I was looking at my scrap bin the other day and decided that it was past due for a clean out. I remembered seeing a set of Salad Spoons our daughter and her husband received for Christmas.
First up was a plan and some templates;
Next up is cut up some blanks, looks like I need a minimum of 1"T x 4"W X 7"L , sort of or at least close
The only measurement that is important is it helps to have all the widths consistent, You will see the reason for this later.
This is about 2/3 of the blanks, there is likely 6-8 different types of wood here.
Now to mark out the pattern; *Important*, make sure the blank extends a min. of 1/2" past the end of the handle. The one in the pic is a little short!!
Next was to drill the 3/8th end holes for the one spoon that is actually going to be a fork...., the other isn't a spoon either, more like a spatula. So why did I call them spoons, go figure.....
The fence and register block are set up to drill the two outside holes, just drill one and flip over for the second, then reset the fence to drill the centre hole
Now to the BS, set the fence to make the first cut on the outside finger, flip and cut the other side, reset fence and make the third and forth cut, reset the fence to make the fifth cut for the centre finger, flip and make the sixth cut.
The next step is sort of optional, if you have a spindle sander you may want to wait until later to clean up the fork fingers.
Chuck a 3/8 straight or spiral bit in the RT, set the fence to clean up the outside fork, flip and do the other side, reset fence and do the centre.
Fire up the BS, I used a 1/4" Skip tooth.
*Important* set the blank flat and cut both sides of the handle first but do not cut it all the way stop about 1/2 - 3/4" from the end
Now turn on edge and cut away the waste.
You are left with the following blank, now you can finish the handle cut and remove the rest of the waste.
Time to sand and Sand and SAND. There are a few options here, I found that I liked to use the fixed belt sander and the spindle sander to clean up the fingers and some detail work ( I always wondered what that 3/8th spindle was going to be used for). You could also turn a portable bench sander upside down and clamp it in a vise. Get creative!
The final shaping of these is really quite enjoyable.
I have about 10 pair done and another 20 pair to go, this should fill up my wife's gift cabinet for awhile. They will be finished with cutting board oil, mineral oil.
Check "Spoons II" for the completion.
Have fun
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