Spoon Carving Techniques

Here’s my first Youtube tutorial, it’s on how to rough out a spoon with a hook knife, shown is a basswood blank, it cuts about like green birch.

or links to other tutorials

 Notice how in carving the spoons’ back the knife is pushed along by the left hand(bottom) fingers. This is a most important technique used constantly in spoon carving. It is the opposite of what one might think. The knife hand is pushing gently away from the edge against the other hand, the opposite hand providing the power for the cut. This opposition of the hands is one of the most important secrets to fine knife control. Notice the thumb under the handle, not on top in the path of the edge; and the angle of the blade to the wood – for a slicing cut.

More pictures of knife techniques
20 years ago I attended a class given by Jögge Sundquist (he is the son of my mentor, Ville Sundquist). Here are some pics of him showing more hand positions…...

 

 

 

 

Here Jögge is pushing with the thumb, or levering against it, for finer control. (The leather wrist band has 2 functions, one is to strengthen the wrist for axe and adze carving……….the other is style, he had a rock and roll band!)

 

 

 

This is the cross thumb grip. Powerful control!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Power cuts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of scissor cut, the most controlled and powerful cut to learn. The shoulders are rotated forward, the hands then pulled apart by the shoulders opening up. I call it the chicken wing cut!

 

 

 

 

 

The scissor cut finished, note the hands are still connected to the ribs.

 

 

 

Jögge’s cut where the wood is rotated

Jögge’s wonderful new book is out in Swedish – Slöjda I Trä – (Craft in wood) If you speak Swedish, or if you don’t, visit his website to learn more. Thankyou Jögge, for your inspiration, your dancing hands, your joy of life.