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Spoon blank

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Spoon blank

Postby AJB Temple » 07 Jun 2021, 08:12

Just seen on the bay a carving spoon blank.

£6.60 for a 23cm long thin bit of "Scottish" oak. Plus post £3.30. It's a short stick basically. No carving or pattern or anything.

I put stuff like this in the log burner. Clearly I shall have to re-evaluate.
Last edited by AJB Temple on 07 Jun 2021, 09:05, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Spoon blank

Postby MattS » 07 Jun 2021, 08:42

It's a stupid price for a peice of wood if you have access to trees. For those in towns it's difficult to legally get green wood for spoon carving and it's a growing hobby. Haven't had much time for it recently but when I was doing more tried contacting a couple of tree surgeons without response. Most of the wood I've ever used is branches broken after storms, mainly on council land but the odd one from a footpath.

Got a nice bit of copper beech after the recent storm!
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Re: Spoon blank

Postby Cabinetman » 07 Jun 2021, 08:56

Yes it seems crazy to people like us, I like the way it’s called Scottish Oak ha ha,
Now I have several offcuts from some large oak boards that I have been trying to think of a use for they are about 12 in square and two and a half inches thick, mostly quartersawn, I was thinking of using one for a base for a floorstanding lamp as it’s going to need something heavy, I really don’t want to burn them though. Ian
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Re: Spoon blank

Postby Woodbloke » 07 Jun 2021, 12:13

AJB Temple wrote:Just seen on the bay a carving spoon blank.

£6.60 for a 23cm long thin bit of "Scottish" oak. Plus post £3.30. It's a short stick basically. No carving or pattern or anything.

I put stuff like this in the log burner. Clearly I shall have to re-evaluate.


It was clearly designed to be made into a ‘spurtle’ for stirring yer proper Scots porridge oats. How could you possibly not use anything else to make the ‘real deal’? :lol:

I hope you personally collected it in the rag top Bentley and thrice wrapped it in some ancient tartan for the journey home :lol: :lol: - Rob
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Re: Spoon blank

Postby AJB Temple » 07 Jun 2021, 22:48

It gets worse. Wife's birthday today and we had lunch in Old Marsh near Rye. Early, so went in the artisan shops near the inland Quay at Rye. All selling much the same fake antiquary. One shop had a selection of "artisan door stops". These were what I have an abundance of: off cuts of 6" square oak framing timber, given a coat of varnish and with a metal loop screwed on. £55.

One shop had 6 oak brackets - about 18" drop back plate, 10" projection and a brace. Quite nicely made, glued and pegged. I asked how much they were. The lady said £85. "For the six" I asked. She replied, "no, £85 each, the owner's son is a skilled artisan". I actually laughed out loud.

They had some "industrial metal stools". I asked if they were repro or genuine industrial reclaimed. In my mind they were far too similar. She claimed they were genuine, having consulted the same label as me. Skeptical look from me and she said "the metal is definitely old, but may have been reshaped into stools". Good line :D

The prices are fair enough really. It all takes time, but my parents generation would never have considered paying good money for stuff like this we can do ourselves.
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Re: Spoon blank

Postby Trevanion » 07 Jun 2021, 23:38

I think hobbyist woodworkers would be absolutely disgusted by the sections of and sheer volume of timber that gets cut up and burned in professional workshops, particularly joiners. There's no real point in keeping smaller sections that can't be used as they take up precious space when they accumulate, it's not worth the time listing each one individually to try and make a penny on it as there's better stuff to be getting on with especially when everyone's screaming for their work to be done pronto.

If you're looking for smaller (or rather, relatively large, but unusable for most joinery) pieces of timber, it's worth popping into your local joiner who'll usually have a tonne bag full or two that you can take a few pieces off the top, most will be friendly provided you don't take up too much time :lol:
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Re: Spoon blank

Postby MattS » 08 Jun 2021, 16:52

Trevanion wrote:I think hobbyist woodworkers would be absolutely disgusted by the sections of and sheer volume of timber that gets cut up and burned in professional workshops, particularly joiners. There's no real point in keeping smaller sections that can't be used as they take up precious space when they accumulate, it's not worth the time listing each one individually to try and make a penny on it as there's better stuff to be getting on with especially when everyone's screaming for their work to be done pronto.

If you're looking for smaller (or rather, relatively large, but unusable for most joinery) pieces of timber, it's worth popping into your local joiner who'll usually have a tonne bag full or two that you can take a few pieces off the top, most will be friendly provided you don't take up too much time :lol:


Anyone who watches 10minuteworkshop on Youtube may have seen this shop, set up to sell rejected timber from a joinery shop to the public. I've not visited but the volume is amazing given it's all basically rubbish to them!

https://www.hardwoodoffcuts.co.uk/
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