Carving

Cut the basic shapes with a band or scroll saw and carve the cats with your tools of choice. I use small palm gouges and a detail knife to work the pieces into shape and carve the details. I don’t sand the pieces, preferring to leave the carving marks to enhance the folk-art feel.

Finishing

I finish my carvings in a four-step process. First, seal the carving by applying a thin layer of boiled linseed oil thinned to a 1:1 mix with mineral spirits. Let the mixture soak in for a bit, and then wipe off the excess with a clean cotton rag. Let the carving dry overnight. Next, apply acrylic paints thinned slightly with water. Layer the paints, shading with darker tones. When the paint is dry, seal it with high-quality fast-drying satin polyurethane. Apply the polyurethane as thinly as possible, but work it into all of the crevices. Let the carving dry overnight. Finally, antique the carving with oil-based gel wood stain. Slather the gel stain on, and then immediately wipe it off with a cotton rag. Let the carving dry overnight.

Painting Guide

Dark Cat

• Base for body: dark chocolate (1)

• Stripe detail: black (1): striping detail

• Facial details, stripe highlights: antique white (2)

• Inside of ears: flesh (3)

Orange Cat

• Base for body: antique gold (1)

• Lowlights for body: Jack o’ lantern orange (1)

• Stripe details: rookwood red (1)

• Facial details and paws: antique white (3)

• Nose, inside of ears: flesh (2)

1 Americana

2 Apple Barrel

3 Ceramcoat

MATERIALS

• Basswood, 3/4″ (1.9cm) thick: dark cat, 1-5/8″ x 1 7/8″ (4.1cm x 4.8cm)

• Basswood, 3/4″ (1.9cm) thick: orange cat, 1-1/2″ x 2-1/4″ (3.8cm x 5.7cm)

• Acrylic paints: see Painting Guide above

• Boiled linseed oil

• Mineral spirits

• Fast-drying satin polyurethane

• Oil-based gel wood stain: antique oak, colonial, or old oak

• Cotton rags

TOOLS

• Knives: carving, detail

• Gouges: assorted small

• Saws: band or scroll

• Pencil

• Paintbrushes: assorted

Getting Started

Prep the blanks. I carved this caricature in three separate pieces—the torso, the legs, and the treat bag—to make it easier to sculpt. Transfer the patterns to the blanks. Prior to cutting the torso, drill a 1” (2.5cm)-dia. flat-bottom hole 1-5/8” (4.1cm) deep to form the cavity for the leg section. Note: I used a Forstner bit, but a spade bit would do just as well. Cut the torso on a band saw; cut the other two pieces on a scroll saw. Save the offcuts, as you’ll use them to make the treats later.

Carving

Round over the head and corners of the torso area with the rough out knife. Use a pencil or pen to mark the main sheet folds and the location of the treat bag. Using the gouges and V-tool of your choice, create the fabric folds, keeping them random as they would be in reality. Keep in mind that the bottom of the sheet is not level, and some of the inside of the sheet will be exposed in the finished project. Using the knife and a gouge of your choice, create the indentation for the treat bag, and rough out the bulges for the hands holding it.

With the knife, thin down the edges of the sheet to create the look of delicacy. Add the eyeholes in the sheet; I used a drill to make two 1/4” (6mm) holes around 1/8” (3mm) deep. Refine the sheet’s shape; when you’re happy with the overall look, sand the surface to 220-grit.

Painting and Finishing

I painted the pieces before gluing them together, but you could also glue and then paint. For the sheet section, paint the black eyes first. Once dry, paint the sheet white, inside and out. With a toothpick, add a drop of white paint in the center of each eye. Paint the treat bag with coffee latte, and paint the candy with your preferred colors. Then paint the leg section; I painted the sneakers with gray storm, using antique white for the trim and laces. I painted the socks with yellow ochre and forest green stripes, and the shorts with denim blue. Once all the paint is dry, glue and clamp the pieces together (including the candy in the bag) and finish with a few coats of a clear spray lacquer.

Materials

• Basswood, 2-3/4” (7cm) square: ghost torso, 5” (12.7cm) long

• Basswood, 1-1/2” (3.8cm) thick: legs, 1-3/4” x 2-1/2” (4.5cm x 6.4cm)

• Basswood, 3/4” (1.9cm) thick: treat bag, 1” x 1-1/2” (2.5cm x 3.8cm)

• Pen or pencil

• Wood glue

• Acrylic paints, such as Americana: coffee bean, forest green, grey storm, spiced pumpkin; such as Ceramcoat: antique white, black, denim blue, tompte red, white; such as Folk Art: coffee latte, yellow ochre

• Clear spray lacquer: satin or semi-gloss

Tools

• Saws: band or scroll

• Drill press or hand drill

• Knives: rough out, detail

• Gouges: assorted

• #11 veiner: 1/4″ (6mm)

• V-tool: 70°

• Clamps

• Paintbrushes: assorted

Tom Mellott of Colorado Springs, Colo., remembers carving a hippo from Ivory soap as a Cub Scout in the late 1940s. He also carved neckerchief slides as a Boy Scout. After retiring from a career in engineering, Tom studied and worked part-time as a cooper (barrel maker) at a colonial village for 12 years. A past member of the Bloody Thumbs Carving Club in Roaring Springs, Pa., he’s currently a member of the Pikes Peak Whittlers and the First Lutheran Carving Club. Shoot him an email at malcath361@gmail.com.

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Getting Started

Sketch the top and side pattern views on the block with a pencil, or photocopy the patterns and attach them with repositionable spray adhesive. Cut the top view on a scroll saw, and then turn the piece on its side and secure it in a vise. Cut the second view on a band saw. Note: The side pattern view is too thick to cut on a scroll saw, as scroll saws can typically handle wood no more than 2″ (5.1cm) thick.

You’ll notice that this pattern has an arch shape. Straight hair combs and forks are great, but the arch shape sits around the contours of your head instead of just pressing against them. This allows you to wear it all day without getting a headache.

Carving

Shape the comb. Round over all harsh edges on the blank, including between the teeth, using a rotary tool with a fluted cone-shaped carbide cutter. Widen the space between the teeth, removing a little wood at a time and maintaining a soft arc shape between the teeth. Note: When carving spacing between the teeth, remember to round the arc shapes instead of squaring then off.

Refine the comb’s shape. Use the rotary tool with a sanding disc to smooth and round each tooth completely, tapering the teeth to somewhat sharp points with blunted ends. Then smooth the top and sides of the comb. Do this on the front and back. Add ornamentation as desired; I recommend woodburning, painting, or relief carving. I included a bonus relief carving pattern of oak and gingko biloba leaves, available online.

Tip: It’s All About The Teeth

In order for the comb to slide easily through your hair, it helps to round the two outermost teeth so they face slightly inward. The remaining (inner) teeth can be straight.

Finishing

Finish the comb. As this will be used in hair, a natural finish is always better; I recommend raw linseed oil mixed with a drop of lavender essential oil (substitute your favorite scent here). Over time, each comb will pick up the natural body oils of its owner and take on a glow all its own. If you prefer a clear, glossy finish, I recommend using three to four coats of a spray-on clear enamel, buffing with a fine sanding sponge between applications.

Tip: Go To Gift

Hair combs make wonder-ful gifts for anyone with long hair. Do you ever see women using pens or pencils to hold their hair up? They need a handmade hair comb! I like to leave one for my server when I leave an eating establishment.

Materials

• Hardwood, such as Osage orange or walnut, 1 1/2″ (3.8cm) thick: approx. 3″ x 6″ (7.6cm x 15.2cm)

• Pencil

• Spray adhesive: repositionable (optional)

• Sandpaper: assorted grits

• Natural finish, such as raw linseed oil

• Essential oil, such as lavender: 1 drop (optional)

• Clear spray enamel (optional)

• Acrylic paints (optional)

Tools

• Band saw

• Scroll saw

• Rotary tool with bits: sanding disc, fluted cone-shaped carbide cutter

• Sanding sponge

• Vise

• Woodburner (optional)

Keoma McCaffrey lives in Northern California with her husband, Jeff, and three sons, and a passel of animals. She carves most of her work from salvaged local hardwoods. She is a moderator on the Woodcarving Illustrated message board, woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum.

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Unfortunately, spoons carved for a decorative purpose tend to be lumped together under the all-encompassing label of “lovespoons.” Their uses were often much broader. Some were used prior to actual courtship, merely to gauge mutual interest. These spoons were often modestly carved with minimal decoration. A more ornate spoon requiring significant skill and effort might be carved as a gift once a courtship was underway. A spoon of this nature would serve as something of a resumé, showing off the suitor’s skill, tenacity, and devotion. Falling between the frivolity of the tester type spoon and the seriousness of a courting spoon, the lovespoon was generally a passionately and finely carved offering, given where a positive response was likely but a betrothal wasn’t necessarily expected. They are often more eccentric in design and ornamentation than courting spoons.

Since the earliest days of romantic spoon carving, the suitor’s toolkit has consisted of three basic tools.

In the Breton region of France, young men of courting age would often proudly display and use a unique style of spoon known as a ‘festival spoon’ when attending village gatherings or celebrations. These ornately carved and inlaid spoons frequently folded for transport and would be opened ostentatiously to display the young man’s skill as a carver, or (if he had purchased it from a professional) his wealth and prospects. 

Courting spoons would show off a suitor’s abilities.

Actual wedding spoons were specifically designed for use at the matrimonial celebration and were not part of the courtship preamble. Most often, they feature either two bowls joined by a single handle, or two separate spoons united by a length of wooden chain. The newlyweds would use the spoon to eat a first meal together, symbolically uniting two as one. Occasionally, double-bowled joke spoons would be made that featured bowls at unusable or impossible angles to eat from. To the great delight of the wedding guests, the couple would struggle, usually unsuccessfully, to master the spoons and prove to all they were united.

Wedding spoons symbolically united a couple by sharing
their first meal together.

Husbands, fathers, and grandfathers may have also carved decorated spoons for female members of their family. Common working tools such as crème spoons, ladles, and even eating spoons were likely gifted in this way and can be difficult to differentiate from spoons with a more romantic purpose.

Generally, to tell historic romantic spoons from their utilitarian cousins, look for symbols such as hearts, inlays, initials, keys or keyholes, comma shapes, and elaborate patterning along the edges of the handle.  

Even though the tradition of giving carved wooden gifts as love tokens has largely become extinct, the romantic spoon has endured—mainly because it’s a recognizable object that we still use today. Spoons are also small, portable, and straightforward to work, requiring only an axe, a straight knife, and a bent knife or gouge to create.

Romantic carving may no longer be a ‘thing,’ but it’s as valid and relevant as ever, as making a gift for someone you love never goes out of fashion.

Want More Spoons?

Great Book of Spoon Carving Patterns

By Dave Western

Item 0151. Available for $19.99 + S&H (parcel post) from Fox Chapel Publishing, 800-457-9112,
FoxChapelPublishing.com, or your local retailer.

Dave Western is a professional lovespoon carver and the author of two books on carved lovespoons, both available from foxchapelpublishing.com. Dave carves on commission and also teaches classes. For more of his work, visit davidwesternlovespoons.com.

Selecting the Wood

I made my box from regular 1/2″ (13mm)-thick plywood, but you could use Baltic birch for a nicer look. The project can be made from a single 24″ by 24″ (610mm by 610mm) sheet of plywood, a piece of lauan plywood, and an Altoids® mints tin. The only critical dimensions are the inside length, width, and height of the space for the can. If you use a different can, add 1/8″ (3mm) to all of the can’s dimensions to provide enough room to remove it easily.

Because we’re using plywood and the bottom covers the edges of the sides, the joints are pretty strong. But this project is made to be used and abused, so you may consider reinforcing the joints with brads or screws.

Getting Started

Mark and cut the sides. It looks nicer if the visible grain runs in the long direction. Rip all of the sides at the same time to ensure they are all the same width. 

Assembling the Box

Step 1: Glue and clamp the sides together to make the box frame. Leave the internal pieces out for now. Assemble the sides on a flat surface to ensure they are even on the bottom. Measure diagonally from corner to corner to make sure the frame is square. 

Step 2: Get the long partition. Cut the shortest partition piece and an additional one to use as a spacer. Place them at the front and back of the frame to locate the position for the longer internal partition. Glue and clamp the longer partition in place. 

Step 3: Get the short partition. Place the shorter partition in place and check for clearance using the mint tin, and then glue and clamp the short partition in place.

Carving the Desk Assembly Drawing

Step 4: Determine and mark the center for the top hole. Drill a 1/8″ (3mm) pilot hole on the mark. Drill about halfway through at the hole with a 1 3/8″ (35mm)-diameter Forstner bit. Turn the top over and use the pilot hole as a guide to drill the rest of the way through with the Forstner bit. This will reduce tear-out on both sides of the top.

Step 5: Attach the hinges. Cut slots for the hinges so the top can lay flat. Use a chisel. Drill pilot holes for the screws, if desired. Make sure the hole in the top lines up with the opening for the mint tin. Screw the hinges to the top and the back frame.

Step 6: Use the frame as a guide to verify the size of the bottom piece. Mark and cut the bottom. Glue and clamp it in place, and allow the glue to dry. Round the sharp outside corners of the top, bottom, and frame with sandpaper.

Step 7: Install the clasp in the center of the front of the frame. I used glue on the screw because it is going into the edge of the top, but do not get any glue on the clasp. Apply your favorite finish or leave bare.

Materials

• Wood, such as plywood, 1/2″ (1.3cm) thick: 24″ x 24″ (61cm x 61cm)

• Wood, such as lauan plywood, 1/8″ (3mm) thick: optional for bottom, cut the exact size, 12″ x 18″ (30.5cm x 45.7cm)

• Altoids® mints tin

• Hinges: 2 each 1 1/2″ (38mm)

• Clasp

• Wood glue

• Sandpaper

Tools

• Drill with bits: 1/8″ (3mm) dia. twist; 1 3/8″ (35mm) dia. Forstner bit

• Chisel

• Hammer

• Screwdriver

• Clamps

Tom Noller started carving in 2009 after retiring as an engineer. He is the president and newsletter editor for the Lake Ray Hubbard Woodcarving Club located in Rowlett, Texas.

Getting Started

Trace the tree profile with a pencil, making sure the grain runs vertically. Cut the shape on a band saw. Since this is a carving in the round, meaning it will be lifelike and viewed from all angles, always keep turning your block of wood while carving to keep the piece symmetrical. Try not to get carried away with working on just one angle, or you may remove too much wood.

Carving and Finishing

Rough out the project. Round the blank and establish the basic shape of the tree with a 1 9/16″ (40mm) #5 gouge. Draw the landmarks for branches with the pencil. Follow the branch lines with a 3/8″ (10mm) 60˚ V-tool. Then rough in these areas with a 1″ (25mm) #5 fishtail gouge, taking your time and checking your work often. With a bench knife, clean up the branches you just carved. 

Paint the trees with phthalo green. Drybrush the carving with white to create a snowy-cap effect, if desired. Antique the carving. Note: If you are apprehensive about antiquing your carving, practice on a scrap piece of basswood first. I applied a light coat of neutral shoe cream to the tree. This will allow you to antique the carving with a darker shoe cream without making the wood too dark. Buff with a clean cloth. Then apply dusky brown shoe cream. Wipe it off and buff to a nice shine. Display as desired.

• Basswood, 4″ (10.2cm) square: 12″ (30.5cm) long
• Pencil
• Acrylic paints, such as Ceramcoat®: phthalo             green; Americana®: snow white
• Kelly’s Shoe Cream: dusky brown, neutral
• Clean rags

• Band saw
• Bench knife
• #5 fishtail gouge: 1″ (25mm) 
• #5 gouge: 1 9/16″ (40mm)
• V-tool: 3/8″ (10mm) 60˚
• Paintbrushes: assorted