New Knives, Kolrosing and Detail

I have a desire to learn detail work and Kolrosing so I bought these two knives to give it a try. I have been using a V chisel  to try and make designs on my Kuksa handles and spoons. But the purchases of knives does not  guarantee  that you can carve anything other than a mess. I looked for videos on how to do kolrosing and was unable to find any. So its trial and error time . Del Stubbs has some great pictures on his page. http://www.pinewoodforge.com/kolrosed.pieces.html

Here are a few  examples of what I can do now with my small mm V chisel but with practice I hope to be able to improve.

Late Winter Spoons

Its been COLD here in Pennsylvania this winter. So spoon carving has suffered . I did get out and make a few new spoons. I have been asked to make a few  for people that hike. They need to be light weight and strong with a long handle so they can get into those deep cups and pots. This is what I came up with. Both are gone already,  one was given to my oldest daughter and the other one was placed in a overnight shelter on a hiking trail in the area. They have a "keel" design and a up ward sweep on the bottom of the bowl which I like a lot. Both are red maple , sanded and oiled. Length is about 8 or 9 inches. The bowls are deep and about the size of a large eating spoon. Time to carve and sand about 3 hours. The weight is just a few oz's.
The price will be $15.00 US that will include shipping and a padded mailer. Its about 10.00 BPS.
My next project will be some kind of spoon horse.

Just a side note,
Mailing spoons for free is no longer something I can afford to do. It costs anywhere from $5.00 to $7.00 to mail a Kuksa and $2.00 to $3.00 to mail a spoon and that does not include a mailer.

The Tree Sisters

Its a play on words, The Tree Sisters, or should I say the Three Sisters. The last few weeks I have put my hand to the knife, hatchet ,saw and spoke shave to make some kuksa's spoons and a hobo pipe from scrap wood. Here is a picture of the Tree Sisters. Carving is one of those additive hobby's that once I get started I just keep on going until I am out of wood. The chips pile up under my feet like the leaves in the fall.   

 

Two of the tree sisters are shown here with Shelly's large cooking spoon. It is finished and now hangs from a hook on the wall here is the shop waiting for a final sanding.  I hope to take it to its new home this weekend.  The last of the tree sisters was made last weekend .

New spoon Kuksa and hobo flowers

For some reason I have had more time the last 2 week to carve and do other things that have been on the back burner. The only thing that has really changed is I deleted my FB account.
I was able to get a green red maple log this week and have used it to make a Kuksa , some spoons and a few hobo flowers.

Its nice to have some green wood to work with again. I had been working out of the scrap box the last few days making small spoons. After  sweet birch I think red maple is my favorite wood to work with. It has to be worked green because when it  drys out its a bear to carve.

The chips are starting to pile up again in the shop. I have a spoon to make for a little restaurant in Fairfield Pa. I think I will make a few and let them pick the one they want.

The Hobo Flower
I watched a video by Mr Sean Hellman on making the hobo flowers . It looked so easy. So I made a few . I have made about a dozen so far.
woodwrightman
hobo flower link

The Little spoon

The last few weeks I have spent some time with my knives in hand working on "little spoons".
They are fun to make and can be made from a small branch. The two small spoons were made from the same branch split in half. This has become my latest passion using small scraps of wood to make these spoons. Here are the first two I made last week. The wood was very dry and the bowls cracked.

 

 Today I made a third spoon. I had a leaf in mind when I made the handle, but  it turned out looking like a feather. I think I will put some green paint in the veins and maybe it will look more like a leaf. The total time spent was maybe two hours and two cups of coffee. I had a lot of fun making these 3 spoons and will be making some more in the weeks to come. If carving is not fun I don't seam to carve. 

I had the idea that when hiking and camping over night I can  carve little spoons around the camp fire and give them away.

 

I think it was great practice cutting the bowls out in a smaller size.

I will keep chipping away.

Bfc

Fund Raiser and the Crooked Spoon

Its  been a few weeks since my last post. I have made a few spoons and started a kuksa.  My Father has Corticobasal Syndrome. It destroys brain cells that control your motor skills and you ability to speak and do simple things like tie your shoes or button your shirt, thing we do without even thinking about it. I have started a small fund raiser to help research a cure. Here is link http://theaftd.givezooks.com/grassroots_fundraisers/hike-for-ftd if you are interested in making a small donation.

In between a few honey Do's  I have been able to carve.

My last spoon is the "Crooked Spoon" made from Bradford Pear. I like this spoon and would have pitched it in with the wood scraps a few years ago. But I like the twisted shape. Things don't need to be perfect. I put it in my back pack to use it stir and eat with.
Tree's don't grow very straight here in Pennsylvania. So why do "hand carved spoons" need to be perfectly straight?  I think the crooked style is here to stay. I have a few spoon to make for a friend that has a small restaurant. Will post when they are finished. Keep Carving and look twice before pitching that beautiful "crooked spoon" in the wood stove.

Cup Bowl Kuksa

I wanted to make something a little different  this time. A large cup, bowl , kuksa of some sort. Its cherry 4" across and about 3 inches deep.
 This project has helped me improve my skills of removing wood from the cup and trying to get the wall as thin as possible.  This cup has found a home and will be on its way to Philadelphia Pa. in a few days to my sister-in-laws house . It still needs a leather strap .  I have a list of people that want spoons and Kuksa so I need to get busy.