North Wind Handcraft

My daughter has been wanting an angler fish spoon for awhile now. It’s her favorite animal. I was finally able to finish it up yesterday. The chip carving is a little crude, but she loves it!

Hi friends! Come grab a coffee and hang out for a bit at the Pinery Coffee Co. in downtown Wausau this Saturday. I will be there from 1-5pm with a display set up and will be doing some spoon carving demonstrations. The Pinery Coffee Co.

Cherry | ash | crabapple | maple

Finally got this kuksa finished up that I started awhile back. I learned a lot about the process on this one, as it’s the first normal sized one I’ve completed.

I love to be blown away by the natural beauty hiding in the wood. The grain on this cherry spreader is stunning!

Finished a batch of stirrers for sourdough starter…a mini spurtle if you will. It has definitely reduced the strain on my wrist compared to the metal spoon I was using before which was barely taller than the quart sized mason jar I keep my starter in. A definite upgrade.

Just oiled up this pair of crabapple eating spoons. Some of the heartwood grain is super interesting.

Trying out this spurtle design as a sourdough starter stirrer. Do you prefer the look of leather or natural cordage?

50/50 Sourdough out of the oven. Can’t wait to slice into this loaf. Hand carved cherry spreader at the ready.

Pair of eating spoons in cherry.

For some reason I find joy in carving dry ash and finishing it in one go. This eating spoon was last evenings project.

Eating spoon in cherry.

My first normal size kuksa is hollowed, thinned, and ready for drying. You kuksa specialists out there must have some super overbuilt wrists and forearms to deal with all that end grain on the regular!

Long-handled eating spoon carved from apple.

Cleaned out the freezer today and found this little piece of mystery maple. Decided to finish it off and make a scoop.

Finished up this birch eating spoon I started for the class demo on Saturday.

We had a great group last weekend at the shop for the beginner spoon carving class. They made some great looking spoons! The rain held off for us and we gathered at the end of the shop, the overhead door open, to enjoy some fresh air and birdsong while we worked. Thanks, Jon, for taking a few photos of the day.

First attempt at fork carving!

Simple spoon. Simple chips.

Hand carved ladle from some straight grained yellow birch. This wood really hardened up when it dried making finishing cuts on the bowl more of a challenge than I expected. There is some wood grain on the back of the bowl that makes it look cracked, but it’s super solid.

I just had one spot open up in the beginner spoon carving class I am teaching, so if you have been wanting to get in on a hands-on class, this is a great opportunity. Come join us!
The workshop is being held on Saturday, May 4, at the NTC Wood Technology Center in Antigo, Wisconsin (8am-12pm).
Click the link below to register.
https://www.ntc.edu/calendar/2024/05/04/wooden-spoon-carving-class

Yesterday evening I was able to knock out a couple spreaders before bed, and a bake a loaf of sourdough I started the day before. I like the simplicity of this spreader shape.

Got in a good workout carving this cawl spoon from a dry piece of ash rescued from the wood pile. I’ve always been drawn to this shape for some reason. There was enough good wood left to avoid the spalted sections of the log. I thought this would be a good opportunity to try the Dark Half tung oil product from and it really brought out the grain nicely.

This small cherry cooking spoon is dressed up with some terra cotta. I absolutely love this earthy red and the application is so smooth!

I don’t often make ladles, but I’ve figured out the timing of making the next one is precisely the amount of time it takes me to forget how much work it is to the bowl. This blade, however, has made quick work of the end grain carving on the back of the bowl. Check them out if you haven’t already! Now time to let this dry before finishing cuts.

A few spoons in cherry.

First time carving yellow birch. It wasn’t quite as soft as paper birch, but still carved pretty nicely.

Cranky little eating spoon in apple.

Took my indoor cat outside to try out the axe blocks I put together this afternoon for summer classes…he’s not so sure.

During my first visit to Minneapolis a couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure of many hours of spoon talk with and as we gathered around Ermine’s wonderful bowl of spoons at the center of his table. I came to the realization that I needed some spoons that have “twirl factor” just for the pure joy of spinning them. So, here we are, two in cherry. I’ve also been really impressed by the edge retention on this blade while carving the last handful of spoons!