3/8

Wooden Spoon

This project starts the same way as the wooden fork, by cutting a 10-inch long, two-inch diameter straight aspen branch with a handsaw. My spoon is rough-looking since I only had a small pocket knife to carve it. You’ll get neater results with a 1/2-inch wide curved carving gouge, i.e. a chisel with a curved blade.

With a pocket knife, whittle most of the branch down to 3/4-inch in diameter, rounding the end to form a handle. Leave the top two inches of the branch full width. Round the corners of the remaining section and flatten the top by carefully carving it with your knife. Then place the spoon in a benchtop vice or clamp it to a solid surface.

With your carving gouge, carefully round out the middle of the spoon until it forms a shallow bowl.

4/8

Duck Decoy

This project is straightforward but takes some patience. Stick with it, though, and the results can be rewarding.

Basswood is the best choice for carving duck decoys. You’ll need a small pocket knife or carving knife, plus a set of carving gouges of various widths. You’ll also save a lot of time if you use a scroll saw, although it’s not essential. A small, fine-toothed Japanese-style handsaw will work, too.

Begin with two rectangular blocks of basswood. One should be about 12 inches long, eight inches wide and 10 inches tall. This will be the duck’s body. The other block should be about five inches long, three inches wide and three inches tall. This will be the head.

Join the blocks together with waterproof wood glue, centering the small block on one end of the large block and overhanging it by about three inches. When the glue dries, draw the rough shape of your duck on all sides of each block, then take your scroll or handsaw and rough cut out the shape. Refine the rough shape down with your carving knife and gouges until the duck emerges. Paint the finished duck if you like.

5/8

Toy Sword

This project is extremely simple, requiring a pocket knife, wood glue, aluminum tape and electrical tape. For wood, you’ll need a 2-1/2-inch wide, 28-inch long, 5/16-inch thick cherry or black walnut strip, and a five-inch length of 1/2-inch diameter maple dowel.

Begin by carving one end of the cherry strip into a rounded point. (Keep things safe for your child by making sure it’s not actually sharp or too pointed.) Then carve the other end into a handle, round on the sides and about 1 3/4-inches wide. You can make it fancier by carving a circle into the bottom end. Then take your five-inch dowel and carve the ends until they’re nicely rounded.

Bond the dowel to the blade with the wood glue about seven inches from the bottom to form the hilt. Then wrap the handle and hilt generously in electrical tape to protect your child from splinters. Finish off by coating the blade in aluminum tape to imitate a real sword.