Fusion II, Love Spoon in Maple

[MackTheKnife]

Well, I wasn't overly pleased with the size of the bowl on the last love spoon, so I decided to do the pattern again with a better bowl. Dave Western browbeat me into agreeing to do it in spalted maple. Working maple with all hand tools is a challenge! I roughed the blank out with a hand axe and a Mora knife. The rest was done with knives. The only power tool I ever use is a battery powered drill to do the pilot holes for the piercings. Once I have a hole big enough for a knife blade, the rest is all hand work.

This is undoubtedly the most refined bowl I've ever done. And, yes, Laura, that bowl edge is tough to get right! And, you know, I've gotten quite fond of putting little details on the back of the bowl.

The whole process took me about 11 hours from the first stroke of the axe to the final application of the finish.

It turned out kinda pretty.

[markken5889]

Hey Bob, this spoon came out fantastic - you've got a great eye for detail! I love the spalting in the maple, as well! Super job!!!

Mark

[David Stanley]

Another well carved spoon and the spalting adds a nice feature to the spoon. Again, a great job on carving the bowl, fair smooth lines.

[jimmy joe]

I am sure the maple was a bit challenging . The spoon came out real nice. Plenty of detail to look at but not over done . Sometimes less is more .

[MackTheKnife]

Thanks, Mark, David and Jimmy Joe. I was told that once I was done, the pleasure of having produced something beautiful would make me forget the pain I went through producing it, much like a woman, presented with her new-born child forgets the pain of childbirth. 'Course it was a man that told me that. But, then, damn if he wasn't right! I keep eye-ing those other two pieces of maple I have. Maybe if I lie down . . . .

[AL...]

Hey Bob
That is a beautiful work of art mate I love the shape you got with the bowl fantastic!!

Cheers
AL

[LBlake]

Very nice! And I thought the first spoon was lovely - this one is still more-so! And I agree with the others - the spalting is a lovely addition. And the bowl really is beautiful - great job! And, seriously? 11 hours??!! I think the absolute fastest I ever made a spoon (not counting the waiting time between coats of oil) was 12 hours. I seriously don't know how you do that. Maybe I'm just really really slow.
So, what kind of maple was it? Was it some of that Western Red? I hope it wasn't rock - even I avoid that stuff like the plague, and I carve a lot of cherry and yew. But keep in mind, there are benefits to using these harder woods - you can usually get a lot more dangerous - oops, I should probably say brave - with details. There are things you can do that could NEVER be done with basswood. And.... well... you see how pretty....
Nice job!

[Northwest29]

Very, very nicely done. I love the design and the wood you used.

Ron

[MackTheKnife]

Thanks, Al.

Thanks, Laura. I thought 11 hours was kinda slow. I guess that once I decide where I'm going with a piece, I don't shilly-shally. I got the wood at Woodcraft, and the only label they had on it was "Spalted Maple". I asked if it was Western Maple, but nobody seemed to know. I know what you mean about the harder woods, I just have a hard time talking myself into using them. Too much time as a youngster trying to carve mesquite with a pocket knife. I do have some American cherry and Brazilian cherry "aging" out in my garage for almost 10 years now. I've also got a new design looking for something to be carved out of. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and see what I can do.

[MackTheKnife]

Thanks, Ron. I've gotten so many complements on this wood that I guess I'll have to hire a personal trainer to beef up my hands and forearms so I can carve more of it.