After I whittled that knife a couple of weeks ago, I tried to make a small decorative spoon. I made two mistakes on that project: 1) I selected the wrong kind of wood and; 2) I used the wrong knife. I took a branch that I’d cut from the pear tree a few months ago and started whittling on it. I noticed immediately that the pear wood is much harder than the juniper I’d whittled the knife from. I found out later that it’s about four times as hard. No wonder I had trouble with it.

The knife I selected is a cheap pocket knife (I was going to say “utility knife,” but that describes a particular kind of knife) that I’d been carrying around for a few months. Like the Buck 112 “hunting” knife I used previously, this one is just too large for detail work. It works fine for day-to-day box opening and such. As a carving tool it leaves a lot to be desired, in large part because the handle is so thin.

Anyway, here’s a picture of the spoon and the knife. By the time I got the basic shape of the thing roughed out, I was so frustrated that I just wanted to call it done.

I’m not particularly proud of the way the spoon turned out, but I certainly learned a lot making it. The pear is a beautiful wood, but I don’t yet have the skill to work with it. I’ve put a few branches up in the rafters of the garage while I work on my technique.

I picked up a small-ish Buck pocket knife and visited the local WoodCraft store to pick up a carving glove, a thumb protector (the spoon cost me two cuts), and a small box of basswood blocks. Then I searched online for a simple project and came across instructions to carve a pinecone tree ornament. It’s a great beginner’s project. I’m sure it took me an absurdly long time to complete the project (I spread it out over about 10 days). I obviously have a lot to learn, but I’m pretty happy with the result:

I had planned to paint them and add some “snow” at the top, but Debra says she’d like to keep them raw. Who am I to argue?