I Finally Did It !!!!

What, exactly is it that I finally did, you may ask....  well, I'll tell you!  I have mastered the art of making my own beautiful wooden spoons!  Back in July of 2015, when I was just starting my blog, I wrote about all my beloved wooden spoons, and about how I wanted to make my own someday.

Here they are, my first three spoons!!

I've wanted to work with wood for years now, and I found a place close enough to my home that offered classes, so I took basic woodturning and a cutting board class and totally fell in love with all of it.  I proceeded to buy a nice middle sized lathe and some basic woodturning tools, and along the way have been trying to get all the tools I think I need to get started on some projects into my shop.  I still need a good band saw, a planer, and maybe a drum sander, and I think I'll be happy for now.

Anyway... there was also a wooden spoon class that was scheduled I was hoping to take, but it was cancelled, and after I thought about it, I decided it wasn't the way I wanted to go with my spoons anyway.  They were making them by using a jig on the lathe and doing spindle work on the handles first, then using the jig to secure the spoon in a different way so you could gouge out the business end of the spoon with a bowl gouge.  It works fine... I saw pictures of some of the spoons.  They were beautiful, but too perfect.  I don't want perfect!  I can go anywhere and buy a perfect wooden spoon.  I have LOTS of them already.  I want my spoons to be handmade, not machine made.  I want them to look somewhat rustic and like they've been around a while.  So, in the end, I decided that class wasn't really what I wanted. 

That's when my brain went into the "how am I going to make it happen now" mode.  I figured it couldn't hurt to just use my common sense, apply the basic knowledge I already have, and be brave enough to try.  The worst that could happen is some big disappointments and wasted wood and time.

I went for it.

At a local woodwork supply store, I found some beautiful Ambrosia Maple and Cherry that I thought would make strong, beautiful spoons.  I took it home and used some of my own wooden spoons as templates, the ones I love the shape of and look of the most.  

I cut them out with my scroll saw since I don't have a band saw yet.  After that, it was lots of hand work.  LOTS!!! My hands have never been so tired.  I had 7 cut out ready to finish, but I could only get three of them done before I was done in. 

They are all made out of Ambrosia Maple.  The small one is 6 3/4 inches long, the medium one is 9 inches long, and the big one is 11 1/2 inches long.  I was really pleased with how they came out, and I'm relieved to know I can actually do this without someone teaching me.  I can only get better at it as time goes by.  These have already sold.  I have wood to make about 18 to 20 more, which is exactly what I'm going to do as soon as I have time to get them done, because I need some for ME!  I also want to use some of the scrap wood to make some spreaders... for jams, butter, soft cheeses.  That will be another challenge.  I don't know if I can do that or not, but I'm determined to try!

The problem with all this is... it's all I'm thinking about right now.... it's all I want to do!  But I have other things that demand my attention and I can't do this 24 / 7 like I wish I could!

Balance... it's all about balancing things out.  I can do it, I can.... I can....