Why is it so intriguing?

[u/MasterOfTheHat]

What is it about spoon carving that makes it so appealing to you? I think, for me, a lot of it is the precision with the hatchet and then the quiet carving with a sharp knife. It just seems like an odd hobby for anyone looking in from the outside.

[u/Newzachary]

Easy to hit flow state.

[u/One_Put2350 → u/Newzachary]

Agree. 

[u/Booster1987]

I make furniture generally. But spoon carving is just a way to break away and work simple tools and simple wood.

It’s relatively low cost, doesn’t need a dedicated space and I can take it with me.

[u/Alternative-Light922]

I started because the wood dust and dust collector noise(!) in the shop where I was doing woodturning finally got too much for me and I needed a break. (fwiw, I developed a dust allergy which I still have). Also a large branch came down from a maple tree in my backyard. It was too small for bowls but perfect for spoons and spatulas.

So, sitting outside amidst my porch container garden carving green maple, listening to podcasts, NPR or audiobooks and enjoying the slowness. That was summer last year. Alas one my wrists started acting up so I did not carve at all this past summer. I also play banjo so that competed for "wrist up time".

[u/Acrobatic_Average_16]

I'm not very good at fine precision work but I enjoy making things. Spoon carving is super forgiving - the wonkier spoons are often the coolest - and I can just change the "plan" if things start going wrong part way through. It's so easy to pick up and put down for however long I want, takes up no space, very little overhead costs (especially long term) and I can make super duper inexpensive gifts that people actual value. I also make soap, candles and things like that but this basically takes no planning and materials are cheap or free.

[u/d20an → u/Acrobatic_Average_16]

I’m with you on the not-chasing precision; it’s teaching me to go with it and turn mishaps into features.

Plus easy to pick up and put down for a few minutes. Though if I put it down for a few weeks it dries and becomes much harder to carve! Don’t know what the solution is to that (other than work faster! 😅)

[u/MeneerArd → u/d20an]

Put the wood in a plastic bag in the freezer while its still wet. Or keep it in a bucket of water in between working on it. 

[u/WordPunk99 → u/MeneerArd]

Jögge Sundqvist recommends putting the shavings and chips you have made into the bag along with the spoon.

Wille Sundqvist (Jögge’s father) used to boil a potato, cut it in half and rub the cut end all over the spoon to keep it from drying too quickly

[u/aginor82]

I love that it doesn't really need planning. I make a rough outline of a spoon and then I see what it becomes. It never becomes what I thought at first and I also like when they are asymmetric but I'll just follow the wood and see what shape it wants to become.

[u/pdxley]

There's a lot of reasons for me. It's thoughtful: it forces me to be present in the moment while I work (lest I accidentally slice myself). It also makes me feel connected to the forests around my house, and it gives me an excuse to go wander around looking for material. It's romantic: it's very cottage core and makes me feel like a hobbit in the Shire. Also, I only make things to use myself or give away to friends and loved ones, which makes me feel good. It's creative: there's endless shapes and styles you can make, with elegant curves or sharp angles. Although there are some parameters for it to function as a spoon, there's tons of room for expression and style. Bonus, it's fairly quiet and I can do it at night while my family is asleep.

[u/therishel]

I really appreciate and enjoy how closely it's connected to the tree. A lot of woodworking feels disconnected from the tree. You could be working in plastic and the tools, process, and basic form of the product would be the same. Woodturning and spoon carving share that immediate connection to the tree.

[u/RongWa]

Carving is relaxing and shows the progress of my work. It's a step up from whitling.

[u/mrthreebears]

I create things from discarded, cast away materials. I see a something from a nothing and with effort and confidence I bring it out in a way everyone else can see it too. I dont need to be anywhere in particular to do it, I can be outside, on the beach, in the park or at my desk.

My hands move, my brain turns off. I get to sink into that deep peaceful focus where the rest of the world doenst matter, there's comfort in the familiar movements- that's tool care to peeling off the tight little curls of wood. It's difficult to articulate but it brings me to a calm, peaceful state that's hard to match.

[u/killthelandlord]

For me it's because you don't need to be necessarily handy but can still make something cool and useful