Join Anna for an advanced hands-on green wood spoon carving workshop in Nelson, BC, hosted by Bothy.Studio. This course is designed for people who already have some spoon carving experience and want to deepen their understanding of form, function, tool control, and finishing.
Rather than focusing only on completing a first spoon, this workshop will help you refine your carving practice. We’ll look closely at what makes a spoon feel balanced, elegant, strong, and useful — from the way a branch becomes a billet, to the crank of the handle, the depth of the bowl, the flow of the grain, and the final knife-finished surface.
A wooden spoon may be a simple kitchen object, but carving a really good one is a subtle design challenge. This workshop is for carvers who want to move beyond the basics and develop more confidence, fluency, and intention in their work.
What You’ll Learn
Reading Wood More Carefully
We’ll begin with a deeper look at wood selection for spoon carving, including how to read grain, growth rings, tension, knots, bends, branch unions, and natural curves. Anna will discuss how to choose wood for strength, beauty, and function, and how to make better decisions when splitting and laying out a spoon blank.
You’ll learn how to work with the material rather than forcing a shape onto it.
Billet Preparation and Spoon Layout
We’ll cover more advanced approaches to splitting, hewing, and preparing spoon blanks. This includes thinking about crank, bowl orientation, handle angle, grain flow, and how early layout decisions affect the finished spoon.
The goal is to help you make more deliberate choices before you start carving, so the final spoon feels coherent from the first axe cuts through to the final finish.
Axe Work, Knife Work and Tool Control
This workshop will focus on improving efficiency, control, and confidence with traditional spoon carving tools. We’ll revisit axe technique, straight knife grips, hollowing with a crook knife, and safe body positioning, with an emphasis on precision and repeatability.
You are welcome to bring your own tools. Workshop tools will also be available.
We’ll look at how to remove material cleanly, avoid common mistakes, refine transitions, and use sharp tools to create a finished surface rather than relying heavily on sanding.
Design, Ergonomics and Function
A good spoon needs to feel right in the hand, work well in the mouth, and hold up to daily use. We’ll examine proportion, balance, bowl shape, rim thickness, handle profile, strength, crank, weight, and tactile comfort.
Anna will guide you through ways to make spoons that are lighter, more refined, and more intentional — without becoming fragile or overworked.
Finishing
We’ll cover refined finishing techniques, including drying, final knife cuts, surface preparation, food-safe oils.
Who This Workshop Is For
This advanced Nelson BC spoon carving workshop is intended for people who have carved at least a few spoons before, or who have equivalent experience using axes, knives, and hand tools. It is ideal for returning students, green woodworkers, woodworkers, artists, cooks, and craft-focused makers who want to build skill and confidence.
This is not a beginner workshop. You should already be comfortable working around sharp tools and have some familiarity with basic spoon carving cuts.
You’ll leave with a more refined spoon, a stronger understanding of green woodworking, and practical techniques to continue developing your carving practice at home.
Questions? Contact us at hello@bothy.studio
Please ensure you can commit to attending the class at the time of purchase.
Join Anna for an advanced hands-on green wood spoon carving workshop in Nelson, BC, hosted by Bothy.Studio. This course is designed for people who already have some spoon carving experience and want to deepen their understanding of form, function, tool control, and finishing.
Rather than focusing only on completing a first spoon, this workshop will help you refine your carving practice. We’ll look closely at what makes a spoon feel balanced, elegant, strong, and useful — from the way a branch becomes a billet, to the crank of the handle, the depth of the bowl, the flow of the grain, and the final knife-finished surface.
A wooden spoon may be a simple kitchen object, but carving a really good one is a subtle design challenge. This workshop is for carvers who want to move beyond the basics and develop more confidence, fluency, and intention in their work.
What You’ll Learn
Reading Wood More Carefully
We’ll begin with a deeper look at wood selection for spoon carving, including how to read grain, growth rings, tension, knots, bends, branch unions, and natural curves. Anna will discuss how to choose wood for strength, beauty, and function, and how to make better decisions when splitting and laying out a spoon blank.
You’ll learn how to work with the material rather than forcing a shape onto it.
Billet Preparation and Spoon Layout
We’ll cover more advanced approaches to splitting, hewing, and preparing spoon blanks. This includes thinking about crank, bowl orientation, handle angle, grain flow, and how early layout decisions affect the finished spoon.
The goal is to help you make more deliberate choices before you start carving, so the final spoon feels coherent from the first axe cuts through to the final finish.
Axe Work, Knife Work and Tool Control
This workshop will focus on improving efficiency, control, and confidence with traditional spoon carving tools. We’ll revisit axe technique, straight knife grips, hollowing with a crook knife, and safe body positioning, with an emphasis on precision and repeatability.
You are welcome to bring your own tools. Workshop tools will also be available.
We’ll look at how to remove material cleanly, avoid common mistakes, refine transitions, and use sharp tools to create a finished surface rather than relying heavily on sanding.
Design, Ergonomics and Function
A good spoon needs to feel right in the hand, work well in the mouth, and hold up to daily use. We’ll examine proportion, balance, bowl shape, rim thickness, handle profile, strength, crank, weight, and tactile comfort.
Anna will guide you through ways to make spoons that are lighter, more refined, and more intentional — without becoming fragile or overworked.
Finishing
We’ll cover refined finishing techniques, including drying, final knife cuts, surface preparation, food-safe oils.
Who This Workshop Is For
This advanced Nelson BC spoon carving workshop is intended for people who have carved at least a few spoons before, or who have equivalent experience using axes, knives, and hand tools. It is ideal for returning students, green woodworkers, woodworkers, artists, cooks, and craft-focused makers who want to build skill and confidence.
This is not a beginner workshop. You should already be comfortable working around sharp tools and have some familiarity with basic spoon carving cuts.
You’ll leave with a more refined spoon, a stronger understanding of green woodworking, and practical techniques to continue developing your carving practice at home.
Questions? Contact us at hello@bothy.studio
Please ensure you can commit to attending the class at the time of purchase.
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