We've had quite a bit of yellow cedar washing up on our shores this winter. Someone told me the yellow cedar trees in Southeast Alaska are afflicted with a disease that is killing them. If so, that is a sad reason for our bounty. But the driftwood that I have been gathering is being put to use. I have spoon carving fever, and the yellow cedar is wonderful for spoons!
I use a variety of wood for spoons, including alder, red and yellow cedar, spruce and fir. The alder and spruce I've used were green wood - much easier to carve that way. The others have all been harvested as driftwood. My favorite is yellow cedar. Several long giant 'splinters' of yellow cedar I have found have been butter smooth to work. The aroma is very different that red cedar: pungent, citrusy. It fades after time, which is good for cooking utensils. I love making long-handled pot-stirrers. I did make a huge water scoop for banya out of red cedar. That was fun - but it was the hardest piece of red cedar I have ever worked! It must have come from a root.
Next on my plate is carving some bowls and serving platters. As soon as the money comes from my client for my most recent commission work, I am ordering a lipped adze from Kestrel Tools - it will be a great companion to my baby gutter adze!
I use a variety of wood for spoons, including alder, red and yellow cedar, spruce and fir. The alder and spruce I've used were green wood - much easier to carve that way. The others have all been harvested as driftwood. My favorite is yellow cedar. Several long giant 'splinters' of yellow cedar I have found have been butter smooth to work. The aroma is very different that red cedar: pungent, citrusy. It fades after time, which is good for cooking utensils. I love making long-handled pot-stirrers. I did make a huge water scoop for banya out of red cedar. That was fun - but it was the hardest piece of red cedar I have ever worked! It must have come from a root.
Next on my plate is carving some bowls and serving platters. As soon as the money comes from my client for my most recent commission work, I am ordering a lipped adze from Kestrel Tools - it will be a great companion to my baby gutter adze!
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