Three tools is all you need to carve spoons. This is a solid set of tools to get you started. For most people, these will be all you ever need.

The Axe

These Bahco axes are well balanced, are made of very good steel and have a great bit shape for carving. They are not ground well from the factory so I have modified them to be excellent carving axes by regrinding and sharpening them. Your axe will come razor sharp. It may have some scratches and scuffs in the paint from the regrinding process.

Head weight - 600gm (1.32lb)
Handle Length - 360mm

The Slojd Knife

The Morakniv 106 is something of a tour de force in the green woodworking world. It is a brilliant knife at an unbeatable price, perfect for spoon carving. I have many and still use them everyday to carve spoons.

It has an 80mm long slojd blade with a scandi grind. It comes honed and ready for use. The high carbon blade will rust easily so keep it somewhere dry when storing. It comes oiled to avoid surface rust before it gets to you. You will be sent the classic version of the knife, with the laminated steel. If, for some reason, I don’t have stock of that version, I will send the newer ‘106 Carbon’, which is just as good and a little more expensive.

The knife comes with a plastic sheath as standard. It’s fine and does what it’s supposed to do but it is a little tacky and the blade doesn’t lock in very well so some people don’t like it. If you’d like an upgrade, you can choose to add a very nice, Finnish-made leather sheath for an extra €20.

The Spoon Knife

The Morakniv 164 is a good spoon knife. It has recently undergone some design improvements. This is the new, improved version in stainless steel. It comes sharp and ready to use. The cheapest option comes without a sheath. You can choose to add a nice leather sheath for an extra €15 if you wish.

Choose whether you want the left- or right-handed version. I would recommend starting with the version that corresponds to your dominant hand. It can be useful to own both versions, using one to cut towards yourself and the other to push away. For most of my spoon carving, I use a right-handed knife only but I do use a lefty for certain designs, such as my coffee scoop, for instance. Start with one and you can always add the opposite grip to your collection later if you feel it will help.

This is not the best spoon knife out there but it’s readily available and a good price relative to some of the better options from small blacksmiths. It’s more than good enough to get you carving but you may consider upgrading this tool later when your carving skill improves.