17. Hand-Carved Scandinavian Spurtles and Wooden Cooking Utensils

Carving your own kitchen spoons, spurtles, and spatulas turns simple offcuts into functional, heirloom-quality culinary tools.

  • Materials: Hardwood blanks (hard maple, cherry, beech, or walnut—never softwoods like pine), organic cold-pressed flaxseed oil or food-grade mineral oil.
  • Tools: Coping saw or bandsaw, straight carving sloyd knife, spoon gouge, sandpaper (100 to 400 grit).
  • How to Make It:
    1. Trace an ergonomic utensil profile onto the wood blank.
    2. Cut the rough silhouette using a coping saw.
    3. Carve the handle contours and taper the edges using a sloyd knife, always carving away from your body with controlled thumb-push motions.
    4. Hollow out any shallow curves using a curved hook knife or gouge.
    5. “Raise the grain” by wiping the carved wood with water, letting it dry, sanding off the raised fibers with 400-grit paper, and soaking the utensil in warm mineral oil.
  • Tips & Variations: Burn small geometric line art into the top of the handle using pyrography (woodburning) for personalized, custom detailing.