One of the things I have wanted to get more into was bushcraft and related projects. This is a work in progress spoon I am carving with just knives and a rasp

Growing up a Boy Scout I have fond memories of bushcraft activities but with two decades away from it I am a bit rusty. I have been meaning to start back at it for several years but where to start. Doing some exploring I found several videos on spoon carving and I wanted to give it a shot. So I ordered a couple of tools and picked out a piece of cherry from the wood pile.

The first tool I got was a Mora 164 hook knife with a carbon steel blade. The knife comes with a blade that is curved and allows you to make the bowl section of the spoon.

After doing some research I found that many people re-ground the blade. The reasons had to do with the sharp ledge made it not perform as well as it could. Most people did this by hand but said it took many hours. I instead used my Work Sharp WSKTS-1 knife and tool sharpener and took about 5 minutes. The medium belt made quick work of reshaping the blade and the fine got it pretty sharp. I did use a stone to finish it up.

The next tool was a Condor Bushlore knife which was one of the most affordable bushcrafting knives I could find that had a good reputation. It is pretty basic but came with a nice leather sheath and was very sharp from the factory.

With the Bushlore I did some work on the blade as well. It has a scandinavian grind.

From the factory it is machine ground and was slightly hollow so I hand sharpened it using my Smith’s diamond precision knife sharpening kit. I started with the corse diamond working to the fine and finished with an Arkansas stone. I did not put a micro bevel on the blade but may if I find that it does not hold an edge well.

The last tool I already had. A 4-way 8 inch rasp file. I used this to clean up the contours on the back of the bowl.

I am still working on this spoon. While making maple syrup there is lots of down time but its nice to see it come along. I just about have the bowl area finished. I need to work on the symmetry of the bowl some but I am getting there. Once that is done I will finish up the handle, sand and apply a food safe finish.

Being my first stab at this I am not expecting perfection and this won’t be my last spoon. Pretty sure I know what my family is getting for Christmas this year 🙂

Some other tools I will be looking to get include a couple of gouges, a carving hatched and a hand adze.

Once I become somewhat proficient I’ll do a video start to finish on spoon carving. Right now I am just learning. So stay tuned for more bushcraft projects.