Lovespoons
Llwyau Caru
Llew Tudur
How to Make a Lovespoon
Select a piece of wood
There is no rule when it comes to which wood to use when making a lovespoon. There are many options, such as, hazel, sycamore, ash, cherry, and walnut. Lime wood is recommended. Reason for this is, it’s not as dense as other timbers, the grain is close together, the grain tends to be very straight, and you don’t come across many knots.
Transfer your design to the timber
You could do this by drawing on paper, then attaching to the wood. It's also possible to use a template, or even do it free hand.
Cutting out the lovespoon
In order to do this, you will use a coping saw, it gives you the flexibility and detailed, fine cuts. These days it is also possible to use a scroll saw, (machine)
Marking the cuts
Using a pencil, mark out where the cuts will be. It is also a good idea to shade the areas where timber will be taken off.
Stop-cuts
Along the pencil lines, where the cuts will be, use a knife to draw a line/cut to create a stop-cut. This will cause the chippings to fall off instantly and easily when you carve up to it. Use this technique to cut to your intended depth. This makes it a much tidier and accurate.
Start at the bowl
It’s important to carve/make the bowl of the lovespoon first. This is the part where it will be the most labor intensive. You will be using a chisel to carve out the inside of the bowl, so you will need to hold it steady. You could do that either in your hands, or by holding it in a clamp.
Carving the inside of the bowl
Here you will use a gouge chisel. With the chisel carve from the side to the middle, Do this from all directions, equally. In time you will create the bowl.
Carving the back of the bowl
Using a knife, carve the back into a round shape. Use the front as a guide. By pinching the bowl it’s possible to determine the thickness of your bowl.
Holding the spoon by the handle, carve the knife away from you, rounding it in to a D shape, then, carve the front in the same profile. This will take a few cuts.
Turn the spoon around, so you are holding the bowl, the handle facing away from you. Round the back of the bowl until it runs smooth into the neck of the spoon
Finishing the bowl
You have the option to make the bowl smooth, using sandpaper, at this point, rather than at the end. This is a matter of preference.
Handle of the lovespoon (Carving the symbols)
The design you’re working on at the moment is a perfect example of a basic lovespoon. However, the meaning behind it is still as meaningful as any other. The horse shoe representing luck, and the heart representing love.
Lovespoons can be as elaborate as you like, it all depends on the message you’re trying to convey.
Roughly 3-4mm needs to be removed from back of the spoon's neck. Mark out the area and shade it, so you know exactly what your getting rid of.
With the knife, carve the shaded area. Work from the bowl to the horseshoe. Due to the stop-cuts you have made, when the knife reaches the horseshoe the wood chippings should fall off easily. This process will need to be repeated until it reaches the required depth.
Turn the spoon over to see the front, where shaded areas are marked for cutting down to your required depth. Carve these shaded areas, up to their stop-cuts. You will now see clearly where the bowl, neck, horseshoe and heart are situated.
Rounding edges
Run the knife along all square edges of the lovespoon to make them round. The more you do this the rounder it gets. Repeat this process until you reach your desired profile.
Finishing
There are several different options how to finish your lovespoon.
One popular way is, using sandpaper. Starting with a course grit and moving to the finer ones. Usually, I start with 150grit, then 250grit, then to finish 400grit.
Having done this. You are now able to apply either oil or stain. A good option is oil (Danish oil). 2-3 coats, sanding with fine sandpaper between coats) will give it a matted texture. The more coats you put on, the glossier/shinier it gets.
Having applied the oil, the final step is applying wax. This can be beeswax from a tin or a spray. It’s advised to use a spray, as it gets to all parts of the lovespoon.