Paul Sellers has a project on learning how to carve wood.  I cannot say I am a sculptor by any definition but some things can be learned. I started by using a coping saw to cut out the rough shape.  I did this on piece of oak as well but I do not have a picture of that one.   I simply sketched out something that looked like a spatula resembling the shape in Paul’s book.  I cut out the rough shape with a coping saw.  Coping saws work….slowly, I’ll look at more course blade for next time.

With the rough shape, I had to thin it down a bit.  Now the spokeshave did a great job on the oak.  It made quick work of things.  When it came to the maple, not so quick.  Sharp is key for maple, so I honed up the spokeshave blades and got to it.

The final Oak version

Maple, well there was a casualty.  While using the brace and bit to drill the hole I made a mistake.  I felt the bit getting tight, should have have reacted to the wood.  Instead I went a little further and it split.  Well this is supposed to be a learning experience and an hours work knocking down the 3/4″ maple out the window when I went to drill the final hole.  Before and after:

So round 3 entered the wood bandsaw.  Maple is hard wood to cut much less plane down to spatula thickness.  Since I have that wood bandsaw shown in an earlier post I decided to use it to re-saw the 3/4″ maple giving me stock for 2 spatulas instead of 1.  I also used it to trim close to the lines for less work with the spokeshave.  To the purist hand tool worker out there, I don’t have unlimited time and well its my time so I went down the hard road twice and well enough of that.

Notice I drilled first this round before I re-sawed so as not to split the maple.

First one starts to take shape very quickly thanks to the bandsaw doing the worst of the stock removal. I used a Record 151 spokeshave.  I picked it up the flat bottom spokeshave from Jim Bode Tools for a good price, the blade was full and a perfect user.  I also picked up a round bottom, much more difficult to use I noticed but I was able to make it work for the tight curve.

The final collection all treated with mineral oil.  You can see I did not really use a template, something for next round. Onto spoons!