your creativity, and getting back to an appreciation for the simple joy of making things by hand. It’s about moving away from the mass machine produced, devoid of soul, furniture, and kitchenware of our modern world and tying these objects to memories of people, places, and joyful experiences. A spoon is a simple item – but it contains a world of possibility with respect to form, function, flow, decoration, etc. Accessible to all – yet – challenging to even the more experienced to push their skills and designs. That’s no small thing to experience in this day and age where so many are disconnected from nature, natural materials, and the joy of losing oneself in handcraft.

If you had to pick a few songs to listen to while carving, what would they be?

Oh my – that list could be very long indeed. I love classic rock, new age, fusion jazz, folk, world, Celtic and UK Trad folk and folk rock. My faves though are Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention, Solas, Michael Hedges, Shakti, and Kitaro. Any of these can get me ‘in the zone.’

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

Because I love craft and wood. For me, it’s a focused meditation and experience of “flow” and an outlet for my creativity and the desire to create a tangible expression of love & beauty – as opposed to my computer mediated screen-based world all day at work. Eventually, I think I’d like to create an income stream with it to aid financially in retirement and to share it more broadly. But I am approaching that very slowly. I am still trying to develop my skill and designs, and I am still very much in a copying others work to learn phase. Also – I am probably one of the slowest carvers on the planet. LOL, I worry it could become a ‘chore’ and strip some of the joy I currently experience with it to get into production mode, but I will eventually give it a shot.

I have no website or shop, and I carve to create gifts for family & friends. But I am open to trades and swaps and would very happily sell if anyone sees something on my feed that they like, and that isn’t already a gift. Just DM me on IG or FB. I was thrilled to make my first trade with Cynthia Main for a couple of her handmade booms and a leather dustpan. Look her up – they are perfect for cleaning up woodchips in your carving space.

Thanks Chuck! You can follow him and inquire about purchasing his spoons on Instagram at @chuck.trella_woodsmyths.

As I have said previously, my goals with this website are to learn more about spoon carving and connect with the great community of spoon carvers out there. I welcome carvers to contact me if you would like to be interviewed to share your thoughts on the craft of spoon carving.

I’m very happy share an interview with Sebastian Ungh.

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Sebastian Ungh, I’m a 36-year-old teacher, who’s living in southern Sweden, and teach Swedish for immigrants in the daytime and carve in my spare time. I always come back to spoon carving, but I also make Kuksas, bowls, and other sorts of bits and bobs. To me, it’s liberating to know my way around basic woodworking. My skills with hand tools have been to great use for mending broken household items.

How long have you been carving and how did you first get interested in it?

I started when I was a child, whittling together with my grandfather. He taught me how to use a knife and make simple stuff. After that, I didn’t carve for many years. Instead, I played the guitar and other instruments, composed, and released a few albums with my project Monogatari. Eventually, family life took up most of my time, and I wasn’t able to pursue my musical ambitions. That lead to a great need for a creative outlet, and one day in 2015 when I was at home with sick children, I stumbled upon a YouTube video that Zed Shah had recorded with Lee Stoffer for his channel Zed Outdoors. After that, it has been no looking back. I always come back to music too, but I carve more, it’s so much easier to do that with sleeping children around. It’s like every self-respecting assassin says: a knife is more silent than a guitar.

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

I am so lucky to have a lot of tools made by Nic Westermann. The quality of them is out of this world, and they have made me a better craftsman. Before getting them, I didn’t understand the need for sharp tools, so for me, they were a real eye-opener. But it’s more than them arriving sharper than anything I’ve used before. They are, above everything else, perfectly designed for what I need and therefore makes life easier.

I have also got a bunch of tools by Svante Djärv and among the ones I cherish most is my axes, drawknives, and adze. All of them are top-notch.

The trusty old Mora 106 deserves to be mentioned as well. I have four of them for roughing out my knife work. Having more than one, guarantees that I have a good, sharp knife to change to when one is dull, so I don’t have to take a break from the fun part, which is carving. Knowing how to sharpen the blade is necessary, but I find little pleasure in that task.

Any suggestions of books or websites to learn about spoon carving or woodwork?

Zed’s channel as mentioned earlier is great, and there are lots of other free videos on YouTube, for a small fee, you get hours and hours of excellent videos at Greenwood guild, and you can also read Swedish Carving Techniques by Wille Sundqvist. That book covers a lot.

However, there’s no better way to learn than from your own mistakes, mishaps, and fuck-ups. Get a knife, get some wood, and get going. That’s it.

Are there any particular spoon carvers who inspire you in your work?

Yes, of course. There are so many great carvers out there, and more people are experimenting and raising the bar all the time. The whole fun and exploration part of carving makes me tick. I like playfulness and leave the muscle work to others.

If I should start name-dropping, many chip carvers, spoon painters and artists with a sense of humor come to mind: Don Nalezyty, Ty Thornock, Anja Sundberg, Jögge Sundqvist, Amy Umbel, Dave Cockcroft, Penelope Nicholls, and Magnus Sundelin. There are so many more great people who inspire every day, but it would be way too time-consuming if I listed everyone.

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

I do believe that I have become better at it. My spoons today are more functional and prettier than my first ones. Different tools have made me faster too. A spoon mule and a draw knife remove a lot of material quickly when roughing out blanks and a twca cam is helpful when hollowing bigger spoons and ladles. I don’t have to have them, though. With a sloyd knife and a spoon knife, I can carve wherever I want. That is the beauty of our craft.

What are your thoughts on popular decorative techniques like milk paint, kolrosing, or chip carving?

I love it. It adds variety, makes the objects very personal and is fun. Fun is important to me. I like the idea that you play music, you don’t work it, like wood. I understand that there’s a risk for double entendre though if someone said that they play with wood, so I stick with the word work.

Milk paint is something I’ve never tried myself. I use acrylic paint and like how it turns out because you can see the grain of the wood through my colours.

I’m impressed by the kolrosers out there. I have a spoon carved by Nick Murphy, and it is utterly exquisite. Never in a thousand years, could I dream of making anything similar.

Chip carving, on the other hand, is my game. By combining simple lines and triangles, I can get an infinite amount of patterns. By now, I have carved many hundred spoons and never have I ever made two that look the same. That makes me proud. Themes return, of course, like in music, but that’s okay. There’s coming new songs composed in C-major all the time, and they can still sound fresh.

What do craft, sloyd, or wood culture mean to you?

It is empowering to learn a craft, and that has been important for me, but my number one thing is the sense of community. I’ve made great friends through craft and have found support from them when going through difficult times. There’s no way for me to put into words, how much that has helped me. Woodcarvers are the best.

If you had to pick a few songs to listen to while carving, what would they be?

I prefer to have it quiet. For me carving is meditation or a bit like running; I must do it at my own pace, find my inner tempo, and be able to take in my surroundings. I’ve heard of pole lathe turners who listen to songs having a specific BPM, but that is not my way.

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

Because I can, and I want to. I sell only a fraction of the spoons I carve, so I’m not doing it for the mighty dollar. The seemingly simple, and from an universal perspective, utterly meaningless task of carving spoons do me a lot of good. Some others enjoy looking at or using my utensils. That is good too. Therefore, I carve spoons.

Thanks Sebastian! You can follow him and inquire about purchasing his spoons on Instagram at @sebastian_ungh.

As I have said previously, my goals with this website are to learn more about spoon carving and connect with the great community of spoon carvers out there. I welcome carvers to contact me if you would like to be interviewed to share your thoughts on the craft of spoon carving.

I’m very happy share an interview with Peter Coulter.

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Peter, I am 58 and live in a small village in Northumberland, England, right on the border with Scotland.

How long have you been carving and how did you first get interested in it?

I was introduced to woodworking at school but was put off by what seemed to be a need to have a room full of machinery to achieve anything (this was long beforehand tool woodworking became accepted as a viable option once again).

Then in the late ’80s, I found a copy of Mike Abbot’s book, Green Woodworking, and it was a revelation! Just the fact that you could go from a tree to a piece of furniture, that you could build your own tools and machinery from what you had around you was just so simple and so right. I was hooked.

Since then I have dabbled in green woodworking as a hobby and built several pole lathes, but it is only since we returned to the UK a year ago, after 12 years in New Zealand that circumstances allowed me to commit seriously to learn spoon carving. I currently split my time between Spoon carving and caring for my elderly father in law, along with my wife Nicola, a textile artist. Our fledgling business is called The Hare in Winter, and we sell through farmers markets, craft fairs, and supply a few local shops.

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

I am very much into keeping things simple, I made my first few spoons (after seeing them on Instagram) with a $16 Bahco knife and a gouge using some reclaimed Rimu.

My current kit consists of a Mora 106 and 164, along with a Robin Wood (Wood tools Ltd) axe and open curve hook knife.

For turning, I have an Ashley Iles chisel and gouge, plain simple and British made by a family firm.

Any suggestions of books or websites to learn about spoon carving or woodwork?

For beginners, I would recommend either Spoon Carving by E J Osbourne or Niklas Karlsson’s The Art of Whittling both will set you on the right track safely.

On the web, there are some excellent YouTube videos, particularly Zed Outdoors. Personally, the best thing I did was join Barn the Spoon’s Spoonclub.co.uk, if you like his style, then it is an excellent resource.

Are there any particular spoon carvers who inspire you in your work?

Barn the Spoon (@barnthespoon) of course, Anna Casserley (@annacasserley) Niklas Karlsson (@_ahardslojdlife), EJ Osbourne (@hatchetandbear), Jarrod Dahl (@jarrod_dahl) and Mark Reddy (@toftmonkey).

I must say though that I find my best work is not inspired by other spoon carvers but by gardeners and potters, so I would include Dan Pearson (@coyotewillow) and Florian Gadsby (@floriangadsby) among others in the list.

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

A lot! At first, I used dry timber and so used a jigsaw, gouge, knife and spokeshave and then sanded them smooth. Over the last year, I have moved to greenwood carving and now use an axe, drawknife, spokeshave, and knives and leave a faceted surface.

While it may appear random, I’m quite focused on learning the craft. I have no plan as such, but at any one time, there is an aspect that I am exploring. So far, I’ve learned to carve a spoon, and now I am looking at the process, what happens when and why.

What are your thoughts on popular decorative techniques like milk paint, kolrosing, or chip carving?

They’re great and can add an extra dimension to a spoon. I haven’t tried any as yet, except that a few days ago I had an idea for lettering a spoon rack and so now am learning chip carving to pursue that.

What do craft, sloyd, or wood culture mean to you?

A rebellion, a revival and a connection to the past.

Despite the efforts of big business to teach us incompetence and make us totally reliant on them and their products, I think that in all of us there is a memory that this is not how it used to be or what is natural. Because of this, we are drawn to use our hands and connect with nature. Making a spoon is a very accessible way to discover this for ourselves.

If you had to pick a few songs to listen to while carving, what would they be?

Hmmm, difficult one, but my favourites would be Roads by Portishead, I Have Seen by Zero 7, Cortez the Killer by Neil Young, Sins of My Father by Tom Waits and Hell is Around the Corner by Tricky.

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

I love pattern and texture, and the way shapes flow around and relate to each other. Spoon carving is a way of exploring that while still ending up with something to eat my porridge with.

Thanks Peter! You can follow him and inquire about purchasing his spoons on Instagram at @petercoultercarvesspoons.

As I have said previously, my goals with this website are to learn more about spoon carving and connect with the great community of spoon carvers out there. I welcome carvers to contact me if you would like to be interviewed to share your thoughts on the craft of spoon carving.

I’m so happy to share an interview with Thomas Søe.

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Thomas Søe, and I live outside Copenhagen in Denmark, with my wife Stine, and our two kids Vigga (8) and Vera (4). I am 40 years old and work as a carpenter on a three-year experimental archeology project. The project is about Viking land infrastructure and involves building a 100 meters long Viking bridge using authentic tools of that age. I have always loved spending time in nature, whether it’s canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and camping. I have a deep interest in old crafts, woodcraft, and bushcraft and am lucky to be able to combine this with my work.

How long have you been carving and how did you first get interested in it?

I have been carving for many years but more in the line of bushcraft. I carved my first spoon 10 years ago and loved it and have been making spoons ever since. Most of my friends and family have several cooking spoons I have made over the years. Spoon carving is always something I enjoy between other wooden projects.

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

There are so many great tools on the market now, but the ones I keep returning to are my Nic Westerman spoon knives, homemade sloyd knives and a carving axe from my friend Hans Peter Knudsen (Landvirke), a Danish blacksmith.

Any suggestions of books or websites to learn about spoon carving or woodwork?

When I started, it was easier to get information through books, but now it’s so easy on YouTube, Facebook groups and Instagram, there is are a lot of talented people out there to follow. It’s a good idea to take a spoon carving course because it’s social and you get to different techniques from other people.

Are there any particular spoon carvers who inspire you in your work?

Barn the Spoon, Jarrod Dahl, Yoav Elkayam, Amy Leake, Knut Östgård and a lot more. It is easier to see the people I follow on Instagram.

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

A lot has changed, mostly my focus on perfection, the perfect lines of facets. I have thrown out a lot of spoons with minor flaws because I was never satisfied with the result. Now I like the small imperfections and think it actually makes the spoon more special. Sometimes the accidental cuts are what makes the spoon. My carving techniques have improved a lot over the years, but there is still so much to learn.

What are your thoughts on popular decorative techniques like milk paint, kolrosing, or chip carving?

I can appreciate the skills that go into it, but it doesn’t interest me much. I paint some of my spoons and do a little chip carving, but I like the simple spoons most and haven’t got the patience for too much decoration.

What do craft, sloyd, or wood culture mean to you?

It’s difficult to explain. Woodcarving makes me feel like I’m connected to nature and to my roots. I love the calm of my thoughts when I carve, how time just passes by. I love the feeling of achievement when finishing wooden projects, but mostly, I just want to be in the process and the frame of mind that comes with it.

If you had to pick a few songs to listen to while carving, what would they be?

It varies whether I listen to music while carving. I like the sounds of the axe, drawknife, and knife. I find it tho be quite relaxing. When I am in a production mode it’s nice to have music to set the pace. Most of the time, I listen to indie or folk music.

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

I love the process and being fully emerged in what I am doing. Spoon carving and green woodworking give me great joy and a sense of achievement. I feel rejuvenated mentally every time I have spent time carving.

Thanks Thomas! You can follow him and inquire about purchasing his spoons on Instagram at @handmade_thomassoee.

As I have said previously, my goals with this website are to learn more about spoon carving and connect with the great community of spoon carvers out there. I welcome carvers to contact me if you would like to be interviewed to share your thoughts on the craft of spoon carving.

I was well aware of Ty Thornock’s spoon carving and kolrosing skills, but when I went to Vesterheim Museum’s spoon exhibit that Fred Livesay curated in 2018, I saw a small spoon with three fish kolrosed in the bowl that Ty had made. It was magical, and that’s an understatement, but it made me feel something that I’ve yet to experience with another spoon. Like many others, I have followed Ty on Instagram and wait for his posts to inspire me to keep carving and learn how to kolrose. I’m happy to share the following interview with Ty.

Tell us a little about yourself:

I am a husband and father of 6. I am an educator by trade with a passion for teaching young children. I have had a variety of artistic interests over the years ranging from drawing and painting to crocheting, photography, lapidary work, and wood carving. I live on 3 secluded acres in rural Iowa surrounded by trees. 

How long have you been carving and how did you first get interested in it?

I grew up in a home that worked wood. My father had a woodshop that was somewhere between a hobbyist and professional shop. I would hang out with him sometimes making things on the belt sander or the lathe. I was given an X-acto carving set at a young age and promptly cut my thumb deeply. I whittled sticks into swords and bows and arrows but never had good carving and sharpening tools. I put it aside for other artistic pursuits until about 2013. About that time, I was working on my school principal licensure, had 5 young children and was working full time. I needed an artistic pursuit that was affordable and relatively quick. I saw Peter Follansbee on the Woodwright’s Shop and started getting interested. For Christmas, I asked for a Mora 164 and 106. I hacked out my first few spoons and was hooked.

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

Oof. What a hard question. There are so many good tools out there. 1. Mora 106 carving knife. I appreciate how they create a carving knife that is both professional quality and affordable. 2. KJ Groven sloyd knife. The hollow grind makes it easy to sharpen, and the solid steel (vs. laminated Mora) means the tip is tough. I like Nic Westermann’s hook tools because they are easy to sharpen and keep an edge for a long time. Other smiths making quality tools I enjoy are Hans Karlsson, Del Stubbs at Pinewood Forge (nobody makes a kolrosing knife like him!), Deepwoods Ventures (robust blades), Josh Whitehead of Greenhaven Forge is also producing good tools. His adze is every bit as good as the Hans Karlsson small adze.

Any suggestions of books or websites to learn about spoon carving or woodwork?

Tricky. I learned from Wille Sundqvist’s book, Swedish Carving Techniques. Barn (The Spoon) Carder has the book Spon out that is good as well. Videos by Jarrod Dahl, Jill Swan, Peter Follansbee, Jogge and Wille Sundqvist and others are great. On Facebook, the group Spoon Carving Green Woodworking and Sloyd has great files. I have also produced about 100 pages of documents that are free on different carving topics.

Are there any particular spoon carvers who inspire you in your work?

My work tends to be highly decorated. The carvers I follow also decorate their work. Some of them are Don Nalezyty, Magnus Sundelin, Maryanne McGinn, Jogge Sundqvist, Dan Lawrence, and others. Sometimes I see particular pieces that really catch my eye as well.

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

My techniques have not changed a lot. I have gotten more confident and with that comes efficiency, but the basic steps have remained similar with a few changes here and there.

What are your thoughts on popular decorative techniques like milk paint, kolrosing, or chip carving?

Decoration is fun! So long as the spoon can still function well, I think they can be great. When you put decoration ahead of the utensil, or design solely with decoration in mind, is when I don’t like it because you end up with spoons that are not good for moving food. I think they can be a good form of expression and can help spoons stand out. I like a good plain spoon, but I want my spoons to reflect me or to make a statement. I find this easiest through decorating them.

What do craft, sloyd, or wood culture mean to you?

This is a very big question. We live in a culture that is increasingly disconnected from each other. If you wanted, you could stay home through your education, job, and order everything you need online. While I tend to be a solitary person, I think developing community is important. Craft can be a vehicle for that. Green woodworking, in particular, can do that because you must make use of local resources. It is difficult to ship greenwood for consistent craftwork. That is the main driver for me. Second, while we are ‘advancing’ as a society, our skill sets become increasingly ‘primitive’ as we rely on others and automation to do work for us. I think there is a balance of using tools to help you achieve the forms you are looking for in the material and letting the tools dictate the form. When you automate craft, there is no collaboration between you, the material, and the tools. This leads to sameness in work and a stagnant skill set. A manual lathe, electric, pole, or treadle, can be great in helping you realize a vision. A repeating lathe will only cause you to get stuck. This advanced skill set, the ability to see raw materials and make functional items from them, is sloyd. Along with that, the ability to see a need and fill that need by making something is sloyd. This is true for whatever the material is: wood, clay, metal or fibers.

If you had to pick a few songs to listen to while carving, what would they be?

The song of birds in the trees and the wind blowing. I don’t often listen to music when I carve.

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

I carve because it makes me happy. A spoon is both simple and complicated. It’s easy to carve a bad spoon. It is difficult to carve a very nice spoon. They are accessible to all people, which makes them very democratic in many ways.

Thanks Ty! You can follow him and inquire about purchasing his spoons on Instagram at @tythornock.

As I have said previously, my goals with this website are to learn more about spoon carving and connect with the great community of spoon carvers out there. I welcome carvers to contact me if you would like to be interviewed to share your thoughts on the craft of spoon carving.

One of the reasons that I carve spoons and started this website is because I felt like I needed a greater sense of community in my life. It brings me great joy when I can connect with other spoon carvers online or even better in person. This past June I received an email out of the blue from Tad Kepley. It was simple but kind thank you for creating this platform for spoon carvers to share their thoughts on their craft. It made me happy to get his email, but I’m even happier now to share this interview with Tad.

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Tad, and I am married with three grown children. I also have two grandsons. Like my father, I retired from law enforcement after 30 years. Currently, I work three days a week at the local Community College coordinating Advanced Law Enforcement Training, and when I’m not at the college, I’m usually carving spoons. I did not start carving until after retirement. I have been shooting pistol competitively for about thirty years, and four months into retirement, I reached over and picked up my grandfather’s carving knife, and I never put it back down. I guess you could say I put my pistol down and picked up a knife.

How long have you been carving and how did you first get interested in it?

I have been carving spoons for 4 years now and never carved anything before that. My family has a history of carving, starting with my grandfather, who was born in 1899. Ironically my grandfather lived to be 99 years old and carved many of his birds in his 90’s. My grandfather did paintings and also carved a lot of wooden toys for all the family kids. That led my father and brother to carve. My grandfather and father both carved birds from whatever kind of wood they could get their hands on. My brother does relief carvings and natural wood carvings. My brother carved a cooking spoon for my mother roughly thirty years ago, and I saw it for the first time four years ago right after I retired. I was so intrigued by its curves and how smooth it felt in my hand. That spoon is what got me started, and I have carved roughly a thousand spoons to date. Although I have only been carving spoons for four years, I am very passionate about it, and I love it. I carve spoons probably six days a week, and I enjoy helping others to get into spoon carving when I can.

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

I love my Hans Karlsson Sloyd Axe, my Rune’s Sloyd knife and my Nic Westermann 65 mm TWCA knife. It doesn’t stop there. I have knives from a lot of makers and too many to mention. We are fortunate to have so many wonderful tool makers for spoon carving.

Any suggestions of books or websites to learn about spoon carving or woodwork?

“Swedish Carving Techniques” by the late Mr. Wille Sundqvist is a great book for green wood spoon carvers as well as other green wood projects. I also have a subscription to Spoonasauras magazine from Emmet and Matt that I enjoy. I enjoy Barn’s Spoon Club online for a minimal yearly subscription. Barn has tons of videos for new spoon carvers as well as experienced spoon carvers. Youtube is where I learned almost everything about green wood spoon carving, and I would strongly recommend new spoon carvers to search out videos to learn from.

Are there any particular spoon carvers who inspire you in your work?

Dan Lawrence and and Darrick Sanderson have been mentors for me over the last couple of years, and that has really helped me in my spoon carving journey. I would encourage others to mentor new spoon carvers and give to others when you can. These two guys did it out of the goodness of their heart, not expecting anything in return. Emmet Van Driesche and Tom Scandian have helped me a lot as well. There are many more in the green wood spoon carving community that have helped me along the way, and I appreciate all of them. I follow all four of them on Instagram as well as many others and get a lot of inspiration for my spoons this way. Thank goodness for Instagram and other social media websites that have brought spoon carvers of the world together to share our love for carving spoons.

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

In the last couple of years, I have reduced the amount of time it takes to complete a spoon mainly because of repetition. I am more systematic in my process, and I remove more material with my axe now, so I don’t get bored with the knife. I also have an extensive collection of wooden spoons carved by other makers to study and learn from. The spoons I have purchased support other makers, and it has helped me to learn by seeing them and using them. I would encourage beginning spoon carvers to buy spoons from other makers who they respect and learn from them.

What are your thoughts on popular decorative techniques like milk paint, kolrosing, or chip carving?

For me personally, I think decorative techniques allow us to inject a signature or style to our spoons that otherwise might not be possible with just our knife. I believe function first and decoration second. When I carve spoons, it is as much an art to me as it is a craft. The decorations are fun and add to the joy of everyday use. As I search for a signature in my spoon carving journey, I plan to explore decorations even more.

What do craft, sloyd, or wood culture mean to you?

It’s all a form of art for me that gives me satisfaction in being able to create with my hands. All those words or terms represent something that I thought would never be possible for me and something I would have told you 5 years ago that I could not do. Sloyd means accomplishment as well as a responsibility to pass on to others what has given me so much joy. When I take a walk in the woods, I don’t see just a tree anymore. It is so much more understanding and respect for what can or cannot be.

If you had to pick a few songs to listen to while carving, what would they be?

I start with Andrea Bocelli a lot, but at the same time I may end up with the Marshall Tucker Band and everything you can think of in between. I listen to a lot of different artist and genres. Music is important to my spoon carving and is something I really enjoy. I listen to music when I rough out my spoons in the garage and whistle to the music. I love to whistle and carve. Just ask my neighbors.

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

I carve spoons because I love it. I carve spoons almost daily, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment that fills a void since I retired from law enforcement. Carving fits my personality and style and allows me to create something in a relatively short period of time that somebody can get joy from and use daily. Spoon carving is timeless and therapeutic for me. My wife says that I’m either zero or 100 and that there is no in-between with me. Right now I’m going 100 mph with my spoon carving, and I’m not planning on slowing down anytime soon.

Thanks Tad! You can follow him and see more of his spoons on Instagram at @tad_william_kepley or visit his website at www.tadwilliamkepley.com . Currently, Tad does not sell spoons from his website. He only sells face to face at the local farmers market in Lexington where he lives, and he also does a few craft shows each year. Tad says that he enjoys meeting people and making the spoons in front of people while doing the shows.

As I have said previously, my goals with this website are to learn more about spoon carving and connect with the great community of spoon carvers out there. I welcome carvers to contact me if you would like to be interviewed to share your thoughts on the craft of spoon carving.