Whittling - Get Started Easily. Complete Guide to Whittling a Spoon and a Needle Case.
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Time to read 9 min
Learn to carve - a complete guide with 2 good beginner projects
How do I get started with a carving project?
Carving something gives you the opportunity for a cozy moment with yourself or others.
A moment of calm and a chance to get into flow, where you lose track of time and place.
You have the opportunity to create something unique… an object that can be used daily.
You have put time, effort, and care into the object… you probably won’t throw it away like a plastic item. Maybe you’ll even end up repairing it one day?
First and foremost, you need to choose some wood to carve.
Of course, it’s not a good idea to go into a private forest and cut down a tree.
No, but maybe less can do it… you don’t need much more than a good thick branch.
Let’s make it clear right away… it’s not good to start with a project that’s too big.
There are several reasons for that.
First, your first project should be manageable; secondly, you don’t work very fast at the start. You will face some challenges with drying your carving piece before you finish.
Therefore… start with a small object.
It could, for example, be a spoon or a small container.
We explain both here, so you can choose what suits you.
The container will definitely be the easiest challenge, so maybe you should start there?
Next comes the spoon in terms of difficulty; here some basic techniques are involved that you can use in your next projects.
Where were we?
You need to choose some wood to carve, but what kind of wood?
At first, it’s an advantage to choose wood that isn’t too hard.
Hard woods require a very sharp knife; they are more tiring to carve.
More force is used in the cuts, so it will be more dangerous for a beginner.
So even if you have some beautiful apple wood you just cut down, some plum or oak, wait with that.
Some wood types tend to split/crack more when drying, which would be unfortunate for your first carving project.
All things you can later learn to take into account as you expand your knowledge.
At first, I recommend wood types such as:
Poplar, birch, alder, linden, Norway maple, willow, or maple.
The wood must be fresh when you start carving.
If you don’t have time to carve when you have good wood available, put it in your freezer until you have time.
What do you need besides your piece of wood?
In reality, you only need a knife, but there are some other tools that can make your work easier.
It could, for example, be:
A small folding saw.
A small axe.
A spoon knife or a gouge (chisel with a curved blade).
Your carving knife must be sharp and preferably have the edge/bevel called “scandi.”
It could, for example, be a Morakniv model 105 or 120.
Why does the knife need to be sharp?
If it carves….. then it carves, right?
Yes, it does, but there’s a greater chance you put more force into your cut.
When the blade finally goes through the wood’s surface, you have less control over the knife hand.
If it moves too far, you can get hurt.
Therefore, a sharp knife with small and controlled movements.
If you want to start with a small “practice project", you will also need a piece of leather.
The leather should be a little longer than twice the width of your hand.
A bit about safety when you carve:
When chopping with an axe:
-Use a good stable chopping block or another stable surface to chop on!
-It’s the hand holding the piece that changes angle, not your axe hand!
The axe hand chops straight up and down!
-Continuously remove the wood chips from the block!
-Take care of your thumb, it’s the most important finger you have! Curl it in to the side of your hand!
Remove your thumb from the surface you are cutting on!
-Cut only below the place where the piece is held!
When carving with a knife:
-Don’t carve between your thighs! Carve on the outside of your thighs, or in front of your knees!
-Put your knife in the sheath when you’re not carving!
Let’s look at the easy “practice task”… The container.
In this case, we are carving a “Needle Case.”
Various peoples have used this small object throughout history.
They stored repair kits in the needle case when they were traveling.
It usually contained needles, thread, and maybe a thimble, so equipment and clothes could be repaired on the go.
In reality, you just need to think about making a carved wooden tube.
Learn to carve a needle case
Find a shelf branch of a suitable thickness.
Cut it open to see how much the foam-like core fills.
It can vary from branch to branch; you should find one that fits your purpose.
The space the foam core takes up will correspond to the space you end up with in your needle case.
Choose a branch about the length of a pencil, so you have something to hold onto while carving.
We will cut it shorter later on!
First, remove the bark with your knife, try to make the surface smooth and even with your cuts.
Let the cuts run as far down the branch as possible.
Make sure the branch remains round!
You can probably use a long bolt with fine threads.
If you don’t have that, a round iron rod can also be used.
Maybe a classic dowel, or a metal handle from an old paint bucket?
The goal is to get the “foam core” out of your shelf peg.
Press the threaded rod down through the foam core and push the core out.
The good thing about the threaded rod is that you can “clean” the sides on the inside of your pipe.
The threaded rod works a bit like a small file or rasp.
Push the threaded rod back and forth from both ends of the pipe.
Now shorten the tube to the desired length, about a hand’s width.
Now you have a tube that you need to make neat at both ends, crown it at both ends. That is, make the edge neat and round.
Now cut a ring from the leftovers of your shelf branch. The ring should be carved nicely round all the way around.
The foam core must of course also be removed from the ring!
Now you have a ring and a tube, and your carving work is basically finished.
Now you need to do your leather “work.”
Cut the leather as shown in the picture!
Let the tip of the narrow band go through itself (through the hole).
Then tie a knot as shown in the picture.
The knot is tied all the way around!
Sew the ring on where the short leather strap is.
Sew from both sides!
Now you can place your needle and thread on the wide piece of leather.
Wrap thread around the needle and fold the two “flaps” over the needle.
Now you can close your needle case, hang it on your belt, or wherever you want it to hang.
By the way, you now have the opportunity to decorate your needle case; you can carve patterns into the tube itself.
Now you have worked on a “warm-up task.”
Learn to carve a spoon
Let’s look at the slightly harder task, namely carving the spoon.
I have chosen to show how to carve a cooking spoon.
I made this choice because it is a simple spoon to make.
Unlike the tablespoon, it is straighter and therefore doesn’t have the curve that a tablespoon has – this makes it a bit easier to carve.
The cooking spoon is also a bit sturdier and doesn’t get the weak points as easily as the tablespoon does.
I think we can challenge ourselves further later; for now, we can carve a tablespoon.
Start by choosing a fresh piece of wood. Choose a piece that isn’t too small. There should be enough to work with.
Now make a flat surface on the piece of wood with your axe, so you have something to draw your spoon on.
Notice how the thumb is placed to the side when you work!
If you look at this drawing, you can get an idea of how the spoon will look depending on how you turn the piece of wood.
The strength of the wood?
If you don’t have any very thin parts on your spoon, it doesn’t really matter how the piece of wood is oriented. A spoon is a small object that isn’t subjected to much force.
If you want to pack it in a bag, it might be a good idea to consider the strength.
However, it is more a matter of your visual taste preferences.
This is also one of the reasons why I chose to show how to carve the cooking spoon; it is durable and can withstand rough treatment.
Now you have a good flat surface to draw your spoon on.
Use a spoon from your kitchen drawer if you want to get some proportions.
Later you can start challenging the material and see how much it can bear.
Draw with a soft pencil, don’t press too hard, otherwise the pencil tip will follow the wood grain.
Now it might be a good idea to saw some stop cuts.
As you can see in the picture, I have drawn some notches, this is where you should start working with your axe.
Follow the arrows you see in the picture when you work on your piece of wood.
That means you chop towards the stop cut from each side!
At first, you can chop off some large pieces without worrying about the piece splitting too much.
That’s the clever thing about the “stop cut.”
Continue carving your spoon by following the arrows shown in the pictures here.
You also need to work on the underside, here is a suggestion for where you should carve material off your spoon.
Now it’s time to look at hollowing out your spoon. It’s the small bowl where the food can sit when you scoop.
It is also called “laffet.”
You need to get your carving knife now, it’s the next tool you need to use for carving.
Again, you should generally follow the arrows in the pictures when you carve… but look and feel for yourself.
Each piece of wood is unique, and you need to read the individual piece of wood.
Does the wood “fluff” up? Be aware of how you carve and cut in relation to the grain of the wood!
Sometimes you need to follow the grain, sometimes go diagonally across it, or perpendicular.
Your spoon is basically finished carving!
Many will ask if they should use sandpaper on the spoon.
It’s not forbidden, but the goal should be that the spoon is finished by using the knives.
The surface “fluffs up” and the spoon becomes more susceptible to moisture and dirt!
Everything is a process and Rome wasn’t built in a day.
If you take a break from your carving work, put the spoon in a plastic bag, preferably with some damp shavings.
The wood dries out quite quickly, even if you only took a short coffee break, you can actually feel the difference.
Then keep your piece moist!
When your spoon needs to dry:
Keep it away from wood stoves and radiators.
Let it lie in a cool room, the first couple of days with a thin cotton cloth over it, but don’t leave it there too long.
Otherwise, your spoon will mold.
When your spoon is dry:
Finish by applying a little oil to the spoon.
It could be almond oil or walnut oil.
If you don’t have a carving knife to carve with, there are glowing techniques where you use embers from a fire to make the hollowing.
Congratulations on carving your new spoon.
Do you want inspiration and tips for even more projects?
Then you need to get the book Bushcraft Craftsmanship by Jesper Hede.
Here you will find knowledge, guides, and plenty of inspiration for the coolest bushcraft projects.
The book is in Danish and is without comparison one of the best bushcraft books on the market.
