How is everyone ! Sorry this is taking so long to set up…

The suggestion I was given, was, to run the spoon guessing contest as a blog, so that is what I’ll do.

No one had the right guess last month, so I will use the same spoon. If you check back and see what people guessed last month, then you won’t be wasting a guess…

The rules are,

1.) Everyone will get 5 guesses. They can be used until the 25th of the month.

2.) You must pick the correct tree within a species (example: You can’t choose Locust, your guess must be black Locust or honey Locust)

3.) There will be only one winner each month. All of the correct answers will go into a hat and a winner will be pulled out (verified by the accounting firm of, Odie, Molly & Jake) the winner will be notified by email. All I ask is, just 5 dollars to cover the shipping of your utensil. I have pay-pal so that makes it easy.

4.) The contest will run until the 25th of each month and then start over on the 1st of each month. OK, let the guessing begin…

Hope this is a fun thing for everyone…:)

1.) Only one utensil will be given away each month.
2.) Everyone has 5 guesses.
3.) The contest will run the 1st to the 25th of each month.
4.) Everyone with a correct guess will be put into a hat and the winner will be drawn from all the correct guesses. (25th of each month) Verified by Molly and Odie. (even a nice steak bone couldn’t sway them, last time:)
5.) You must correctly guess what tree the spoon was made from. Example: You must be specific, (black locust or honey locust) but not just locust in general. I’ll post a photo when I finish writing this blog.

I Have heard a few comments on my blogs. Some are having trouble following my instructions. If you find it hard to follow what I write, please let me know. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I won’t get into so much detail from now on.

Once you have the bowl shaped and are happy with your spoon, it’s time to take it back to the sander and finish shaping the handle and the back of the spoon. Remember, to stay away from the edge of the bowl, And also DO NOT sand the neck of the spoon when you first start. (this will be the thinnest and weakest part of any utensil) Leave that for when you are almost done. If you start sanding on the neck now, it will be too thin when you are finished. (the neck of the spoon, is just behind the bowl and then where it starts to widen as it goes up the handle)

I start by shaping the back of the bowl. You want to start by sanding from the back of the bowl to the front. (staying away from the top and the front) This is really hard to explain with out photos… As you pull the spoon from the back to the front of the spoon bowl, do it in nice even strokes. Start 1/8 ” from the top and work it to the center of the bowl. Then, turn the spoon over and do the bottom of the other side until the outside is the same as the inside. (same thickness) I do it by “feel” When the back of the bowl and the inside of the bowl feel the same, then, I know it’s right. How thick you want your bowl to be, is up to you. The thinner the bowl area, the weaker it will be, and also, if you leave it too thick, it will be too heavy. Think about the person that’s going to use it the most. Let them hold it, and tell you how heavy they want it.

When you have the back of the bowl shaped, it’s time to start shaping the handle. (still leaving the neck alone) This is done with the same stroke used on the back of the bowl. (stay away from the edge of the spoon handle, unless you want it to be round on the top of the handle. I don’t touch the edge on my utensils until I am almost done and then it’s just enough to take the edge off)

Once you have the handle where you want it, it’s time to blend in the neck. Just blend it in with the handle and bowl. Now, I use a 220 grit belt and sand the entire spoon to take out any sanding marks that the course belts left. After all the sanding marks are gone, I hand sand with 220 grit to smooth and blend it all together and then 400 grit. At this stage, your spoon should be silky smooth. Look at your spoon in a bright light to check for any sanding marks that might be left. If there is, hand sand some more, if there’s not, you’re ready for the final step…

When I am satisfied with my spoon, I dust it off with a hand broom (and myself) and take it into the house. This next step is where I give my newly made utensil, a bath. A BATH ? YES… You will need wet/dry sand paper (500 & 800 grit. I have found MIRKA brand from Finland to be the best. It has a photo of a bulldog on the back of it) Let a small trickle of water run over your spoon as you are sanding it. What this does is, it raises the grain and keeps it from raising again. This will keep your spoon from feeling fuzzy the next time you wash it. Start with the 500 grit and sand until it’s smooth, then use the 800 grit to really make it smooth… When you are happy with how it feels, dry it off and let it completly dry. Then hand rub mineral oil on it. YOU HAVE JUST COMPLETED YOUR FIRST SPOON…

Here are the most important things to remember while you are making any utensil…

1.) Start with a nice, straight piece The better you cut out your pattern, the better the utensil will look when finished. If you don’t have a straight piece to start with, YOU will fight it the whole time.
2.) Don’t be tempted to sand the neck. Save this until last.
3.) Stay away from the edges of the utensil when you are sanding. Leave this for blending when you hand sand.
4.) As you are working on each step of the proccess, stop and look at your utensil and make sure it is straight. By this I mean, uniform in appearence. My eye catches things if they are not straight. Most people don’t… 5.) Wet sanding is the key.

I would love to see the utensils you made from following my blog. And, let me know what kind of wood you used and how easy it was to work with. Hope you all enjoyed the read. Let me know how this series of lessons helped you make a better wooden utensil. IT WAS FUN WRITNG….:)>

Thanks to all who ventured a guess, in the spoon contest. And the tree was, an American elm…We have the 3 winners. They are… 1.) John Grey, 2.) P Grene, 3.) and Max… I have already contacted them about their wooden utensil. Next month we will have a go at it again. This time the rules will be layed out better. The winner will have their choice of the utensils I make. From now on, there will be just one winner…

Now that we all know who won the 3 utensils, let’s look at the next installment in, “The utensil making proccess.

Here are the tools you will need for this part of the proccess. 1st, set you drill press where you are comfortable with the speed. I changed mine several times before I was satisfied. I picked up the grinding knobs at a Woodcrafters store at 87th and I-35 South in the Kansas City area. Look through their online store to find them. I don’t know how other brands work, I just know that the kutsall brand does the best job for me. I’ve tried lots of different tools for this part and the ones I’m telling you about work the best. I have thought and thought about the proccess of the bowl and ways to make it easier, But the way I’m sharing is the best I have been able to come up with. If anyone has a better way, PLEASE SHARE IT WITH ME… All 3 tools have a 1/4 inch shaft. One is for the sanding and the other 2 are for the grinding out of the bowl. The 2 for the grinding are: 1.) I use just a cheap carbide, 1/4 inch course grinding knob (round) You’ll use this one after you finish the drilling. The next one is a kutsall brand of grinder. It is a 1/4 inch grinding tip, oblong with a round cutting edge. Make sure you get the BLUE ONE. They make each one in a different color. This one is the course grinding knob. BUT, it makes a nice finish in the bowl of the spoon. They are around $20. I have used mine for 3 years now, and it’s still as sharp as when I bought it. And the 3rd thing you need is the 1/4 inch sanding disk. They make 2 sizes, get the smaller sanding disk. They fit (snap on and off) on the end of the shaft. They have 2 different grits, 80 and 120. You’ll need both.

Everyone that is following along should have their utensil cut out and sanded and ready for the next step. Hopefully, you are happy (I didn’t say satisfied) with the shape of your utensil. We are now ready to work on the bowl of the spoon. Don’t let this part intimidate you and be harder than it really is. I make 6 different sizes of “spoons” From giant ladles (20”inches long) to tea spoons (6” long) that you use in your tea cup.

Hopefully you have a drill press. I use a drill press for the start of the bowl. And I use the size bit that corresponds to the size of the spoon bowl I’m working on.

You’ll need a pencil (sharp and pointed) to trace around the edge of the spoons bowl. I use my thumb nail as a guide to trace a line around the bowl of the spoon. You want to have a trace line of about 1/8 inch (from the edge of the bowl) around the edge of the bowl. You want to stay within those lines as you are working on the bowl.

Now that you have the trace line, you need to decide what the top of the bowl will be shaped like. (this is the part where the spoon bowl and the handle meet). Just look at an old wooden spoon to get an idea. Or go back and look at pics of the spoon I put on my profile. You can see what it should look like. Nothing fancy, just hand draw a line there… I have a template that I use.

For your 1st spoon, I wouldn’t make the bowl too deep. Make this 1st spoon shallow to gain an understanding of whats involved with carving out the bowl. As you gain more knowledge and confidence, then go deeper. The deeper you go, the more difficult it is to sand. Once you have the line completely traced around the bowl of the spoon, you can start drilling out the bowl. What’s important to remember here is, to stay away from the edge of your pencil line and DON”T drill toooooooooo deep into the bowl. REMEMBER, you have to go down past the drilling and blend in that part.(sanding the bowl smooth) SO, your spoon bowl will be about an 1/8 of an inch more than when you stopped drilling.

Start drilling in the middle, taking into account how much wood you have on the bottom ( how thick it is to the bottom) That will be your guide as to how deep you go. REMEMBER, you have to shape the bottom of the spoon and that will reduce the amount that you can take out of the bowl area. I do everything by “feel” And once you learn the proccess you will too.

Remember, as you drill closer to the side of the bowl, don’t drill as deep.(deeper in the middle and then gradually less as you come towards the sides) I stay away from my trace line about 2/8”inches. Remember, this has to be blended in also. EVERYTHING ON A WOODEN UTENSIL HAS TO BE BLENDED IN…So take this into account on any part of the proccess.

Start with the black carbide grinding knob. You will have to figure out how you want to hold it as you grind. I hold the bottom of the spoon with my right hand and the handle with my left hand. Try it both ways and see which works best for you. Also, hold the spoon firmly, but not too tight, and let the grinding knob do the work for you. The KEY, to getting a nicely shaped bowl is to work the grinding knob in a natural, circular motion. Work the bowl down with this grinder until you are satisfied with the shape. (stay away from the edges of the spoon) If the grinding knob catches the edge of the bowl, it will rip a small chunk of wood out. If that happens, DO NOT TRY AND FIX IT OR YOU WILL DISTORT THE TOP OF THE SPOON. When you hold the spoon away from you and look at the bowl edge, you want a nice straight edge. We will fix this (as much as possible) when we are almost done with the spoon. When you are done with this stage, your spoon bowl will be almost shaped. As you get down to where your bowl is starting to look good, lighten up on the pressure of the grinding knob. This will naturally take less wood out of the bowl.

When I am about half way done with the bowl, I start to use my thumbs to gage what I need to take out of the bowl. You will be able to feel where the wood needs to come out of. I do this a lot at this stage; always feeling the inside of the bowl. When I am satisfied with the depth and the shape of the bowl it’s time to move to the blue kutsall grinding knob.

Now at this stage you have the bowl shaped, so now it’s time to put the finishing touches on the bowl… Work the Blue grinder in a circular motion just like the other grinder. You should be putting just enough pressure on the ginder to really smooth your bowl out. This is the step where you work to smooth out the edge of the bowl. Start making it look finished. When you are finished with this step the bowl should “look” finished. (but when you feel it, it will still feel a little rough) It is important that you make the bowl of the spoon as smooth as you can at this stage. If you don’t it will take a L-O-N-G time to sand it smooth.

Now, it’s time to finish the bowl with the sanding disk. Start with the 80 grit. Don’t use too heavy of a hand or you will wear out the disk fast. Just let the disk do the work. Unlike the grinders, you don’t want to work the sanding disk in a circular motion. Just work it back and forth, all over the inside of the bowl. When you have it to your liking, trade the 80 grit for the 120 grit. When you are finished with the 120 grit, you should have a nice smooth bowl.

Now, take 220 grit sand paper and hand sand the inside of the bowl (in a circular motion) and the edges of the bowl, to smooth it up and do the final shaping of the bowl. If you are happy with your work then you are ready for the next step. And that is finishing your wifes spoon on the sander. And we will get to that on Monday…

Now you have your pattern cut out, and you are ready to start sanding the shape. There is really no easy way to explain the process with out photos or videos. I will leave it up to you to read between the lines, (so to speak)

There is 3 parts to a wooden utensil, 1.) the bowl. 2.) the neck (or throat area. This will be the thinest part of the handle area) 3.) and the handle.

Hopefully you left at least 3/16 of an inch around your trace line when you cut the spoon out on the band saw. The better you cut out your pattern the easier it will be to shape it. Example: if you leave 1/4 inch here and 1/16inch there, you will have to work the thick area down to the 1/16” area before you blend it altogether. Just take your time when cutting it out on the bandsaw and the sanding will be much easier. You will need this extra wood to blend in and get that uniform look. One thing I forgot to mention in my last blog was, to leave the throat area of the utensil thicker until you are more experienced. When I first started I had the tendency to make the throat area too small and the finished utensil was too weak in this area. So, determine the strength of the wood you are using to see how thick you need the neck area. This also goes for the thickness of the bowl on the spoon.

The 2 main things to remember when you are sanding, stay away from the throat, and stay away from the edges of the utensil. You will blend in the edges when you are almost finished. What I mean about staying away for the edge is; don’t sand the edge down and round them off. Leave the edges sharp until the last step in the finishing stage. You do sand the corners, but, that is not at this stage of the process.

I use 3, 1×42 inch belt sanders. Each with a different grit belt. The first one is 60 or 80 grit. Don’t go any lower than 60 grit. (it take too much wood at a time and wants to suck the wood in to the belt) I find 80 grit works the best for me. The next one has 220 grit and then 320 grit. I recommend wearing gloves and eye glass protection for the sanding. The 60 or 80 grit takes small pieces of wood and flings them in your eyes

Hold the utensil lightly but with a firm hand. Hold the utensil where it feels the most comfortable for you. Start sanding the sides of the spoon to get the shape you want. Sand in, even, easy strokes. Don’t use a heavy hand, take it easy and let the sanding belt do the work. When you start sanding, work almost down to the line that you traced. Then when you have the utensil nicely shaped, then finish working down to the trace line, (but, leave a faint tracing of the line on the utensil) Remember, to blend in and make it one continual shape. You want it uniform in shape. When you hold it at arms length, you want to see a thing of beauty. It really is an art form. I want people that buy my utensils to see 3 things. 1.) I want them to see a “work of art” 2.) I want them to see a work of art that is functional. And 3.) When they hold my utensil, I want it to fit like it was part of their hand (ergonomic) All you are doing at this stage is getting the spoon ready for the next step of carving out the bowl.

Now, there is something you need to decide at this point before you start sanding the top and bottom. Do you want a leather hanger in your handle. If you do, you need to drill a hole in the end of the handle. I find that it is better to drill the hole in the side and not drill through the top. You need to do it at this stage because the handle is still mostly square, and will be easy to drill a nice straight hole. Take into account where that hole will be when you finish the utensil. You want it in the lower 1/3 of the finished handle as far back as possible. I use leather made for boots. It is treated to be strong. Use a drill bit that is just big enough that you have to lightly force the leather through the hole. Take your time and drill the hole straight.

Now, it’s time to start sanding the top and bottom. All you want to do at this stage is smooth out the top and bottom. Hold the utensil out in front of you to see where you need to shape it. Work it down to the shape you are comfortable with. (I can’t emphsis it enough, stay away from the throat area as much as you can) I like to have the over all shape of the spoon done before I start carving out the bowl. All I want at this point is the appearance of a finished utensil You will blend the throat in when you are almost finished. The throat area is just behind the bowl of the spoon, where the neck starts to get thicker. I work out all the rough areas, and feel it to see if it needs more taken off here or there. Once you get the look and feel, stop.

I don’t worry too much about the bottom of the spoon bowl, I just smooth it up a little bit. At this point when you hold the utensil and look at it, it should have a semi finished shape Hold the utensil on it’s side and now it’s time to work the handle. Once you get the shape that you want with the 80 grit belt, then you need to take it to the next grit belt (220 grit) This will smooth up the spoon and will make it ready for the next step of “working the bowl”. When you are ready to move to the next step of the process, your spoon should have an over all finished shape.

So, what you are doing is laying the foundation for what the finished utensil will look like. Some things to remember while you are sanding are; Stay away from the edges and throat area (I can’t emphasis that enough) make sure the utensil is straight and square. Hold the spoon in your hand and look at it from every angle. Is the handle and top of the spoon bowl square ? When it’s ready for the next step you want to see a utensil that is elegant in shape.

If things get off at the beginning, then they only get worse as you progress.

WOW, this is hard to try and explain without photos or videos. If you were with me in the shop, I could just show you. At some point I will re write the entire process. I’m sure the next step won’t be any easier to explain. Maybe by then I’ll have photos up for you to see. The main thing is, have fun. I don’t mind making mistakes, because, those are the utensils I get to keep and use.

If you start making your utensil and get stuck, just email me and we can talk on the phone. osagemann@yahoo.com Good success, John

I’m not going to be able to write tomorrow so I am writting today. Now that you have your piece of wood picked out for your 1st spoon, let’s get started.

I am sitting here with a cup of freshly made tea, with the wooden tea spoon that I made last night. I really liked this little spoon. I took my time (1 1/2 hours) making it. The grain is very nice and it is especially smooth and soft to the touch. SO, I decided to keep it… After I finished wet sanding it and was drying it off, I noticed a slight rough place on it. I looked, but couldn’t really see anything. SO, I got the magnifying glass and looked. All the joy I had for this “perfect” little Osage spoon, was gone. It had a very small, hair line crack in, the edge of the spoons bowl. I sanded it at that place, but it changed the shape (ever so slightly) of the bowl, and the crack was still there. I ate a bowl of soup with it to see if I would feel the fracture while eating with it. I didn’t feel the crack.

I do plan on keeping and using this spoon. I want to see if that crack opens up and widens. Here is another point for you to consider; don’t feel too dissapointed when things like this happen to the spoons and utensils you are making. Use these times as learning experiences on what certain wood does. Save those pieces and use them for testing. I pretty much know what will happen to this spoon (nothing) I doubt if the crack will get any worse. I have a spoon soaking now that has a big crack, right in the middle. I guess I should say, split. I have used that spoon for almost 5 years and the split is still the same. I leave it in whatever I’m cooking to try and make the split widen.

SO, here is my point; when you are picking a piece of wood to use, check it out first to see if there are any cracks in it. Then as you cut the shape out on the band saw, use a magnifying glass to check for hair line fractures in the wood. I didn’t know quite how to word it, but I think you get my point.

I want to talk about patterns in this blog. I have patterns for every utensil I make. (a side pattern and top pattern) These are made out of wood (osage)

Here is what I would do if I didn’t have a pattern to work with. Look through your kitchen drawer, with all those, aweful, cheap, K-Mart wooden spoons, and pick one that you can stand to work with. NOW, go set at the table (with your wife) As you start to trace the spoon ( just to give you a starting place) ask your wife what she wants in this spoon ( And let her draw what she want, UNLESS, you are making it for you, and then I guess, “you’ll” be cooking with it :) Add or subtract from the spoon you are tracing to get something you and your wife are comfortable with. She will have ideas about the spoon that you don’t. Tell her ahead of time what you are planning and ask her to think about what she wants in this spoon.

Once you have the design you want, it’s time to transfer it to a heavier piece of stock board. The point here is, to use something strong enough that it won’t move as you trace it onto your spoon blank. And it needs to be flexible, and Light weight. Flexible plastic works the best (until you can make wooden patterns) When you perfect your 1st utensil and want to start copying it, then make a permanent pattern. (remember, side pattern and top pattern) SO, don’t forget to design both. Remember, as you are designing always think, ERGONOMIC. This word is key, to making a great, useful utensil. Whatever you design, it must fit your hand like a glove and be easy to use…The shape of the utensil must fit the intended task.

Once you have settled on the design you want and you’re wife is happy with it, it’s time to transfer that pattern to the wood. Study the wood, try to accentuate the “best” features of the wood.

You will need a 1/4” bandsaw blade for making the curved cuts. You can use wider blades, but, your utensil will take a lot more time to sand. The better you cut your pattern out, the easier the utensil will be to make. Lay your piece of wood on it’s side (take your side pattern and lay it on your wood, ( where you want your utensil to come out of) and trace it. Look at your piece of wood, and decide if you can get more than one utensil from it. (note: only trace and cut ONE utensil at a time) Then cut it out on the bandsaw. Make sure you leave plenty of room (1/16”) around the tracing to blend in later. ( this is key to what the finished utensil will look like) One of the keys to making a utensil that looks great is being able to have natural curves that blend in with the total shape. When you make your first cut, check to see if there is any cracks or hair line fractures to deal with. If there is, then you need to either move the pattern up and re cut it or save that piece of wood for another utensil. If there’s not, proceed with the next cut. When you get your side view cut out, re-check to see if there is any cracks or fractures. Hopefully, there will be some wiggle room to adjust your top pattern if there is a crack.

Once you have the side view cut, then it’s time to trace the top pattern on and cut it. Lay your top pattern on it and trace around it. Make sure you have a dark pencil line to use as your guide when you are sanding. BUT, you don’t want, too wide of a pencil line. Keep plenty of sharp pencils around… I use 4 b pencils for all my tracing of patterns. The lead is plenty hard and it gives me a dark enough line to work with when I am sanding the outline. Regular # 2 pencils are a little too hard and don’t show up on the wood enough for me. It gets even harder when you work with dark colored wood. Any art supply stores will have 4 b pencils. The key to sanding your pattern is, to have a nice dark line that you can easily see while sanding on the belt sander.

After you have your spoon blank cut out, you are ready to start sanding. And we will get to that in my next blog…

As I am writing these blogs, I can think of so much more that is involved in the spoon making proccess. And there is no way that I can explain everything about the proccess in a blog like this. But what I can tell you is this; as you master these simple steps, you will then be able to solve the other problems that arise.

When I first started making spoons, I made mistakes. At first it would irritate me. (because they take so long to make) BUT, some times those mistakes turned into another kitchen utensil designed, or it looked better than what I had originally intended. It didn’t take me long to realize that I never really did make a mistake, BUT, a “happy accident”. I’m sure you all have experienced what I’m talking about.

If anyone has further questions about making patterns (or anything that involves utensils) please email me at: osagemann@yahoo.com

John

I will have the photo of the spoon I did the “test” with on my page tonight. It looks lighter in the photo (because of the camera flash)

It all starts with the choosing the right piece of wood for the wooden utensil you are wanting to make. BUT, the MOST important consideration is, asking your wife what would suit her best, taking into consideration the size of her hand (not yours) I’m sure if you make it to fit “your hand”, that you’ll get to use it more than she does. hint, hint. SO, I would suggest as you are working on the handle to ask her to hold it and say, HONEY, does this fit or does it need to be a bit smaller. Also, ask her what she needs and wants. I DO understand that there will be ladies making wooden ware. I know several that do.

I would suggest if you have never made a wooden utensil that you start with a simple wooden spoon (10 to 12 inches in length will work in the kitchen for most applications) Square it up on the table saw. If it’s not square from the start You will be fighting it from begining to end. Just start with a square piece and you won’t have any problems. (3”x2”x12”) A piece this size sould give you plenty of room for error.

If you position your pattern just right, you might be able to turn the pattern around and get another spoon(not as long though) from the same piece of wood. That’s a good tip for you right here. Try and get as much out of a piece of wood as you can. First, I will decide how many utensils I can get out of a certain piece of wood before I use it. The goal is to utilize and get as much out of it as possible. I might not be able to get another utensil from a piece of wood, but I can make wooden book marks from the scraps. Be creative and save those small pieces. . Just a tip about book marks: Make sure you drill the hole (for the ribbon) before you start on the book mark. It will surely split-out if you don’t.

The strength of your wooden utensil, will be determined by which way the grain runs. On smaller utensils such as small spoons it won’t matter much but when you get into larger pieces such as ladles, the grain needs to run at an angle. Please take this into consideration when choosing the wood to work with. I suggest having the grain of the wood run at an angle. You don’t want it to run horizontal or vertical. Here’s why. Grain that runs straight up and down, (vertical) doesn’t get as smooth as I like when it’s finished. Grain that runs horizontal will not be strong enough through the neck area. Running the wood grain at an angle gives it plenty of strength and gives the grain of the wood a chance to come out in the finished piece. That’s one thing I really like about making wooden ware, you never know what beautiful grain will appear until you’re finished.

There is a lot of wood you can choose from. I have made utensils from at least 50 different types of wood. Some great, some not so great (but they all are usable for cooking with) Whatever you choose have fun with it.

Wish I had the time to set down and write each step of the spoon making proccess out, but Like I said, the book is in the works now. ( wooden ware, from A-Z) The book will include so much more than what I could write here in my blog.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. In the next installmernt we will get started on making a pattern to use. I have patterns for everything I make. A pattern consist of a side pattern and top pattern. Until then, John

P.S. About the utensil give-a-way. I have decided that I am going to picutre a wooden utensil I’ve made and have people guess what kind of wood I used to make it. And the 1st one to correctly identify what wood it is, wins one of my Osage utensils. Let me know, if you think this is a good way to do it…

I wanted to start this series of “How To Make A Wooden Spoon” with a basic introduction. Someone asked me the question about my choice of wood for utensils. As I thought about it, the more I reallized the choice of wood, is the most critical step in the spoon making process.

First I want to start with what woods I recommend and what I don’t. After you learn some basics, then expand the wood you use. But, start out with a good quality hard rock maple . Why? because It’s easy to find. Most lumber dealers have some in stock. A piece, 12”x 3”x 3” will give you plenty of room for error.

If you can find Osage Orange (hedge) in your area and can cut some dry stuff, then by all means get it. Make sure, if you cut it from a log, that it’s dry and you square it up on a table saw. Split it first into smaller pieces. You’ll find if it’s not too big of a piece, that it will split pretty easy with wedges. You want to start with a good, dry, square piece of whatever wood you choose. The better a pattern you begin with, the better the finished utensil will look. Even I have trouble if I don’t start out with a good straight piece.

DO NOT use pine or cedar. The strong odor from the wood will be transfered to the taste of the food you are cooking. Here are a few tests to see if the wood you choose will make a good wooden utensil.

Here are a few tests I did to see how Osage Orange would hold up. After people started buying my Osage utensils, I thought I had better do some testing to see how they hold up. Here are the tests I did.

I have a wood stove in my shop. I put a pot of water on the stove and added a newly made utensil. I wanted to see the effects that boiling would have on it. After a couple of hours I took it out and to my surprise, it hadn’t cracked yet. So, I put it back in. I did this for 3 days. (YES, 3 days) All I did was add water and boil some more. At the end of the 3 days, it still had not cracked, and was NOT fuzzy. I couldn’t believe that a wood could stand up to this much stress. Next, (if that wasn’t enough of a test) I took the same spoon and put it in water for a month and then took it and left it out in the hot summer weather. At the end of those 3 months. The ONLY thing I did to the spoon was wash and clean it and put mineral oil on it. I still have the spoon. The only thing that is different is: the spoon turned very dark from being boiled and being in the sun for 3 months. You might have to remind me to post that photo so you can see it…

WOW, is all I could say after tesing that piece of wood. That’s why I guarantee my line of wooden kitchen utensils, unconditionally, for life. I do have a disclaimer. The guarnatee is only good, if, you follow the simple care instructions that comes with each utensil. And they are. wash it and apply mineral oil when it looks dull. (really hard, huh) I actually abuse my utensils on purpose. I leave them in the sink soaking to see how they stand up. I do these tests, so you can have complete confidence in the utensils I make.

I know what your thinking; how many utensils have been sent back for the guarantee in the last 5 years.? HONESTLY, only one… And that was my fault. I made the neck of a spatula too thin and when her son used it to press a hamburger down, it broke. I really didn’t mind at all, and was actually glad it broke. I redesigned the neck and sent her another one it. And now I don’t have to worry about it happening again…

That should get you started in the utensil making process. I’m still learning the site with what little time I have, so I might not get here as often as I like. I plan on blogging at least twice a week. To really get your interest up I am going to give away a set of my utensils. Stay tuned on that, I just desided that today. There is SO much interest, that I think it would be fun to do.

I try and watch my spelling and punctuation, but since there isn’t spell check to edit, I will probably miss spell words in my blogs. I just decided to let you pick what utensil(s) I give away. So let me know what you like. I’ll have more pics up as soon as I take them… Good Day!

Please post your questions and I’ll answer them. There is soooo much involved in making wooden ware that it is impossible to cover it all in a blog post like this. I will try to answer each one in as much detail as I can. It would take me several months of you working with me everyday to learn everything about the process. I will give you the basic outline to your question. But for even me, it’s a learning process.

I am working on a membership site to cover all aspects involved in making wooden ware. There will be videos of every utensil I make. I will have videos on, How to get your wood for free!, when to cut the tree, how to harvest the tree. The woods I use and recommend for utensils. (all wood is not suitable for wooden ware) How to season the wood. How long to season before use. The right grain, for the right utensil, Pattern making, designing utensils, (making each utensil ergonomic) and each step of the utensil making process from beginning to end. How to market, and how to get them into stores, and how to sell once they are there, And much, much more!!! I don’t have it set up yet, but I’ll let you know more about it as I get closer to launch time…

When I first started making utensils I didn’t have anyone to teach me. It was all by, trial and error. And Believe me, there was a lot of error. Like I read on here: I can take a perfectly good piece of lumber and turn it into fire wood, right before your very eyes!!! I know he was just joking and wanted to add some humor to his site.

Someone asked me to make them a wooden utensil that wouldn’t break. I had my start with Osage when I made bows and arrows. I thought, Osage would be a good choice to try, so I made her a simple stiring stick. Some one saw it and wanted one. At first I made them and gave them away, but as the demand grew and my supply of Osage dwindeled I either had to stop making them or sell them to pay for the supplys I needed. People would ask, can you make this utensil or that utensil. So, I started designing more. Now I have around 25 designs.

Your first attempts at making wooden utensils can be a rewarding experience (if you are taught right) I have never done anything like this before, so please be patient. I am not a writter, but can teach you by showing you a video, of how to make it.. I can show you better than I can tell you. That way, you can see it being made as I explain what I am doing. It will increase your learning curve by 10 fold.

Please post your questions and comments about this blog. Good or bad. Since I have never done anything like this, I need your imput.

It is my sincere wish to teach those that want to learn. If you want to learn so you can start selling you’re utensils, that’s fine, just let me know and I’ll give you help on other things such as websites and marketing, and how to get you’re utensils into stores and how to make them sell once they are there…

I also sell the utensils I make. Every utensil is guaranteed for life! (as long as you follow the simple care instructions that come with your utensil) I’ll have all my utensils posted before too long. The only wood I think is worthy of a life time guarantee is Osage Orange. In the next blog post, I’ll share some very intensive tests that I did with Osage and the results. Other woods are good also, but Osage is the only one I stand behind with a 100%, life time guarantee!!!

Here is my personal email address: osagemann@yahoo.com Use my email if you want more information on my utensils for sale.

Thanks again ! and don’t forget to post those questions and comments, John, The Osage Tree!!!