Spon: A Guide to Spoon Carving and the New Wood Culture

The definitive, practical guide to spoon carving, with 16 designs to create. This is a beautifully illustrated journey through spoon traditions and folklore, from the woods to the workshop and back to the reader''s kitchen, by master craftsman Barn The Spoon.

''No one in Britain knows more about crafting a spoon from greenwood than Barn The Spoon.'' -- Guardian
''London''s most famous and charismatic spoon whittler ... King of the whittlers.'' -- Sunday Telegraph
''A well written and informative book, with good photography'' -- ***** Reader review
''Barn''s passion and exuberance shines through in his book, written with care and love'' -- ***** Reader review
''This book is gorgeous and every home should have a copy'' -- ***** Reader review
''Easy to follow and truly inspiring'' -- ***** Reader review

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Barn The Spoon is a rare master craftsman in the art of spoon carving. In this book he generously shares his extraordinary skill, gentle philosophy and his life''s work - designing and carving beautiful spoons that are both a joy to use and hold.

The simple, ordinary spoon is part of our everyday lives, intimately entwined with the acts of eating and socialising, from stirring our first cup of coffee to scraping the last bit of pudding from the bowl.

Barn''s spoons will take you on a journey into the new wood culture, from understanding the relationship between wood, the raw material and its majestic origins in our trees and woodland, to the workshop and the axe block, and into your own kitchen.

Showing you how to use the axe and knife, from how they should feel in your hand to honing the perfect edge when carving your own spoons, the book features sixteen unique designs in the four main categories of spoon - eating, serving, cooking and measuring spoons, Barn takes you through the nuances of their making, how each design is informed by its function at the table or in the kitchen, and the key skills you will learn - such as creating octagonal handles, manipulating grain patterns and mastering bent branches.

With a chapter on the tools and basic techniques, four more chapters on different styles of spoons, and beautiful photography, there''s plenty to keep the beginner or professional busy.