Spoon carving in London

This interesting news item from the BBC about "Barn the Spoon" is worth a watch.  Barnaby Carder used to live and work in the woods, whittling spoons from trees, but managed to earn enough money to be able to open a store in Hackney, where he spends his days working in the window where passers by can see him in action. 

The man who makes his living whittling wooden spoons

Clog making, spoon carving and chairmaking in Sweden, 1923

This silent movie from Sweden shows traditional woodworkers making clogs, spoons and chairs.

Chip carving basic cut

Marty Leenhouts shows how to make simple three corner designs with a chip carving knife.

This is done in wood, but I wonder if potters or polymer clay artists ever use this technique?

Wheelwright factory

Here is a fascinating look at how mass production took hold of the traditional craft of making wooden wheels.

Part 1:


Part 2:

Farmhouse tables

David Ellison of The Lorimer Workshop in Rhode Island builds furniture in the simple style of the tables built by New England farmers in the past.

Making a coopered bucket

This video shows students learning to make a straight staved bucket at Tillers International, Michigan, USA, which offers classes in appropriate technology farming techniques and artisanal skills.

Jewelry from salvaged wood

Shawn Taylor of prasseindesignstudio shares her process of making a wooden wrist cuff from salvaged wood.

Making a GeeHaw Whimmy Diddle

A simple toy with a curious name.



Can you make the propellor switch directions?

Sasano-Bori wood carving

Sasano-Bori are traditional Japanese carvings of birds. They are made from small branches using a carving tool called a Sarukiri, more like a meat cleaver than anything we use in the west for carving wood. Farmers in the village of Sasano spend their winters sitting by the fire carving the sasanobori birds, which were originally made to solicit the favor of the gods during war.[1][2]

Willow hurdles

Here is a short video showing a hurdle being made from willow.



These are made in Somerset, the county of my birth. Willow growing and the associated crafts of hurdle making and basketry are a traditional craft of the area, dating back to at least the Iron Age.

These hurdles are made at English Hurdle, Stoke St. Gregory:

The hurdlers weave up to 10 strands of spraggly withies at one time horizontally on an upright jig, like carpet weavers at a loom. The craftsmen have to grapple with the springy willow to create the tautness necessary for hard-wear and long life. Each hurdle, as well as other withy products, bears the mark of its maker. Visitors may choose their preferred style and their entire order is woven up by the same maker.

Their website shows many different style of hurdle, as well as many other willow products such as arbours and arches.

Making a split oak basket

This video shows white oak being split and weaved into a basket:



For more information on split oak basketry, see "Oakwood Baskets".

Carve a wooden spoon

Today I have a set of three videos showing Robin Wood carving a wooden spoon.

This first clip shows Robin using an axe to split a log and rough out the spoon. When I first saw this I thought he must be live in a bachelor pad, but apparently not.


Now he starts refining the shape with a knife.


Robin ends his work with a curved knife to hollow out the spoon.


In this final video, Robin's wife Nicola shows how she finishes the spoon without using abrasives.


Robin and Nicola run spoon carving courses from their home in Edale in the beautiful Peak District of England.

Making a bowl for Robin Hood

Robin Wood, a wood turner who works on a pole lathe, shows how he used part of an ancient oak tree from Sherwood Forest to make a replica of a Medieval wooden bowl.

Turning wooden flowers

Stuart King shows how to make wooden flowers on a treadle lathe:

Carving a celtic design

Bernie Fay of carvingceltic.com shows how he adds a celtic design to a toy chest:

Artist Janet Schooley

An interview with Janet Schooley, an artist who now works with willow.



She is currently making a medieval bee skep for a short film based on some of the images from The Luttrell Psalter, an illuminated manuscript made for the Luttrell family of Irnham village, Lincolnshire, from 1325 - 1340.

Chainsaw carving - owl sculpture

Andy MacLachlan of Chainsawcraft.com makes a sculpture of an Owl behind his house in Rashfield, by Dunoon, Argyll, Scotland. This film shows how a beautiful, detailed sculpture emerges from a tree that had blown over in the Argyll Forest.



This film and Andy's website were produced by Murdo Ross of DesigningScotland.com

Guitar making workshop

Today's video is a photo essay by Warren Gash documenting his recent acoustic guitar building experience under the tutelage of Master Luthier Sergei de Jonge.

The musical accompaniment is "Guitarmaker" by Grit Laskin.

Japanese trick chest of drawers

Today's video is a little departure from the norm in that it shows the results of traditional Japanese craftsmanship. Karakuri tansu is a chest of drawers which have trick drawers which can hide what the user puts inside to keep valuables safe.

Woodturning - a wooden box

Today we start a regular new feature on Craft Videos. Every Sunday there will be an interview with the craftsperson on the video. This week I talk to woodturner Joe Bazer.

Hello Joe, tell me a little about your life outside of woodturning.

I live in Shilo, Israel with my wife and 7 children (ages 3 - 17).

And how long have you been woodturning?

About 12 years.

Was woodturning a hard thing to learn?

I'm still learning. Mostly self taught with books and videos.

You make the box look like an easy project. Is it something that a beginner could easily do? What is the hardest part of this project?

It's not too difficult once you understand the sequence of work. The forms are "open" and easy to make.

What type of wood did you use in the video, and which way is the grain oriented?

The wood is dry paduak with the grain oriented perpendicular to the lathe centers.

What else do you make other than boxes?

Natural top bowls, using local wood - olive, eucalyptus, cherry, almond. Custom furniture. Check out my public gallery.

What motivated you to make this video and do you plan to do any more?

I enjoy teaching, and want to share my techniques with other craftspersons. I hope to make some more videos.


Thank you Joe. I look forward to seeing them.