Wooden Spoon Carving

Information and Inspiration for Spoon Carvers

Interviews

An Interview with Richard Platt

I’m really excited to share this interview with luthier, chairmaker, and spoon carver Richard Platt.

Tell us a little about yourself:

A bit about me, since a child I’ve always been a hands on person, like most spoon carvers, and as such I wanted to be in a creative career. So throughout my early days I dabbled in as many things I could being woodwork, computers, airfix kits and music in the form of a few instruments but prominently classical guitar.

When the time came I went to the University of Manchester where I studied music, and it was here that I decided that I could put this hobby together with another and become an instrument maker: a luthier. So a little after I graduated in 2016 I enrolled in Totnes school of Guitar Making and learned how. This is a little off topic though and luthiery has taken a hobby stance in my life as I have also always been into greenwood working.

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

I first was introduced to greenwood when I volunteered with Mike Abbott (around when I realized I wanted to include woodwork in my career path) who is a chairmaker. I guess this is where I was introduced to spoon carving but never took is seriously until I got a job with Lawrence Neal as a chairmaker myself, along side Sam Cooper who you may know is a prominent member of the spoon carving community. On our lunch breaks, he would carve and teach me to carve too, so basically I’ve just got more and more into it. So to answer the question of how long I’ve been carving, I guess 4 years would be about right, but I’ve only gotten better in the last year!

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

In my tool box at the moment is a Mora 106 and a Robin Wood compound curve right handed hook knife. I’ve also just gotten myself a Robin Wood carving axe which is superb compared to my old eBay purchase I got when I started.

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

I have no recommendations for spoon carving beyond Barn’s book: Spōn. However I would recommend Mike Abbott’s books for chairmaking and if you fancy something really different, a couple of luthiery books I adore are Ervin Somogyi’s “the responsive guitar” and Roy Courtnall’s “Making Master Guitars”.

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

Sam Cooper absolutely inspires me, his design are modern and his lines are crisp and he makes me want to be a better craftsman everyday.

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

I think my technique has changed only in the way that I’m now a better carver. I’m more controlled and deliberate in every knife stroke I take, and I also take my blanks a lot further with the axe that I used to.

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

I enjoy all new techniques as long as they’re done tastefully. Too much is often the downfall (of my own spoons too) and toeing the line is crucial. I am always thinking of other methods I can draw from my other crafts to incorporate into spoon carving too. I just haven’t found a good one yet!

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

Greenwood culture to me means taking as many steps as possible back to natural power. So using a handsaw and axe, rather than a bandsaw where possible. And taking careful consideration of each piece you make. It results in each piece being unique, no matter whether you do batch work or not because you take the wood grain and natural characteristic variations much more seriously, even compared to using a handplane to flatten a piece of wood. Quite often wood doesn’t want to be flat!

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

I actually really enjoy podcasts while I do any work that doesn’t require me to either concentrate very hard, or need my ears while I do it. At the moment I’m into The Infinite Monkey Cage with Brian Cox and Robin Ince. Otherwise I like “natural” music like folk or acoustically music. Laura Marling, Tallest Man on Earth, and The Gloaming are in my currently played tracks right now though.

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

I carve spoons because I can, and I’m blessed to be in that position so I may as well make the most of it!

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

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.

An Interview with Fiona Glover

I’m so happy to share an interview with Fiona Glover (@twigtotable).

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Fiona, or Fi, and I live with my husband, three children and nine chickens in Canberra, Australia. I’m currently studying Furniture at the Australian National University School of Art and Design, but I have a somewhat sporadic career history – I’ve worked in retail management, advertising, television news, government and now here I am, carving spoons, teaching spoon carving, and being a parent and a student. I’ve never been happier.

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

I started carving just under four years ago when I was in a pretty dark place – I’d been struggling to balance a stressful job while raising small children and felt like I was doing a terrible job of both. In need of a creative outlet and remembering that I loved woodwork at school, I booked into a spoon carving workshop that was run by Jeff Donne, aka The Spoonsmith. I split a branch and started axing out a blank and for the first time in ages I felt calm, focused and a sense of pure joy. Jeff’s gentle, inclusive approach to spoon carving appealed to me then and has stayed with me to this day.

From there I carved whatever I could find – storm-felled branches of street trees, neighbour’s fruit tree prunings and even hardwood. In the year that followed I took furniture making courses at night where I’d end up with seasoned wood offcuts. These seemed to beautiful to throw away so I adapted my techniques to carve those into spoons too. Today I still carve in both green and seasoned wood, but with a ready supply of offcuts most of my small batch production is carved dry.

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

My Hans Karlsson left- and right-handed hook knives (I’m a lefty but use both in my left hand), a Hans Karlsson carving axe – it’s my third axe and I will never buy another, a little 4″ Veritas draw knife and the ever-reliable Mora 106 slojd knife. I have other tools but these are the ones I can’t do without.

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

Nothing beats learning to carve one-on-one or in a workshop, but if that option isn’t available near you, the YouTube videos by excellent carvers such as Max Neukaufler (@woodsmans_finest), Emmet van Driesche, or Tom Scandian are really helpful.

Barn the Spoon’s book, Spon, is a beautiful read, and Swedish Carving Techniques (otherwise known as The Blue Book or the Spoon Carver’s Bible) by the late great Wille Sundqvist is essential for starting out and developing an understanding of Slöjd – especially if, like me, you come from a part of the world where this is not embedded in the culture.

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

There are so many spoon carvers whose work inspires me, and while I try to do my own thing and not be unduly influenced or appropriate others’ work, here are a few who I particularly admire:

– Jeff Donne @thespoonsmith and Carol Russell @carol.a.russell for the way they encourage new people to the craft and the work they do in fostering a great spoon carving culture in Australia
– Emmet van Driesche @emmet_van_driesche for his consistency, courageousness and brilliant work ethic
– Tom Scandian @spoon_carving_with_tom for his commitment to technical perfection
– Amy Umbel @amy_umbel her spoons and bowls are so cool but she’s also an awesome teacher
– Adam Kowalsky @donkdadonk – his chip carving and texturing skills are next level, he’s also one of the loveliest people on Instagram

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

My techniques are constantly evolving and they, along with the tools I use, will change depending on what I’m carving – seasoned or greenwood. For example if I’m carving from a seasoned offcut I’ll use a gouge and drawknife to remove material before starting on knifework, whereas if it’s greenwood I’ll just stick to axe – Slöjd knife – hook knife. Most importantly though, I’m becoming more comfortable with my own style – whatever that may be.

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

Decorative techniques are fun and there are carvers who do them so well – Dane Licina @dane.licina , Maryanne McGinn @turnaleg , and of course the slojd magician Jögge Sundqvist @surolle are stand-outs.

I’ve mucked around with milk paint but I find kolrosing and chip carving anxiety-inducing – get it wrong and you ruin a perfectly good spoon!

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

I was lucky enough to attend a workshop and listen to a talk on Slöjd with Jögge Sundqvist when he visited Australia for the Spoon Jam carving festival a couple of years ago. His talk made an impact but his actions more – Slöjd to me is more than just an individual using hand tools to create useful and beautiful things from wood, it’s a shared sense of community and purpose.

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

‘Lover, where do you live‘ by Highasakite, ‘Harmony Hall‘ by Vampire Weekend and anything by Aurora Aksnes, ever.

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

Carving spoons is my therapy and my happy place – wherever I am when I carve I feel like I have come home.

Thanks Fiona! You can follow her on Instagram at @twigtotable for spoon carving and at @figlovermadethis for her furniture student journey. She also has a website at www.twigtotable.com.au. She doesn’t generally sell her spoons direct because she’s working to capacity at the moment, but she does supply these galleries and shops in Canberra: The National Library of Australia Bookshop, The National Gallery of Australia Shop, Craft ACT Shop (@craft.act) The Canberra Glassworks, Meet Gather Collect and Timber and Tailor Shop.

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.

An Interview with Maryanne McGinn

I learned about Maryanne McGinn and her spoon carving through a few wonderful videos that Barn created for the Spoon Club. She spoke about her work in a quiet and humble manner, but her spoons, oh they sang out loudly and proudly. I immediately loved her carving, kolrosing, and use of color!

It was an honor when she agreed to do an interview with me, and I’m elated to share her thoughts below.

Tell us a little about yourself:

I’m 66 years old, and I spent many years making windows and doing general carpentry work, then I ran a woodwork project for a brain injury charity. Before all that I had an office job at the Crafts Council in London, and that really opened my eyes to the possibilities of creating beautiful craftwork. I got to handle the work of many craft legends, including Bernard Leach, David Pye, and Michael Rowe. I decided I needed to make a change of career and learn some very practical skills.

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

Whilst running the woodwork project I decided to offer the widest possible range of woodwork pursuits to the different clients, some of whom were already quite skilled, so we created bentwood boxes, small pieces of furniture, marquetry, and turned wooden bowls. I was also learning some of these specialized skills in order to teach them, and one project I came up with was making a spoon; it was very very basic, and we made it with chisels, a bent gouge and sandpaper. It wasn’t until after I left this job in 2015 that I discovered the existence of Spoonfest, and how to make spoons with an axe and knives, and from then on I became properly hooked.

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

I use the Mora 106 most of all, and for the bowl I like the Woodtools open curve spoon knife. I do have a new favourite though: last year I bought a Reid Schwarz/Woodspirit Handcraft spoon knife from Jarrod Dahl. It’s got amazing strength and slide at the same time, beautiful to use.

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

There’s nothing that beats learning from a good carver in person, but if you can’t get to one then Spoonclub.co.uk has very good instructional videos. Plenty of books to choose from, but I like Jogge Sundqvist’s Sloyd in Wood.

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

So, so many, here are a few: Jojo Wood for really great control and bold lines, Dan Lawrence for freshness and fun, Pat Diette for superb consistency, Jarrod Dahl for uncompromising efficiency, Karel Hekrle for imagination and style. Also Jane Mickelborough, Adam Kawalsky and Anna Casserley.

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

Although I had been involved in woodwork for so many years, I still had to learn to use those special spoon carving tools. Working with tools has to become as rhythmic as playing a musical instrument, getting your eyes, hands and body locked into the movements, and only then can you begin to produce your own work. So when I started I was always stressing about which bit I had to carve next, or wondering how to achieve a certain profile or finish. It was much more difficult than I imagined, but practice and perseverance are great teachers, and although I still have to concentrate now, it’s a much more instinctive activity.

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

I’m a fan of both simple and decorative work, so If you like it go for it. I think it’s fun to try things out and see where it takes you.

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

Practicing some sort of craft has always been an important part of my life since a very young age, and if I weren’t carving, I’d be sewing or knitting or building furniture. Having craft skills allows for personal expression and creates links to our environment. I hate to think that schools don’t teach crafts any more – in recent decades our society has put the focus on consuming, and fewer people have needed to learn to create. I think this has led to a void in some people’s lives, and I’d like to see that change.

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

If I’m inside it’s cheesy RnB and funk, or I listen to BBC World Service, otherwise my favourite outdoor music comes from the blackbird, the robin, or the ice cream van.

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

At the moment I can’t think of anything else which is so absorbing and gives me such a challenge.

Thanks Maryanne! You can follow her and inquire about purchasing her spoons on Instagram at @turnaleg or on her website at www.turnaleg.com.

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.

An Interview with Samuel Alexander

I remember well the day I that read a wonderful post on Samuel Alexander’s Instagram feed. In it, he shared that he planned “to be more open with people about how therapeutic carving can be and how it can help with people’s struggles and bumpy roads.” It’s a recurring theme among many of the spoon carvers that I have interviewed, and one that I personally can relate to as well. As I’ve told many folks, making a spoon is more than making a spoon.

So that was what drew me into Samuel’s carving world, and what a wonderful one it is too! I’m grateful for his answers to my questions below, but when you’re done reading the interview, go check out his sketchbooks on his website. I’m certain you’ll be as inspired as I was by his drawing and carving.

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Samuel, I am a 24 year old carver of spoons! I am from North Devon England, from a small little coastal village, but now I live in the depths of East London (with the coast and the woodland still in my heart). I studied illustration with animation here in London but now I manage a busy outdoor store, make spoons, and teach spoon carving.

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

I have always had an interest in green woodwork since I was a little sapling. Although I wasn’t aware of what woodworking was, I was very aware that I needed to make swords from sticks to fight off imaginary enemies. I would borrow my late grandfather’s pairing knives and make things like bows and arrows, fishing rods for the ponds, swords and more!

I sort of lost touch with that as I grew up but rediscovered the meaning, freedom and value of green woodwork about two years ago in the form of spoons! Now I make, sell, and teach Spoon Club at The Greenwood Guild.

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

Oooh! Good question! I love my Svante Djarv axe. It was my first big purchase at Spoonfest and have treasured it since. I have a few Nic Westermann knives which are always a joy to carve with. My favourite tools are the ones that my good friends have made. I have two lovely chip carving knives. One was made by James Wood (@jameswoodmakerofthings) it’s beautiful, the other is one forged by Nic, but ground by Adam Ashworth. I love this one because of the journey it’s been on. As makers, we tell stories, so I like tools that do that too!

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

There are some amazing resources out there! Spoonclub.co.uk is in my opinion, the best online resource. Hosted by Barn The Spoon, It has wonderful video tutorials that are for both beginners and the most experienced of wood workers. It’s not just videos about spoons, but other projects from bowls, to chopsticks but also videos featuring our favourite green wood workers from around the world. There are a few good books out there, Spõn for example provides excellent tuition. There are great tree guides here in the UK made by the woodland trust. They have books and apps that you can use for tree identification that come in really handy!

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

I guess I kinda jumped into spoon Carving without any influence. I needed the craft (I will touch on why in the last question). I just started making! I love the work of other makers and I guess shape and form happens naturally. I am a big fan of makers but I feel that my spoons have always looked a little different and strange to another makers.

I think that there are some amazing makers who do a lot for the craft and who have certainly taught me techniques and safe practice that I’m able to pass onto other people. Barn has taught me a lot about technique and also how to teach people well, and safely. Tom Hepworth has been a great mentor of mine over the years! I have met great friends over the years who drive and inspire me. Alex Yerks, Sam Cooper, Jack Storey, Allessandro Bossio, Adam Ashworth, Dan Lawrence and many more! I love hanging out and getting nerdy about spoons.

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

With confidence! I see it now still, the more I work, the more confident I get. I practice very safely and use proper technique that uses less energy. I have grown stronger in my own hands and this has allowed me to work faster and have a much higher output. I love repetition. I can make the same spoon over and over and tweak the way I approach it each time to make it as efficient and the best version that it can be. Initially facets were hard to get along with, but now I’m good friends with them.

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

I love it! A spoon can be so so playful. I think that there is a grand celebration happening for the art of the wooden spoon. And I believe that makers, making in there own way is something so beautiful. For me, a lot of the time, I obviously remove wood but I feel that I can relate more to a spoon by what the makers has left behind.

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

Freedom! When we work, we are free. People lose so much in their lives. With craft and sloyd, I have gained so so much and I am thankful everyday that I am able to make. The new wood culture is growing fast and it fills me with joy.

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

I actually make my own spoon carving playlists! They are on Spotify I think. I have a Spotify account called ‘smaddonwayrecords’ I have a few playlists. I like folk songs and storytelling.

My top three would be:

Bill Callahan – Sycamore
This Is The Kit – Earthquake
Michael Hurley – I Paint A Design

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

I carve spoons because I feel alive when I do! I have suffered from a deep spell of depression, anxiety and PTSD and through different forms of therapy (that didn’t seem to help) I found spoon carving.

The process of being completely emerged in a craft began to distract me from the big dark cloud. Little did I know, it was clearing the skies over me. The more I made, the better I felt. I can honestly say that I feel ‘cured’ of depression, I feel lighter, healthier and have such a better outlook on life itself, and I know that it is hugely to do with the fact that I make spoons. It’s the idea of using all the good parts of yourself to make something and then it looks back at you. You can hold it, admire it, feel every facet and then release it through a gift or selling. It’s wonderful!

I lost so much, relationships with family and friends, memories, the ability to do well at university but through this craft I have repaired the leaks in my hull and have gained more than I could want.

I owe so much to the craft and that is why I now teach and inspire others. I love giving back to it. In my head, the more spoons made, the better people feel. Thus the more people I can influence, the more could be saved. I am a huge advocate for using craft as a prescription.

Thanks for reading and carve on!

Thanks Samuel! You can follow him and inquire about purchasing his spoons on Instagram at @samuelspoon or on his website at www.samuelspoon.co.uk.

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.

An Interview with Adam Kowalsky

Recently, I reached out to a number of spoon carvers to talk about their work. I didn’t know Adam Kowalsky by name, but I had admired his carving for the past year or two on Instagram at @donkdadonk. The thing that grabbed me right from the start with Adam’s spoons is his clear understanding of carving technique, but even more engaging is his subtle yet strong use of embellishment with gougework, milk paint, and scorching. His spoons have a look that is ancient yet modern at the same time and are always exquisitely executed every time. They stand out in my mind as some of the most uniquely carved spoons that I’ve seen. It was a pleasure to learn more about Adam and his carving.

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Adam Kowalsky. I’m 45 years old, a husband and a father to three kids. Professionally I am a chef for a resort in the Catskills, we produce weddings and do a multitude of VIP events for music festivals. I have a history in fine art, mostly sculpture.

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

I have been carving spoons for going on 4 years. I’m not sure exactly how or why I started, it was like many other things in life where something sparks in you and it grows from a fleeting thought into a full blown obsession. At the time I was going through a full blown life crisis and real depressed dark episode. I carved a junky spoon with bad tools, shed some blood and found myself a few hours later realizing I was totally lost in it. There was no negative thoughts and I was in complete bliss looking at this pathetic little twig spoon. I was hooked not only on the craft but the way it took me out of my own head.

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

Nic Westermann fawcett blade, twca cam and swan neck gouge. For knives I use a sloyd magnus large and small sloyd and a Mora 106. I use a Gransfors carving axe, and I’m patiently waiting for my Kalthoff small carver. That’s pretty much my whole kit.

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

I remember watching a Zed Outdoors YouTube video with Lee Stoffer and Jarrod Dahl’s silent spoon carving video a thousand times. I learned a lot from them.

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

Mary Ann McGinn, Jarrod Dahl, Dan Lawrence, Pat from Klipnocky woods, Peter Follansbee, Dave Fisher, and so many others I can’t even wrap my head around names. I am constantly finding new people I’m in awe of in the spoon carving world.

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

Every time I carve anything I do something different. I am slowly but surely getting to the point where I can confidently think of something, carve it and it gets close to the mental picture.

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

I love milk paint. I personally find kolrosing very frustrating, I always get those darn coffee grounds all in the grain of the spoon. Chip carving is the something I would love to learn to do properly. I have really enjoyed gouge carving my handles but sometimes it seems like it’s a one trick pony and I’ve seen some amazing chip carvers out there.

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

It’s usually the first thing I think about when I wake up and it’s what I doze off to sleep thinking about. It’s become not only my obsession but my way of dealing with the blues. It gives me focus and a drive to get better. I am thankful for all the history I can research and for the folks that started before me who I really admire which gave me words of encouragement and offered swaps and likes!

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

Lately I’ve been listening to Advance Bass, old Vampire weekend, always Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead live from Europe and many many podcasts usually about aliens, magic or the end of the world as we know it.

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

Because i really just love it.

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

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.

An Interview with Tom Scandian

I started carving spoons two years ago, and early on as I searched for resources to learn more about this craft, I stumbled upon Tom’s Scandian’s YouTube channel. I was elated to find such a valuable learning resource. After I signed up for Instagram, I quickly followed Tom (@spoon_carving_with_Tom) there too. One consistent thing that I so value about Tom is his eagerness and willingness to share knowledge and carving/sharpening techniques for free; his honesty about the good and bad experiences with his carving; and perhaps most importantly, his sincere connections and conversations with everyone in the carving world. When I recently reached out to him about doing an interview, he responded immediately, so I’m elated to share his answers below.

Tell us a little about yourself:

My name is Tom. I’m 27 years old and the owner of my own business “Spoon Carving With Tom”. I set up my business in 2016 to spread the word of traditional slöjd using very modern methods – on and across various social media platforms. I live in Australia where I make and sell spoons, kangaroo leather and suede strops and other sharpening systems specific for our carving tools. I also have a YouTube channel dedicated to teaching all I know about craft and everything that surrounds it.

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

I carved my first spoon about 11 years ago, it’s a spoon that’s still going strong. It’s wonderful to know that even at your most inexperienced stage, you can make a useful object that will last decades and still bring you much joy. I was first inspired by Ray Mears to carve a spoon after watching his episode in Belarus.

What are a few of your favorite spoon carving tools?

I am very much of the belief that fewer tools make you more efficient. You build an intricate knowledge and understanding of exactly how to use them. I find that the more I swap tools out, the less efficient I become. My 3 primary tools are : A Hans Karlsson slojd knife, a custom Matt White hook knife and a Hans Karlsson carving axe. Having tried dozens of tools over the years, I have found these to suit me best. I’m always open to trying new tools though and enjoy the process of testing them!

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

Of course I must advertise my own YouTube channel! There are going to be dramatic improvements in the content there very shortly having upgraded to professional lighting, backdrops, cameras, audio equipment and editing software. It will be a fresh start and all new content, of course all free! I’m not the biggest fan of learning through books, I find that as times change books become outdated. It’s one of the reasons online learning is so efficient. New grinds come along, new ideas, processes, tools etc. I can upload a video and a week later find an improvement in something I previously shared. I can therefore upload another and improve on it. However with books this isn’t the case. The basics can be learnt from books, but I don’t think, if someone really wants to learn, that it’s the best way. Far better is to watch videos and follow live feeds and posts on social media shared by competent and skilled carvers which convey and share close up detailed camera angles and descriptions.

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

Yes, a man from the USA, Darrick Sanderson was one of my earliest inspirations. Darrick was always welcoming and supportive and is what shaped me to share and do what I do, in the way I do, to this day! Now days, my inspiration comes mostly from a blend of different peoples work, traditional designs and my own ideas.

How have your spoon carving techniques changed over time?

I don’t think my techniques have changed drastically overtime, but become more refined. The basic cuts you learn are the foundation to the craft of which you tweak to improve and make them more efficient over time. A thumb push cut is taught by pressing with your thumb on the blades spine. It’s a useful, powerful and controlled cut. To further improve this though, I have found squeezing the thumb on the spine while pulling the piece with your index finger of the same hand, while squeezing the blank to close your fist to not only be far more powerful and efficient, it’s less effort to make the cut. I now call it a hand squeeze grip as it better reflects the action you do.

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

I like them all so long as they are subtle and they aren’t used to cover up a poorly made spoon. I think for anyone starting, focus on the foundations of what make a spoon work, then your tool finish and only then consider adding decoration. The time spent decorating could be better spent learning more about function and how it can be improved. No matter how beautiful a spoon looks, if it doesn’t function well, you’ll not use it. It will be as new today as it will in 40 years. This is very much a functional craft for me and therefore the main priority. I’d much rather a simple spoon that works great, than lots of decoration on one that doesn’t.

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

It means empowerment. To be able to say no to mass production where possible and create what we need that’ll warm the home that have skill and passion behind them. I don’t think turning your back on modern technology is the answer, but blending the old and new. Being more reliant on yourself and making exactly what you need instead of making do.

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

Anyone who has joined me in my live videos will know I sing along to anything even though it’s painful for them to listen to sometimes! I don’t carve to any set music, but just play whatever feels right at the time for my mood!

Lastly, why do you carve spoons?

I carve spoons because it’s a creative outlet and a challenge. I don’t like asking for help when I don’t know something, instead I prefer the challenge to figure things out for myself. When there is no challenge, things become mundane and boring. Spoon carving has yet to cease being a challenge and even after all these years it still gives me as much joy as it did on that very first spoon.

Thanks Tom! You can follow him and inquire about purchasing his spoons or sharening tools on Instagram at @spoon_carving_with_Tom or learn more about spoon carving and everything related to it on his YouTube channel.

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.