I recommend using basswood. Basswood is a hardwood, but it's a soft hardwood and it's easier to carve. I have made a stirring spoon out of basswood and enjoyed carving it. So far, it seems to be holding up fine.
I’ve recently been getting into spoon carving and wanted to know the best wood for making kitchen spoons. So, I did a little research on the topic and here’s what I found.
Generally, you need to choose hardwoods with a fine grain and not very porous. These will be more durable and stand up better to moisture and staining. I love using woods like walnut, cherry, maple, olive, and mesquite. Other woods that will work: sycamore, beech, birch, apple, alder.
I advise staying away from very porous wood like red oak or softwoods, because they stain easily and absorb moisture easily. The more porous woods are going to be the softwoods, but some hardwoods are more porous than others. Softwoods also tear easily and dent easily in my opinion — not qualities you want in wooden utensils that will see daily use.
What’s a good wood for a new carver to start with?
I recommend using basswood. Basswood is a hardwood, but it’s a soft hardwood and it’s easier to carve. I have made a stirring spoon out of basswood and enjoyed carving it. So far, it seems to be holding up fine. Although, I have noticed it takes on food stains sometimes.
I’ve also been told that birch and alder are less fibrous and easier to carve for the beginner. I have made one spoon from alder and can say it’s very easy to work with. However, it did develop an unfixable crack after a few uses, so I had to discard it.
But – starting out – don’t get too dogmatic on what kind of wood to carve. You can always experiment with wood you have on hand. Try different woods and see how the spoon holds up over time. Learn about what works and doesn’t work.
Not to be Captain Obvious, but stay away from using pressure-treated wood and pallet-board wood. It’s a spoon, so you want something that’s food safe.
If you want to begin with a hardwood, then see if you can acquire hardwood that’s green (freshly cut).
Should I use green wood or seasoned wood from the store?
Traditional spoon carvers typically use green (or freshly cut) wood. Newly cut wood is going to have a higher percentage of moisture content. Green wood is easier to carve with hand tools because the fibers are softer. In some cases you will need to carve the spoon to a “rough” dimension and allow it to dry for a period of time. After it’s dried, then come back and finish the spoon.
It may also be a bigger challenge to get green hardwoods, while kiln-dried (a.k.a. seasoned wood) hardwoods from a store are readily available. The downside with kiln-dried hardwoods is they may be difficult to carve with hand tools like carving knives and chisels. Some woodworkers invest in power tools to speed up the carving process on seasoned wood.
I have mainly used kiln-dried hardwoods for the carving projects on this site. I like to use power tools (such as a bandsaw) to cut away excess wood and then I’ll use carving knives / chisels to make the spoon. Sometimes I may use a Dremel tool to carve, but I prefer the hand tools.
Where can you get green hardwoods for carving spoons?
Check with any local lumber yards or lumber mills and build a relationship with them. Also, contact tree trimmers and see if they will sell (or give away) stuff they’re cutting.
Here’s a huge tip: Power companies are scheduled year round to trim limbs back from the power lines. So, try calling your local power company and ask to contact the tree trimming foreman or crew-leader. They will often dispose of the cuttings through a chipper, but some of those limbs might be just right for a spoon.
I don’t recommend you going out and cutting down live timber just to carve a spoon. You can often get permission from land owners who are already cutting down trees or trimming trees on their property. Please DO NOT go onto public land to harvest any wood. This is definitely illegal.
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Keep an eye out for downed trees after big storms that roll through. Or construction sites being cleared. But always get permission to harvest.
The type of hardwoods will very for the region you live in. So get familiar with the different species that grow in your area. Get a good book on tree identification or do an online search. With time, you should be able to identify different trees by just looking at the leaves and bark.
Check with your local woodworking stores to see if they carry any green wood for carving. Also, talk to local woodworking clubs and they may share some leads.
Storing green wood?
If you get green wood, you’ll need to think about storing it so it doesn’t dry out and crack. If you’re carving a spoon right away, then you don’t need to worry about it. But if you don’t store your green wood properly, cracks will develop and may extend done through the length of the wood.
I’ve heard of many ways to do this. Some put their wood in plastic bags and store in the freezer. Some use latex paint, paraffin wax or PVA glue to seal the ends. With the bark left on, most of the moisture will escape out the ends and that’s why the cracks develop on the ends.
Where can I get kiln-dried lumber for carving spoons?
You can get kiln-dried lumber from specialty woodworking stores like Woodcraft or Rockler. These stores will normally have traditional hardwoods and many exotic hardwoods. You may be able to find basswood or other carving woods at local craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michaels.
If you don’t have a specialty woodworking store near you, then go to their website and try buying it online. Make sure to specify the type of wood you’re looking for, preferably straight-grained and without knots.
The home centers tend to carry pine, poplar, cedar, and red oak. You can use these to carve spoons, however, they’re not ideal because these woods are more porous than the hardwoods we listed earlier. I have used cedar for spoons, but have not found it to be the best material.
What about wood toxicity?
There seems to be a lot of debate or discussion about wood toxicity. Yes, certain woods may be more toxic than others, but it seems uncertain what affect they have on the whole population. There doesn’t seem to be any hard line rules on what woods to use or not use for spoon carving.
For example, you read one source saying don’t use cherry because it has some toxins, but then you read several books on spoon making, and they all recommend cherry. It’s gets confusing.
Each person has different reactions to toxins in their environment and that may be based on their genetics. Then again, some toxins affect all of us to some extent. Some exotic woods — like cocobolo for example — have a reputation for causing strong reactions in some people. And please don’t carve a spoon out of a large poison ivy vine … LOL.
It’s also unclear when a wood is most toxic. Is it after the wood’s been freshly cut? Does the toxicity continue constantly over time or does it diminish with time and use? Is it the dust that causes problems or coming into contact with the wood itself? We all know that breathing in fine wood dust is not good for your health long term.
As mentioned before, you definitely want to stay away from treated lumber or wood you don’t know the history on — like pallet wood.
I’m not an expert on wood toxicity, but you can refer to the Wood-database which provides more detail about different wood’s toxicity levels and potential effects.
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Also, here’s a great article from the Wood-database site that gives a listing of different woods that carry some toxicity. It shows how the wood may affect you and the potency of the toxin. As mentioned in this article, not a whole lot of woods are known to be extremely toxic. And some people may be more sensitive than others to these woods.
I notice a few woods on this list that may create some very serious reactions, but I don’t believe any of the spoon-carving woods I’ve listed cause major reactions.
So check out the site and the article and then make your own judgement on what woods to use or avoid.
What other characteristics to look for in spoon-carving woods?
We’ve already mentioned that finer or closed grain hardwoods are best, in terms of being more durable.
Starting out, I’d also recommend wood with straight grain and no knots. This will make for easier carving and stronger spoons. Ideally, you want the grain running the length of the spoon.
As you get more experience, then you can pick different kinds of wood. Maybe you want to carve a ladle or serving spoon. Then you may want to pick a green hardwood that branches at some point. This branch often leaves a convenient crook in the wood which is ideal for certain spoon designs.
You might experiment with carving a spoon that’s part sapwood and part hardwood. Upon drying, this may create some “artistic” bends in your spoon. Who says every spoon has to be straight or totally symmetrical?
Spoon designs will also play a big factor in wood selection. There are several different kinds of spoons you can make. If you decide to make a kuksa for example, you may want to use wood from a burl. A burl is a weird growth that sometimes happens in a tree’s development. The grain pattern will usually be irregular and very tight.
Remember — making spoons is a craft and a labor of love. Each spoon is a unique personal creation. A creation that reflects on you, the maker. And a creation that often must cooperate with what nature gives us.
Free Ebook Download
You can download my FREE eBook on Carving for Beginners. You don’t have to subscribe or give me your email. Just download for free. In the book, I cover basic safety tips, carving knives, carving techniques, grips and 7 beginner projects.
Projects you can try
Below are a few of the carving tutorials I’ve created for this site. Again, I’ve used a lot of seasoned woods for most of these projects. Let me know if you have any questions.
Hand Carved Wooden Coffee Scoop
Hand Carved Wooden Spatula
Easy to Make Wooden Spoon
A Wooden Spatula on the Lathe
How to Make a Cedar Spoon
How to Carve a Wooden Serving Tray
My Spoon Carving YouTube Videos
Below are a couple of recent YouTube videos I have published. I plan to create more spoon carving videos in the future, so please consider subscribing to the channel and click on the bell for notifications.
Conclusion
Well, I hope you enjoyed this article, and hopefully, it helps give you some additional information on wood selection for carving a spoon. If you have more insights or experience with this, please leave a comment.
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