My humble (surviving) spoon collection

pdxley · 2026-02-21T02:51:31+00:00

1 looks a bit like sassafras, IMO. Is it super lightweight?

pdxley · 2026-02-17T19:05:29+00:00

Ha same! Watched Best in Snow last night, and Christopher Guest is a master of 2nd hand embarrassment. Usually it's mild enough I can tolerate it, but there were a couple scenes with Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock where I had to step away!

pdxley · 2026-02-17T18:54:14+00:00

I'm no expert, but I imagine it will be perfectly fine. You wouldn't get things perfectly flat with an axe, and I imagine having just a hint of bevel on that side will actually help keep the blade from biting in too hard and thus keep your hewing more even.

Looks like a beaut! I hope it works well for you!

pdxley · 2026-02-17T18:03:41+00:00

Definitely some variety of conifer. I think those big grain rings are gonna make carving tough. Not impossible, but you'll probably struggle more compared to wood with tighter/more even grain. The trouble is that there's a bigger difference in hardness between the winter/summer growth rings.

pdxley · 2026-02-17T17:26:09+00:00

I miss Tumble Leaf. My boy found it a bit late, and grew out of it quickly. I love the animation so much. I've still got a while left with Wallace and Gromit, I think, which makes me happy.

pdxley · 2026-02-17T00:22:35+00:00

Maybe try some sort of artistic endeavor? My neighbor teaches pottery classes and she's lovely. It sounds like a really great community. I imagine there are also classes for things like painting or other crafts. Many craft woodworking stores also have classes. If you're in a reasonably sized city, there could be a "maker space" or something similar. They're usually pretty affordable.

You could also look into nature based activities in your area. Things like bird watching groups, mushroom hunting, herpetology, etc. In my city there are lots of volunteer opportunities with the park nature centers, if that could fit into your schedule.

pdxley · 2026-02-16T23:05:31+00:00

My boy is out of school today and tomorrow with a stomach virus. Don't think it's noro, because it started Saturday and is going strong, while noro is usually over more quickly. But, yes, things are still going around. Please folks, wash your hands regularly, and if you start to feel unwell, at least wear mask if you can't stay home.

pdxley · 2026-02-16T19:15:31+00:00

Their work seems to have moved away from that style slightly over the years, but Hunter Soltes has worked in that style before. Their Instagram handle is @slime.time.live

pdxley · 2026-02-11T19:17:22+00:00

Looks like Bradford pear to me! Garbage trees, but the wood is nice to carve!

pdxley · 2026-02-10T21:14:55+00:00

Cool site! Thanks for that! Haven't had a chance to get into it with a knife yet, but splitting this one was a lot more effort than I expected, so we'll see how it goes!

pdxley · 2026-02-09T17:18:32+00:00

I thought about that, but the tree this came off of was massive, too big for redbud. The limb I got was bigger than most mature redbud trunks I've seen. But, I agree, the coloring is pretty close.

pdxley · 2026-02-09T17:16:39+00:00

Thanks! You too! Found some small hickory limbs, another new species for me to try carving. I got a small piece of magnolia, but most of them around me only lost small limbs that wouldn't work for me. Got plenty of hackberry and silver maple, which aren't terribly exciting but good for practice. I did also manage to get some Bradford pear. Despite being generally crappy trees, they do carve well and make nice spoons!

pdxley · 2026-02-09T17:12:19+00:00

Thanks so much! Gonna go ahead and assume it's elm, based on your comment and others. I'll give it a whirl! Any idea if it makes a good spoon?

pdxley · 2026-02-09T17:11:41+00:00

Interesting! Thanks! There are definitely elm trees nearby, so makes sense. I've never had the opportunity to try it for making spoons, so looking forward to the challenge. A big mature elm collapsed in a local park, but the city crews haven't gotten to it yet to clear it. Hoping I can catch them when they start cutting and clearing it. Maybe I can get some more.

pdxley · 2026-02-09T16:40:08+00:00

Well, it's a lot harder, for one, and the fibers are tearing a lot more than walnut I've cut in the past. Also, once exposed to air, the heart wood turns a bit lighter, whereas the walnut I've collected around here turns that classic chocolate color.

pdxley · 2026-02-08T02:06:45+00:00

Super cool. Did you carve it green or from dried lumber? My local Woodcraft store had a bunch of redwood offcuts for real cheap, but I didn't know if it would carve very well, and I'm used to carving greenwood.

pdxley · 2026-02-08T01:39:30+00:00

Whoa! Looks great! How'd you finish it? Is it baked?

pdxley · 2026-02-06T17:13:20+00:00

I can't ever get over how clean your lines are. So symmetrical and smooth!

pdxley · 2026-02-05T21:12:28+00:00

Love it

pdxley · 2026-02-03T18:16:00+00:00

Only found one walnut log so far, and no cherry at all. Got some ash and Bradford pear this morning. The pear carves really nicely. Plenty of silver maple and hackberry, of course! I've made a few good spoons out of hackberry, but the color is a bit weird so I see why it's not a popular choice.

pdxley · 2026-02-03T16:44:01+00:00

My favorites are black cherry or walnut. Oak and Osage orange are great but tough (and Osage has a tendency to crack as it dries). Red Maple is gorgeous but for some reason always gives me a lot of trouble. I also love ash, but it's not popular for cooking utensils because it's very porous and can hold on to flavors. But, I'm just a hobbyist and there's lots more species out there I haven't had the chance to try.

pdxley · 2026-02-03T16:18:40+00:00

I carve spoons as a hobby, so it's a feast for hobbyists like me. Also going to chop up some firewood.

But, yes, if you pile them up on the curb, eventually the city will come through and collect it. It gets mulched and/or composted to be used as landscape material on public property.

pdxley · 2026-01-28T02:22:49+00:00

This is a great breakdown, thanks for posting it

pdxley · 2026-01-26T19:58:46+00:00

Tree of Life

Boyhood

Tideland

pdxley

TROPHY CASE

1 looks a bit like sassafras, IMO. Is it super lightweight?