Warmer weather means springtime flowers and working outside again. Because my lathe is in the basement, it’s nice to feel fresh air and sunshine when I carve spoons, which I have been happily doing a lot recently.
This month, I’m close to finishing a big project for a chef who asked me to make a set of tableware for him to use for dinners that he will be hosting this summer and fall in the Hudson Valley. Chef Nicholas Leiss from Farm2ChefsTable will be hosting public dinners at The Orchard at Hover Farms in Germantown, Columbia County, NY. These dinners will feature Hudson Valley food and cuisine. Nicholas is working with farmers, producers and local artisans to create an experience that features seasonal ingredients served on locally made tableware while overlooking the pastures at Hover Farms. In addition to the wooden plates, cups and spoons that I am making, there will also be the works of a ceramic artist and a blacksmith. I really admire Nicholas’ mission to celebrate locally produced food and goods and I’m happy to be a part of it. The dinners will be held on July 9, September 24, October 22, and November 12. Ticket information will be available at Farm2ChefsTable.
For my part, I made wooden plates, cups and hand-carved wooden spoons. I worked closely with Nicholas on the design and wood selection. For the plates, I used Butternut Wood, Cherry and Eastern Redbud.
The plates are especially unique because Redbud isn’t a wood that you can buy at a lumber yard and as a yard tree, the trunks are usually a much smaller diameter. I was lucky enough to get three plates from the log that I had on hand.
Making multiple objects that are exactly the same is a tricky thing to do. It means a lot of stopping to measure and reference because once you take the wood off, you can’t put it back on. When I made the cups, I drew a specification sheet with each critical measurement labeled. In the drawing, the cup is oriented on its side to match how it’s mounted on the lathe.
I chose to make the plates and cups first so that the finish on them would have ample time to cure before being used with food. Oiling the finished objects is always one of the most rewarding parts of the process because you instantly get to see the beauty and depth of the color and grain inherent in the wood.
After oiling, I gave them a few coats of polyurethane and will let them sit out for a month to fully cure. When they are ready, they won’t have any smell.
With the plates and cups done, I started on the spoon carving. I decided to use some air-dried walnut that I had on hand from a spindle project I did last year. Traditional spoon carvers prefer to use wet wood, but I didn’t have 10 spoons worth of wood saved in my freezer. Air drying wood isn’t ideal for furniture makers, but for spoons, it leaves the walnut easy to cut with the knife, and I don’t need to worry about warping or joints opening up from humidity changes.
From the block with the template traced on top, I used a bandsaw to cut out the rough shape. After that, everything is done with a straight knife and hook knife.
I just have to finish up the last spoon and then oil them. I’m really looking forward to seeing them being used at Nicholas’ dinners this summer.
Coming up in May, I will be demonstrating the lathe at a Woodworking Festival at the Bethany Arts Community in Ossining, NY. On Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., I will be making things on the lathe, answering questions about the process and selling some of my handmade items. I hope to see some of you there!
Happy Spring! I’ll write more next month.