Bristol Spoon Club
SUMMARY • DETAILS • BOOKING • RESOURCES
Summary
To provide a space for us to come together and carve spoons once a week in Bristol.
This is not a teaching environment (see note below*), but knowledge is usually shared freely amongst participants.
*Before coming along we expect you to have been on a spoon carving course to learn how to safely handle the tools and also to own your own set of tools (see advice below before buying tools). It is also recommended to have learnt about sharpening your tools. If you would like to come along and this is not the case, please get in touch as we have regular spoon carving and sharpening courses.
Details
Please message us via the contact page before coming along for the first time. There is no obligation to book before coming along, but it helps me to ensure we have enough soup for everyone. Payment can be done via the booking system or in cash on the night.
Location: Grow Wilder, Frenchay, Bristol, BS16 1HB
Time & Date: Most Thursday evenings (5pm until dark). Please check the booking system to be sure.
Cost: £5 per person (covers site hire, a meal (usually vegan soup or salad) if required and wood to carve). If you require a blank axing for you to have either on the night or to take away, this is possible for £5 per spoon blank (please ask in advance).
Parking/Entrance Details: If coming by car, please park in Begbrook Social Club and then enter via the side gate to the main entrance. If walking, cycling or taking the bus (bus stops nearby) then please enter via the side gate.
Booking
Suggested Tools
To carve a spoon you will need an axe, a straight knife and a curved knife. As an entry level, we recommend buying the spoon carving introduction set from Woodtools. This gives you a Robin Wood carving axe (nice and light for beginners and super sharp out of the box), a Mora 106 wood carving knife. and a Robin Wood Compound Curve hook (either Left or Right-handed).
For spoon knives, Ben Orford also makes some excellent affordable tools.
Alternatively please read this excellent blog from Joe Wrigley on how to re-profile a cheap axe to have a decent carving grind by hand. Bristol Design also offer a grinding service.
If you are looking for a more advanced set of tools then get in touch for a list of suggestions of other makers / manufacturers.
Useful Resources for Spoon Carvers
Spoon Club – Fantastic resource of spoon carving videos fro a monthly subscription hosted by Barn the Spoon. Based in London, but accessible from anywhere in the World.
Zed Outdoors – You Tuber with a fantastic range of videos of different spoon carvers showing how they make a spoon. Adam Hawker, Will Priestly (from Bristol) Maryanne McGinn and Deborah Schnee Moribell are a good place to start.
SPON by Barn the Spoon.
A Guide to Spoon Carving and the New Wood Culture.
All about the making of beautiful wooden spoons from material that is available everywhere.
SWEDISH CARVING TECHNIQUES by Wille Sundqvist.
Classic spoon and bowl text by Swedish master woodcarver Wille Sundqvist.
The Book Of Spoon Templates Vol.1 by The Spoon Crank
For the very first time a band of spoon carvers joins forces to bring together and generously offer the very first collection of spoon templates.
The Spoon Crank website also sells spoon templates by your favorite makers and spoon blanks provided by them.