Greenwood Spoon Carving Book & Video Course Bundle
By: Emmet Van Driesche
THE BOOK
Carving a spoon from a piece of freshly harvested wood is a rewarding – and challenging – pastime. Tremendous knowledge about the properties of wood, and grain, and the use of sharp edge tools can be gleaned through this seemingly simple practice. There is more to it than meets the eye.
But many would-be spoon carvers don’t know where to begin. What tools are needed? What kind of wood should be used, and where do I find it? How do I hold my knife? And even those who have wandered down the spoon-carving rabbit hole discover even more questions: How do I make a clean transition from handle to bowl? How do I design a beautiful and comfortable spoon? How can I sell the spoons I make?
Greenwood Spoon Carving invites you on a journey into the fascinating world of spoon carving. Professional spoon carver Emmet Van Driesche has written a comprehensive and stunning guide that delves deep into the art and craft of spoon carving, offering step-by-step instructions, expert techniques, and valuable insights into the philosophy behind the craft. Van Driesche’s many years of experience as a teacher and carver shine through in this volume, with chapters on everything from tool selection, to sharpening, to setting up shop, to marketing your wares. It is the most thorough and informative guide to the craft available, hands down.
Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of full-color photographs, this book will inspire you to pick up a piece of green wood and a sharp blade and give it a try. Perfect for beginners and experienced carvers alike, Greenwood Spoon Carving will unlock your creativity to transform a humble piece of wood into a handcrafted treasure. This age-old craft will lead you into a deeper appreciation for both the natural world and the captivating art of woodworking.
Book Table of Contents
400 pages, matte-coated paper, softcover with sewn binding. Printed in the USA.
THE VIDEO COURSE
*(After your order is complete, within 10 minutes, you will be emailed an invitation to begin viewing the course.)
In this online companion course, Emmet walks you through the entire process of carving a spoon from green wood. Emmet is such an exceptional teacher – he knows his stuff and is articulate and approachable – and we are so glad we’ve asked him to do this course. His spoon carving book is the most helpful and thorough we’ve ever seen, and this video series takes Emmet’s teaching to another level.
While his book is amazingly detailed and covers so much ground that you’d never get in a class, you also need to simply see how it’s done. This course assumes no prior experience, yet takes you right into high-level, but accessible techniques. This is because Emmet’s approach to spoon design and his method of carving are both aimed at making it as easy as possible to achieve success. In searching the internet, we’ve all discovered that there are many convoluted ways to carve a spoon, but why would anyone want to proceed without sound direction? Woodworkers throughout history have known that having a skilled artisan simply teach you “how it’s done” not only saves you many hours of time and headache, but it also makes the process fun. Why struggle doing it the hard way when doing it the sane way makes it enjoyable?
In these video lessons, Emmet shows you everything you need to know about tool selection; sharpening slöjd knives, hook tools, and axes; processing green stock; spoon design; axing spoon blanks; rough and final carving; finishing; and spoon care. Emmet leaves no stone unturned, and throughout this nearly 5-hour course, there is no dead time. Emmet is wellspring of valuable information and insight, yet somehow throughout the whole process, his teaching never makes you feel overwhelmed.
This course is designed to get you going in spoon carving. Grab an axe and a knife and sit down with Emmet – your carving will be better after sitting under his expert instruction.
Course Outline:
Introduction to spoon carving
Sharpening slöjd knives, hook knives, and axes
Tool selection and making a hewing stump & club
Safety (acute and long-term health)
Wood selection
Spoon design
Axing the spoon blank
Rough knife carving the shape
Finishing cuts
Carving the bowl
Finish treatment & care of spoons
No time constraints – you'll get lifetime access to this course material!
