Why Spoons?

Spoons are one of the most common things for beginner carvers to create. Like many introduced to this craft, it was one of the first finished items I made. For one thing, spoons are small, making them an achievable item to finish when you’re new to the craft. Not to mention they are an excellent form from which to learn the basics of carving with a knife.

I’ve now been carving for over two years and I’m still fascinated by the design possibilities to explore in spoons. Not only are there a surprising amount of different types of spoons when you really start to think about it - teaspoons, eating spoons, salad servers, measuring spoons, coffee scoops, ladles - the list goes on, but there are also so many elements to each spoon that can be tweaked to change its form dramatically. 

Once you start getting into it, each cut with the knife impacts on the possibilities of a spoon’s final shape. Unlike clay, metal or glass, you can’t add wood back on once you’ve cut it off, which makes each cut that bit more important. Taking an extra shaving off the back of the bowl will massively impact how it will feel to eat with; removing some weight on the handle will change how a spoon balances in your hand; and adjusting the swoop at the neck of the spoon can drastically change a spoon’s appearance and comfort to use. Because everything is at such a small scale, these cuts matter and the choices you make will decide whether a spoon is a delight to use or one for the firewood pile.

This constant challenge is just one of the joys of this craft, and I’ve spent hours assessing the angles of the spoons I’ve made and learning from my choices. It’s what keeps pushing me to improve my skills and develop my design eye.

I hope that sharing my fascination with the form of a spoon encourages you to look at the items you use everyday in your life and appreciate craftsmanship that goes into making them.

“Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible”

Donald A. Norman, The Design of Everyday Things