In this conversation, we dive into the world of spoon carving with skilled craftsman, Éamonn O’Sullivan from Hewn, who traded in a career as an ecologist for a life of crafting wooden spoons by hand. From a love of nature to a fascination with traditional crafts, he shares his journey from curiosity to mastering the art of spoon carving, the Michelin star restaurants where some of his handcrafted spoons have ended up, the elements of good spoon design as well as the inspiration behind his work.

Hi Éamonn, tell us a bit about yourself, what’s your background?

I’m from Mayo originally, now living in Clare. I love plants and the outdoors. I worked as a consultant ecologist for several years before giving that up to focus on spoon carving. I felt that physically making things suited me better. I was always interested in traditional crafts. I think that being able to make useful things is hugely empowering. It makes me feel like a useful human being! I have some skills in basketry, chairmaking, etc. but I gravitated towards spoons most strongly. I have objects that I love and get joy from using. To make the thing that inspires that feeling in someone else is my greatest wish.

What initially drew you to spoon carving, and how did you begin your journey in green woodworking?

Initially, I was simply curious about how the hollow part of the spoon bowl is carved. I quickly became fascinated by spoons. Spoons are one of the oldest and most fundamental tools, used by our earliest ancestors. The fork, on the other hand, only became commonplace in the American colonies by the mid 19th century! How is it that eating from a wooden spoon is so alien to most people now when in the relatively recent past, it was so common? It’s especially curious when you begin to realise that eating from a truly well-made wooden spoon is a joy! Quiet, warm, light, ergonomic, characterful. Everything that commercial stainless steel flatware often isn’t! A spoon is a relatively complex, three-dimensional shape to make yet it couldn’t be any simpler. It’s highly functional.

I got started simply by indulging my curiosity. After University and between consultancy contracts, I took a couple of months off. During that time, I tried many traditional crafts that I had an interest in. I bought books, watched videos, read blogs. I bought vintage tools. I was excited to learn. For the next few years, I continued to work, while also continuing to learn about spoon carving. Eventually, I completely transitioned away from the ecology work.

“A complete beginner can make a useful spoon on their first go but to make a really excellent spoon takes many years of practice. So many little things need to be right for a spoon to be truly good. And it’s surely one of the most intimate tools you can use. It’s the first tool you use as a baby. It’s used to feed you. It literally goes inside your body!”

— Éamonn O’Sullivan

Can you explain what green woodworking is and how it differs from other forms of woodworking?

To explain it simply, green woodworking is a craft in which 'green' or unseasoned wood is worked into finished items using hand tools. This explanation however, may give you the impression that the only difference between conventional woodworking and green woodworking is that the wood is unseasoned. In reality, it involves a whole range of tools and principles that have virtually been eliminated from modern woodworking by the ubiquitousness and affordability of dimensioned and kiln-dried timber. Rather than being an obsolete or primitive form of work, to be recorded for posterity only, I would argue that the old techniques of processing trees manually, by riving and hewing them while 'green', pay much greater attention to the nature of the wood, allowing it to be worked with less effort and actually preserving its inherent strength and flexibility in the finished product. You can read more about it at https://www.hewn.ie/blog-content/2014/10/29/what-is-green-woodworking

Where have your Hewn spoons ended up? Can you share a few places we could go and eat with them?

I have sent spoons all over the world, which tickles me. I have a spoon in the great wooden spoon collection of Norman Stevens, author of ‘A Gathering of Spoons’. My spoons are used in several restaurants on a daily basis, including Aniar, Ichigo Ichie, Aimsir and Terre, all of which have Michelin stars.

What do you think are the essential elements of good spoon design?

I think it can be boiled down to material, strength, shape and finish.

Material: Knowing the specific qualities of different tree species must affect your choice of utensil shape and function. For instance, a strong dense wood lends itself to a design that could be weak in a different species.

Strength: It’s important that the things I make are robust and long-lasting. I have to understand the balance between strength and making the spoon light and elegant. Involved in this is the effort to select the right piece of wood and to orientate the spoon correctly within it in order to keeping the fibres as long as possible.

Shape: Ergonomics. The spoon has to feel right in the hand and in the mouth. Crank angle, handle shape, bowl size, bowl depth are all among the parameters that affect this.

Finish: If the spoon is to feel right in the mouth and to stand up to daily washing, it must be finished well. I prefer an ‘off-the-knife’ finish. In other words, my spoons are unsanded.

Can you talk about the different types of spoons (e.g., eating spoons, cooking spoons) and how their designs vary?

I think this is fairly self-explanatory but the key is to use spoons to cook and eat etc. and thereby try to understand what makes a tool good for its purpose. Carving your own utensils allows you to choose for yourself what makes a good cooking spoon, for instance.

What inspires your designs? Do you draw from traditional patterns or experiment with new forms?

I certainly love to see historical examples of wooden spoons and while they may inform and inspire me, my spoons are certainly not historical reenactment. There is endless possibility within the seemingly strict design boundaries of a wooden spoon. My spoons reflect my own aesthetic and I try to be creative with my designs too.

In what ways do you think spoon carving and green woodworking contribute to a slower, more mindful way of living?

A wooden spoon is a window into a less commercial, less materialistic time. It’s a symbol of anti-materialism even. Children often have a tendency to become attached to a single spoon or bowl or blanket and I think that’s a nice thing. Having one beautifully made, characterful, imperfect, soulful object that you love to use every day and gains a patina over time, is a beautiful thing. It’s the antithesis and the antidote to materialism.

What do you think the future holds for spoon carving and green woodworking as a craft?

I see incredible examples of people pushing boundaries within the craft every day on Instagram and long may it continue. Green woodworking is a part of a movement that has been dubbed the ‘new wood culture’. It’s a renaissance of an appreciation and respect for trees and their importance to, not only the environment, but to human culture. To not only plant and protect trees, but to manage and use them in a thoughtful way is an important concept to re-establish. The fact that modern fine dining and the Michelin guide recognises the value of experiencing hand carved spoons and other crafts is encouraging and I hope it’s not just a trend.

Weekend Course

Spoon Carving with Hewn Spoons

31st August & 1st September

The aim is to give you the knowledge to be able to go and carve spoons safely at home. And, of course, to have a fun weekend with a bunch of like-minded people! Doing the course over two days will allow us to cover the material in a more relaxed way and to perhaps go into more detail in certain areas. All the raw materials and tools are provided and you will go home with a butter knife and a cooking spoon.

What can folks expect to come away with after the 2 day workshop with you?

Participants will leave with the basic knife and axe-work skills needed to make a spoon from a tree, from scratch. I hope they’ll also have a deeper understanding and respect for trees and woodcraft as a whole.

How much experience with axes and knives do students need to come to one of your courses?

No experience is necessary.

Info and Booking

Crafting Connection: The Joy and Skill of Spoon Making