My partner and I spent nearly two weeks in Medellín, Colombia this past December. After a jam-packed few years of weddings, family visits, and work travel, we realized this was the first vacation we'd planned for ourselves in three years.
We dedicated the first week to learning salsa and exploring Medellín. After our classes ended, we took a four-hour bus ride outside the city to San Rafael, a small town nestled in the cloud forests - home to squirrel-sized titi monkeys, venomous pit vipers, and some of the most beautiful birds I've ever seen.
The eco-lodge we stayed at, Ritmo del Rio, was owned by Jesse, a self-taught woodworker who'd left California for Colombia 13 years earlier. He'd helped build the cabins and small restaurant that sat along a beautiful stretch of river. He was kind enough to show me his woodshop and the tables he was building entirely from scrap wood.
After learning I owned a wood carving tool company and was a novice carver myself, Jesse was excited to give me a few pieces of native Colombian wood to take home. Joey and I stuffed about 10 pieces of scrap wood - all the right size for spoon carving - into our bags. I was already looking forward to getting home and testing them out.
Five Colombian Hardwoods for Carving
With Jesse's help, we'd labeled each type of wood before packing it. Back in Santa Barbara, I did a bit of research on each species to understand what we'd be working with. Our goody bag included five different species native to the Antioquia region, each with its own character:
Zapan (Clathrotropis brunnea) - A dense hardwood from the legume family, prized for its durability and attractive grain. Its natural resistance to decay made it historically popular for construction. For carving, it's quite hard and heavy, which means it holds detail beautifully but demands sharp tools and patience.
Dormilón (Mimosa spp.) - Named "sleepy one" after the mimosa's leaves that fold when touched, this medium-density wood shows interesting color variation with warm tones. Less commonly used commercially, it carves more easily than harder, denser woods like Zapan.
Abarco (Cariniana pyriformis) - One of Colombia's premium hardwoods, known for its beautiful reddish-brown color, fine texture, and excellent workability despite being quite hard. It takes a gorgeous polish and is highly valued for fine furniture and turned object- dense enough to hold crisp details while working smoothly.
Choibá (Dipteryx oleifera) - Also called almendro or tonka bean tree, this exceptionally hard, dense wood has outstanding durability. It's naturally oily, giving it rot resistance and a beautiful lustrous finish, though the interlocked grain requires attention to grain direction while carving.
Vaina de pájaro - Translating to "bird sheath" or "bird pod," this wood remains something of a mystery - likely from the legume family, but I'll let the wood speak for itself once I have a chance to carve it.
Carving A Spoon With Zapan
We got home on a Friday night, which meant I had the weekend to play around with our scrap wood. I was faced with my first decision: which wood to carve first?
For some reason, I went straight for the hardest of the bunch - Zapan. I must have been captivated by its rich, dark color, and beautiful grain. Classic beginner mistake, or maybe I just wanted to see how our beginner whittling kit would handle one of Colombia's toughest hardwood. Call it the hubris of a business owner.
For context, Zapan is significantly harder than the basswood we typically recommend for beginners. Where basswood might take 2-3 hours for a spoon, the Zapan has demanded closer to 5-6 hours of careful work, and I still have quite a bit more work to do.
A well sharpened spoon gouge from our 12-piece wood carving set carved out the bowl, though it required noticeably more elbow grease than I'm accustomed to when carving basswood blanks. A sloyd knife and roughout knife from our 3pc whittling set shaped the handle and refined the curves. Once I got into a rhythm - shaving off just a bit at a time and paying careful attention to grain direction to avoid tear out - the carving was smooth, if slow going.
Keeping tools sharp is crucial when working with dense hardwoods like this - I stropped my blades pretty regularly, maybe every 20-30 minutes to maintain a sharp edge.
Below are progress photos. I'm planning on this one being a rice scoop, and I'll update with the finished spoon once it's done.
Carving with Dormilón
Joey, being far more sensible than me, chose the Dormilón for her first spoon. I tested her piece with the spoon gouge and whittling knife out of curiosity, and I immediately understood her wisdom - it carved nice and easy compared to the Zapan. If you're new to hardwood spoon carving, softer species like this are much more forgiving to start with.
Progress photos from Joey's spoon carving below. We're still working through these first two spoons, but I'm already eyeing the Choibá or trying another piece of Dormilón next. I'll update this post as we work through all five species, with finished photos and final thoughts on how each Colombian hardwood performed. Stay tuned to see which becomes my new favorite.
Ready to Try Spoon Carving?
Whether you're working with soft basswood or tackling exotic hardwoods like these Colombian species, having the right tools makes all the difference. Our 3-Piece Whittling & Spoon Carving Set includes everything you need to get started: a hook knife for carving bowls, a detail knife for shaping, and a sloyd knife for refining, as well as basswood and step-by-step video tutorials. For more versatility, our 12-Piece Carving Set adds a dedicated spoon gouge plus additional profiles for taking on any carving project. Both sets are designed with beginners in mind - but built to last a lifetime.