Dave Western carves an Art Deco style hinged spoon
Although the wonderfully colourful and ornately inlayed Breton ‘wedding’ spoons are the most famous and likely the best- recognised of the folding spoons known to modern-day carvers, there is a long history of folding spoons being made throughout Northern Europe (and likely many other parts of the world). Some were made simply because the folding action protected the bowl tip and the handle decorations when the spoon was carried in a pocket or worn outside the clothing. Some were carved this way to hide elaborate carving until the spoon was opened, when it would, like a plain oyster shell, reveal its beautiful pearl within. Whatever its purpose, there is a wonderful magic about a folding spoon.
Things you will need
Tools
Saw: Band, scroll, jeweller’s, coping, Japanese dovetail
1in straight knife
2in straight knife
1in, No.1flat gouge
¼-1/2in chisels
Bent knife, hook knife or gouges
Drill press, electric hand drill or hand-operated drill +bit (this spoon used 3/32)
Abrasive papers (range from 150 grit to 1000 grit)
Bowl or card scraper
Finishing oil and brush
I’ve been experimenting with them (with varying levels of success) for several years now and have found them a wonderful carving challenge and a serious trial for the old brain pan. There are many things that can go wrong with such an apparently simple project and, even when everything goes absolutely to plan, there is inevitably some little detail I feel I could have done better if I had thought about things a bit more thoroughly.
This particular spoon is a relatively straightforward folding one that takes advantage of some simple Art Deco- style shape and line. I’ve included a plan with the hinge position marked, but you can experiment a bit with locating the hinge if you want to learn about hinge geometry in a hurry. Getting the hinge to operate properly is the trickiest part of the project and is one that can take you down a rabbit hole of mistakes and triumphs. Unfortunately, in an article this brief, I don’t have the available space to go into detail, but am hoping that by following the drawn plan, you’ll be able to create a good, working spoon without too many headaches. Once you’ve done one, you’ll be able to find your own way from there.
I carved my spoon from some nice willow wood I had on hand, which is fairly soft and easy to manage. Typically, folding spoons seem to have been made from harder material such as boxwood, fruitwoods, sycamore and maple. The softer wood doesn’t take the ornate detailing that was such a part of folding spoon carving in the old days, but it takes this simple Art Deco design well enough and limits the amount of wrestling you have to do with a really hard wood. A folding spoon is a wonderfully satisfying project that can be as complex or straightforward as you want it to be.
1. To begin, select a suitable piece of clear and relatively straight-grained wood. You will want to avoid highly figured or blemished wood, especially in the areas where the hinge joint will be. I try to always follow the handle as directly on from the bowl as I can, to keep grain and colouration continuity. However, often an attractive folding spoon can be created from pieces cut from entirely separate pieces of timber. In the photo, you can see that I have aligned the handle and spoon so the centreline is continuous through both. I opted to keep one straight (and parallel to the centreline) edge so that later, when I drill for the hinge joint, I can be sure the drill will pass through the joint straight and at 90° to the edge2. At this point, you can begin shaping one side of the bowl and one side of the handle pieces. If you have a scroll or bandsaw, this is all relatively quick and simple. If you are using a jeweller’s or coping saw, the task will take a bit longer and you will have to remain conscious of the need to always keep the blade at 90° to the workface3. If you lack a saw and are going to shape with pieces with a knife, axe or drawknife, you will also have to keep a close watch on your pattern line and keep the cuts at 90° to the face and back. For knife-only carvers, you might find that using a softer wood makes this process a bit less onerous than trying to battle against a denser timber4. With one edge fully shaped on both the bowl and the handle segments, you can lay out the side pattern to locate the hinge pin, the joint area and the profiles5. I use a bandsaw to cut the side profile shape, but again, a handsaw or stout cutting tool will also handle the job. Because the bowl is so small, I will often use a pair of grips to hold it while band sawing and carving. This helps me to keep my fingers well away from sharp things and gives me a stronger grip on pieces that can be difficult to hold with just finger pressure. In the bandsaw picture, you can see that I have shaped both sides of the bowl. This is a staged photo taken after I realised I had forgotten to take a shot earlier in the process and had to backtrack. Having a straight and square edge against the saw table is much easier to control than the shaped piece in the photo6. Carefully lay the side patterns on to each segment and either glue them down or trace them with a pencil. Use an awl or compass point to make a small indentation where the pin for the hinge will go on each segment. I used an aluminium 1in nail that was a modestly tight fit for a 3/32in hole7. Using a drill press, I was able to ensure that my drill went through each piece at 90° to the straight side of each. I was also able to ensure that the bit didn’t wander at all from 90° to the front and back faces. This is a fraught moment as any drift on the drill bit’s travel will have repercussions later when the hinge doesn’t open and shut properly and the bowl lurches of f centre when you fold it. Take your time at this stage and ensure the bit travels through straight and true. If you are using an electric hand drill or an Archimedes- type hand drill, use a couple of engineer’s squares (and/or a spare pair of eyes or two) to ensure you don’t veer off course in either direction8. With the hinge pin holes cut, you can shape the other side of both spoon and bowl and cut the hinge joint section. At this stage, it’s best to have a relatively tight fit at the joint so that you have material for shaping when you start putting the two pieces together. It is always easier to have some stock to shave of f than it is to have to add material to a loose joint. I used a 2in straight knife and a No.1, 1in flat gouge to shape the joint pieces accurately. Try a few dry runs to see how you are progressing with shaping the joint and once it fits together comfortably tightly (no pressure as you push the one piece inside the other) you can stop shaving wood away. Be cautious as you shape the wood as this joint must be straight along all the edges or you will have an unsightly gap when you joint it all together 9. To prevent the bowl from opening beyond level with the handle, it is necessary to create an angled portion at the end of the bowl joint and a corresponding one underneath the handle face. When the two angled sections meet up, they lock the bowl in place and create an immobile joint. Cutting this angle on the bowl segment is straightforward and can be achieved with a straight knife or chisel. The angle in the handle section is another issue. I recommend rough shaping the outer edges of the angled cut with a thin sharp saw such as a Japanese dovetailing saw or similar10. Use a 1⁄4in chisel to clear the angle material. Proceed slowly and cautiously here and make sure to regularly test-fit the two pieces to see how you are progressing. If you don’t remove enough stock, the spoon won’t close properly; take too much and you risk having a sloppy, gappy connection at the end of the joint11a11b11c11d11e
11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e. When you are satisfied the hinge joint is fitting together tightly and accurately, you can drive in the hinge pin. As I mentioned, I used a 1in aluminium nail with a head I cut off later in the process. You can use virtually any good finishing nail. Don’t use a small wooden dowel for this job as it will simply not handle the stress. Don’t drive the nail home at this point. Use it to give you an idea of how well the joint is functioning and if you will need to do any further shaping before you proceed to carving the spoon. This series of photos shows how the spoon should fold and how it looks from the front and side as it does
12. The bowl can be carved out using bent knives, hook knives, or gouges. I prefer bent knives because I like to be able to carve in two directions, but use whichever tools you are most comfortable with13. Because there is only a small pin of wood extending from the bowl, it can be both difficult and dangerous to hold the bowl freehand while carving. I used a grip tool (with a good healthy padding) to hold the bowl firm and give me plenty of room to operate without having to worry about clipping myself with the knife tip14. Once you are happy the front of the bowl is carved to your satisfaction, turn the blank over and begin shaping the back of the bowl. There are several ways you can approach this, from bandsawing the rough shape to axing or drawknifing. Use whatever method gives you the result you desire. I roughed mine with a bandsaw then used a nice, sharp 2in straight knife to shape the bowl. I like my bowls to be thin and elegant, so I take them down fairly substantially. If you like a sleek bowl too, check regularly to make sure you aren’t taking off too much stock and risking a thin spot or break-through. Aim for a fair finish that flows gracefully both from side to side and from tip to tail15. Often on dense hardwood bowls, I will give the bowl a razor-thin edge. Because the willow I used for this spoon is much softer and more prone to damage, I gave the edge a bit more width. I used the 1in straight knife to shape this fair edge, all the while being very careful not to run against the grain and pull up a chip. Slowly and smoothly is the mantra for this little task16. Having finished the bowl for the time being, it’s time to work on the Art Deco design that ornaments the handle segment. If you have a photocopy of the sketch, you can glue it directly to the workpiece, otherwise, simply redraw the lines using a pencil17. To carve the design, think of each segment as a step leading toward the central flat raised section. Start your carving at the outer edge and work step by step toward the middle. Don’t work from the middle out as you will risk chipping out the fragile edges formed by the wedge shape of each cut-out section18. Use a 1in straight knife or a 1⁄4in chisel (both work equally well) for the shaping. Tilt the knife or chisel and aim to produce a cut that is sloped from 0mm on the outer edge to about 1.5-2mm depth where it meets the next ‘step’. This will produce the effect of raising each step and creating a line of light and shade that will bring some visual depth to the carving19. The roughed-out handle carving should create a nice, stepped effect when viewed from the sides. Once you are happy with how it looks, you can make a couple of shallow cleaning cuts to refine all the edges and give it an elegant, polished look20. At this time, you can also refine the protective tip of the handle by gently shaping and rounding with the point of a good, sharp straight knife21. If you are happy that the shaping and finishing of the bowl and handle are relatedly complete, you can consider final fitting of the hinge pin. On my example, I have sawn the head of f the aluminium nail and scuffed the shaft of the nail with a few light cuts from a hacksaw blade. Cutting some little grooves into the shaft gives the nail a bit more grip in the wood (especially in a softer wood such as willow or birch) and allows for a tighter joint. Pounding the nail in can be a bit risky if done wrong. Support the spoon beneath the area around the nail and don’t strike the nail too hard. Knock the nail in until it is f lush with the upper side and let the point and some of the shaft protrude at the bottom22. To clean up the nail, first remove as much of the protrusion as possible23. Use a sharp hacksaw to cut as closely to the spoon body as possible. I usually put a bit of masking tape on the spoon body to protect it from errant cutting, but I left the tape off in this example, to make the pictures a bit clearer24. Once you have taken the nail as far down as you feel comfortable cutting, use a small file to clean up the cut and to cleanly shave the nail as flush with the wood surface as possible. A very fine file is preferable here in case you scrape against the wood. You are finished when the nail is smooth and does not feel like it is above the wood at all25. With the front of the spoon carved and the hinge joint completed, take some time to clean up the back of the spoon. I used the 2in straight knife to thin the handle a little bit more and put a very gentle curve across the handle where it transitions from the back to the tip. I also used both the 2in and the 1in straight knives to refine and finish the area around the hinge joint a bit more26a, 26b, 26c & 26d. Before applying any finish, take time to go over the entire spoon one last time and undertake any fine clean-ups that need doing. Although abrasive papers will be the material of choice for many when carrying out final finishing, several equally useful tools exist that can perform as well (or better) without the scratching and dust making. Try a spoon bowl scraper for the interior of the bowl and a card (cabinet) scraper for the outside surface. Files are also a very useful tool for cleaning up surfaces and leaving a nice shiny finish. The bowl surfaces can also be burnished with a smooth stone, antler or hardwood scrap for a smooth and glossy feel26b26c26d27. When you are satisfied you’ve got the finishing as refined as you can make it, you can opt to leave the spoon as is, or add a finish treatment. I avoid gloss and surface finishes as I think they do carvings a disservice. I prefer oil, generally three or four coats wet sanded between coats with 1000 grit abrasive paper. If you are using the spoon for display, then a good-quality Danish oil or tung oil preparation is fine. If you want to eat with it, I would use 100% tung oil or walnut oil. A bit of beeswax polish can also be used either as a finish on its own or as a finale for an oil finish
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