Last weekend I finished a wood shelter made from cheap wooden pallets from a neighbour, they were going to be burnt (they aren't made like the once were so lose their value on delivery), and some corrugated tin for the roof. This meant that I could return to that old abandoned orchard I found and collect the wood I pruned a few weeks ago, as I now had a place to put it back home.
Naturally I was quite excited to have new wood around, so I got straight to work on some new Apple wood carvings: an extra large serving spoon and a ladle. I'm afraid I forgot to document the progress on the ladle and didn't do too well with the spoon either, but here are some pictures to illustrate:
1. The billet is cut from a branch that was rubbing against another, so it made for a nice bowl shape to start me off. First job was removing the dead wood:  3. Work has begun on shaping the shoulders:  5. This is all I'll do with the axe, it's getting dark here:  7. Back view showing the gloriously textured sapwood:  9. Last one, showing the back of the spoon with some refinements and preservation of the continuous sapwood:  | 2. Lovely contrast between the heart- and sapwood:  4. The back of the billet:  6. Side view:  8. Mono-source incandescent light isn't great to carve by, but it won't be finished this weekend as it's green. I've just started work on the bowl:  |
The ladle. Ready for more hollowing and refinements to the handle and bowl:
Thanks for reading.