Dave CockcroftDave Cockcroft
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Dave CockcroftDave Cockcroft

A delightful way to spend a day

A delightful way to spend a day

I loved this course and came away with my first spoon and some very clearly taught skills to continue. Highly recommended and a delightful way to spend a day.
Five star spoon course review

Previous PostI’ve found a new passion for carving
Next PostA thoroughly enjoyable and educational day

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ From me for Chris William's book "
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ From me for Chris William's book "Good Work" about John Brown and Welsh Stick Chairs. I've got the pdf version as I couldn't wait for a printed copy, though I'll buy that too as soon as it's available. Thanks to both @welshchairmaker and @lostartpress it's got me all inspired to crack on making more of these iconic chairs. The pic is one I made last year at its new home near Bala in North Wales. I've stared making a couple of low back stuck chairs, similar to what JB called a library chair. Hopefully finish parts for the first one tomorrow so they can dry whilst I'm in Wales next week, then assemble in early March. So folks, if you're any kind of lover of woodwork and want to connect more deeply with hand tools and 'good work', then don't hesitate get this book on you birthday list right now. In UK order via @classic_hand_tools in US via @lostartpress - its not just about the chair making, it's about a the philosophy of hand making what you need from what you've got - enjoy! #welshstickchair #windsorchair #woodwork #chairmaker #chair #handmadefurniture #heritagecraft #greenwoodwork #woodworking #craftman #goodwork

Sat 21st March SOLD OUT, Sunday 22nd March just 3
Sat 21st March SOLD OUT, Sunday 22nd March just 3 places left. Spring time in the orchard yurt at Days Cottage, nr Gloucester, is the perfect place to spend a day learning or progressing your spoon carving skills. Plenty of space on April courses but they're starting to book up. Details, reviews and booking www.davecockcroft.com/courses Please note after April I'll not be running beginners courses again until autumn. I'm planning to run development workshops for folks who know how to carve and want to improve their skills, spoon design and look at various decoration techniques. More announcements on this coming soon. #spooncarving #learntocarve #spoon #axeskills#axeandknife #craft #craftcourse #handcraft #spoonsaregoodforyou #mindfulness

After due consideration I prefer a slight curve th
After due consideration I prefer a slight curve through the bowl to a flat top. I think the lines flow more sweetly and it should cope better with rough weather 😉 #spooncarving #dolphinspoon #sloyd #slöjd #craft#handcrafted #handmade

Two spoons from the same sized billet of straight
Two spoons from the same sized billet of straight sycamore. Very different profiles. Flick thru the images to see stages of those profiles from axe to rough carved to finished. Then there's a sketch showing where the spoon is positioned in the billet. I like the lines of a dolphin spoon, and I like that they were originally made in Wales. The shape is not just to look cute, IMO it has some advantages. It allows for longer grain through the bowl and so should be strong. The hump provides strength by keeping longer grain through the neck of the bowl where its thinnest. The curve in the top of the handle increases the effective crank and provides a nice comfy saddle for your thumb to sit on. All this works even better with a gently curved piece of wood. There is however nothing wrong with the 'normal' spoon, though cranks are more durable. It just that I ♥️ dolphin spoons and like to go one about how great they are. #spooncarving #spoons #sloyd#slöjd #dolphinspoon #welshspoon #whittling #davethebodger #spoondesign

Some shots of the spoon from my previous post abou
Some shots of the spoon from my previous post about finishing oil. This is from a spalted beech crook with ultramarine pigment wash used on the handle. #spooncarving #spoons #sloyd #eatingspoon #beechwood #ultramarine #davethebodger

What oil do you use as a finish for spoons?

Holla
What oil do you use as a finish for spoons? Holland and Barrett sell a lovely golden hemp seed oil from @goodhemp in Devon. It's for cooking with do it's perfectly safe for spoons and as far as I know there are no hemp seed allergies. After your spoon is thoroughly dry apply a thin coat of oil (I have washed my hands but you can apply with a cloth). It'll soak in a little depending on the wood, after a few minutes wipe off the excess then let it cure. This can take a few weeks. If possible put your spoon in direct sunlight as UV light vastly increases the rate of curing. A few hours in the sun is as good as a few weeks in the dark. Remember UV doesn't penetrate windows. The biggest issue folks have with a hardening oil finish on spoons is not waiting for full cure. Use your spoon too soon and the oil will dissolve in your soup or wash off in soapy water. The most popular finish for spoons is raw linseed as this is what's used in Sweden and we all learned, at some point, from Willie Sundqvist. However not all linseed oil is the same. Grown at high latitude the long summer days result in different chemical composition in the oil and it cures harder and with less yellowing than a lot of the raw linseed (flax seed) oil available elsewhere in the world. So if you're using linseed I'd recommend you get hold of some pre-oxidised or cleaned linseed from Scandinavia. Tung oil is well regarded but I've not used it. I like that all my spoon wood is sourced locally and prefer a finish that's local rather than all the way from China. So I'm using golden hemp seed oil as I like the way it adds some depth to the tone of most woods. It's recommended for use over milk paint. I like the smell, to my nose it's much milder than linseed and has a nuttiness to it. Given a few weeks, or a day of sunshine, it cures nice and hard. It has a matt finish and doesn't darken much over time. It's a low carbon, local product and if you don't get on with rubbing it on to spoons you can use it as salad dressing. So there you go, that's my tuppence worth. Please note other opinions do exist 🙂 #spooncarving #hemp #hempseedoil #sloyd #slöjd #foodsafe #woodenspoon #davethebodger


That was a bit of a battle but I think I won.

Aft
That was a bit of a battle but I think I won. After a weekend of #alder this old apple was a good reminder that some woods are far far tougher than others. #applewoodin #eating #spoon


Another day of shavings, avoiding stormy weather i
Another day of shavings, avoiding stormy weather in the Nailsworth Community Workshop. We'll done everyone, not one drop of blood was spilled today 👍

Well done you lot. Another bunch of intrepid stude
Well done you lot. Another bunch of intrepid students survive their introduction to spoon carving with all their fingers still attached. 🙂

Moving into Nailsworth Community Workshop for a we
Moving into Nailsworth Community Workshop for a weekend of nice warm sheltered spoon carving courses whilst it storms outside. And there's new comfy chairs thoughtfully upholstered in blood red so as not to show the stains😉. If anyone is temped there's still space on Sunday's course (16th Feb). Info and details www.davecockcroft.com - voucher 20FEB20 gets you 20 quid off. Happy days. #spooncarving #handcraft #craftcourse #whittling #sloyd #woodwork #spoon #spoons #woodcraft

Happy Valentines Day people. Just to mention I mak
Happy Valentines Day people. Just to mention I make love spoons like these on commission. These are in the style of primitive Welsh love spoons, made by a young man for the girl he fancied and also probably to show her father he was handy on the tools. You can choose to just hang them on the wall or better use them to eat your porridge every morning. The symbols represent heart and soul. Similar spoons are available for £80 or so depending on size and I normally require a few weeks notice. #spooncarving #spoons #sloyd #lovespoon #welshlovespoon #heritagecraft #folkart #valentines

Today's packages of sharp things heading to USA, C
Today's packages of sharp things heading to USA, Canada, France, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Hope they all arrive safely and swiftly and make their new owners happy 😁. Amusingly I got a paper cut folding one of those boxes, worse than any tool cut I had for ages now. Dangerous work is packaging! #knifemaker #craft #handtools #craftbusiness


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About Dave

Dave Cockcroft is a green wood craftsman, designing and making furniture and household items from fresh cut local hardwoods. Furniture is made from ash, oak and elm whilst spoons are carved from fruitwood and sycamore.

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I run spoon carving courses regularly throughout the year. Most courses are suitable for beginners, check course details before booking.
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  • home
  • blog
  • knives
  • courses
    • course reviews
    • book a course
  • spoons
    • spoons for sale
    • scoops for sale
  • chairs
    • welsh stick chairs
    • post and rung chairs
    • garden benches
  • contact