Is Spoon Carving Hard?

A Beginner's Experience Carving a Wooden Spoon For the First Time. 

My friend told me about a camping trip she went on where her boyfriend, Martin, carved a wooden spoon in about 10 minutes, and the only tool he had was a pocket knife.

He found a piece of wood, whittled down the handle and shaped the end. Then he pressed the rounded end down on a hot coal from their campfire, burning out the concave bowl of the spoon in a few seconds.

They even used the spoon later for dinner.

After hearing that story, I became intrigued by spoon carving. Functional woodworking has always appealed to me - carpentry, live edge wooden tables and benches - I'd fantasized in the past about creating things like that. Things which were beautiful, useful, and maintained some of their natural element.

I had started dabbling with the carving tools that we sell (My friend and I are the founders of Schaaf Tools). And I love creating art. But there is something appealing about making things that are both artistic and useful.

My dad built the house I grew up in, predominantly out of wood. Talk about function - it doesn't get much more useful than building the home you raise your family in.

But as far as I could tell, I didn't have the "building things" gene. The last time I used a power drill, I drilled right through our backyard picnic table. Not just once either. I was making a peg board, so I drilled through that wooden picnic table about 50 times.

But spoon carving - well, that seemed doable. If Martin could make a spoon in less time than it takes to make a cup of coffee, maybe this was a functional woodworking hobby that would be accessible to even the most tool-challenged individual.

And so I decided to answer that question for myself: Is spoon carving hard? Really, there's only one way to find out.

Carving My First Wooden Spoon

The first spoon I carved not coincidentally coincided with the release of our first spoon carving kit, a fun little three piece whittling knife set that covers all the basics.

We worked with an experienced wood carver, Brian, who runs the popular Blog/YouTube channel Carving is Fun, which has over 176K followers. Brian put together a beginner 'How To Carve a Spoon' video tutorial for us that we included with the kit. I wanted to test out the video to make sure it would be good for beginners, and being a beginner myself, I seemed like a perfect test dummy.

This particular beginner project is cool because it also features a feather handle, allowing a beginner to practice some basic whittling skills, and to create a relatively easy spoon that actually looks a little more advanced with the ornate handle decoration. To complete the spoon as per the tutorial instructions I would be using the basswood spoon blank that came with the kit, along with all three whittling knives - the roughout knife, detail knife and hook knife, used for carving out the bowl (no coal this time - that's for those a little more advanced in bushcraft.)

What Tools Do You Need for Spoon Carving?

The project could even be completed with just the detail whittling knife and the hook knife, but because this would likely be a beginner's first project, we wanted them to try to use the whole kit. Plus, the general roughout knife is able to take away more wood more quickly than the detail blade.

If you're wondering what spoon carving tools beginners really need to get started, it's more simple than you might think. You need a straight knife for shaping the handle and overall form, a hook knife for hollowing out the bowl, and a piece of wood - preferably something soft like basswood or butternut if it's your first time. Oh, and don't forget safety gloves. Anybody who whittles or carves has learned the hard way. 

How Long Does It Take to Carve Your First Spoon?

I threw on an audiobook - I was listening to the Red Rising series at the time, for anyone interested - had the tutorial up on my computer monitor, and began carving my first wooden spoon.

And I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it really was! The tutorial was easy to follow. The whittling knives cut the basswood like butter. After just a couple hours, I had carved my first spoon, and I have to say, I was proud of it!

The most challenging parts were using the hook knife to get the spoon bowl started. The technique is a little tricky, and you have to be cognizant of the wood grain. Here's what I learned about working with grain:

• Always carve with the grain when possible to avoid tear-out
• When using the hook knife, work from the edges toward the center
• If you feel resistance or see the wood tearing, you're likely going against the grain - simply turn the spoon and work from the opposite direction

Basswood is particularly forgiving for beginners because:

• It's soft enough to carve easily (even with basic tools)
• The grain is straight and predictable
• It doesn't split or chip easily
• It takes detail well if you want to add decorative elements

Brian's tutorial did a good job walking me through the process (Brian is a master teacher with an engineering mind, so he understands how to clearly walk a beginner through the process, while also covering the more technical elements as well).

Carving the leaf design in the handle was a little tedious, but also fun, and did feel like good whittling practice for my beginner hands. The feather detail is what makes this particular spoon unique - it's an easy way to make your first spoon look like you actually know what you're doing, even when you definitely don't.

Why Is Spoon Carving So Popular?

It's easy to see why spoon carving is so popular once you start doing it. For me, it's relaxing, it's fun, it's creative. The process of making something with your own hands is rewarding.

Once you start, it's also kind of addictive. You want to carve another, and then another. Each one (at least for me) is different from the next.

I put some food-safe mineral oil on that first feather spoon and gave it to my girlfriend, who uses it as a tea scoop.

Finding Your Spoon Carving Community

And I wanted to share the experience with my friends and community. With a couple of seasoned spoon carvers in town, we began doing monthly spoon meetups in the park. Most of the people who showed up were complete newbies, ready to carve their first wooden spoon, wondering the same things you are - is spoon carving hard? Why is spoon carving so popular?

Spoon carving is fantastic as a solitary activity. But if you want to find other spoon carvers in your area (they're out there), check your local woodworking store - they usually know who's who in the carving world. Facebook groups, the Meetup app,  or local carving clubs if you have one are good places to start. Or just start carving in a public space like at the park - you'd be amazed how many people stop to ask what you're doing. Some will mention they've always wanted to try it, and you've got the start of your own group. 

Once the basic instruction portion of our meetup ended, people had their tools and their wooden spoon blank, and the actual carving began, I noticed that the chatter died down. People were so focused on what they were doing. It was a beautiful thing!

So if you ask me why I think spoon carving is popular, it might boil down to being completely present in the moment. You get that meditative effect, coupled with a tangible outcome, and you end up with an activity that makes you feel relaxed and productive.

Spoon Carving for Beginners: Where to Go From Here

Did I sell you on trying spoon carving for yourself? Ready to carve a spoon and wondering where to begin?

Once you've carved your first spoon, you might find yourself eyeing every piece of wood differently. That fallen branch in your yard? Potential spoon. That chunk of firewood? Could be a ladle. It's a slippery slope, but in the best way. Some people move on to bowls, others get into relief carving where you add decorative elements, and some just keep making spoons - hundreds of them. There's no wrong path here.

You can start here: How to Carve a Spoon - a Complete Beginner's Guide.

Or, if you think you're ready to dive in and all you need is a good set of spoon carving tools, you can start here, with our 3pc Spoon Carving Kit.

The kit includes everything you need to get started - the three knives I mentioned, a basswood spoon blank to practice on, a leather strop to keep your tools sharp (because dull tools are both frustrating and dangerous), safety tape for your fingers, and access to Brian's tutorial that walked me through my first spoon. Plus our eBook if you're more of a reader than a video watcher.

So what do you think - ready to find out that spoon carving really isn't that hard after all? I'd love to hear about your first spoon carving experience. Was it easier or harder than you expected? Drop a comment below or tag us on Instagram @schaaftools - we genuinely love seeing what people create, especially those wonky first attempts that have so much character.