The Forestry Forum

Charlie was messing around in his shop this afternoon and made some sugar scoops.  He sent me a picture and I thought they were so neat that I wanted to share them.

Well, wasn't that sweet of him? :D

Yeah, Charlie's a sweet kid.... ;D

Actually, he's not too bad for a "LITTLE" brother.

Neat work, well done.

way to go Charlie, only about 400 more to go and we can each have one!

Jeff now that is a real sweet idea...

  How do i win one?

Holeeeee Cow Tom....Look what you've gone and done. You're still trying to get back at me for all the trouble I got you into when we were growing up (instead of out). ;D

Jeff....if I turned 400 of those things I'd either get good at it or go nuts in the process.

Woodman......I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll make a scoop sometime in the near future and send it to Jeff. Then he can have a contest to give it away.  Then whoever wins it can pay Jeff not to send it to them. :D

By the way....they aren't very big. Only about 2 3/4" long. They are to keep inside the sugar bowl.

Very nice. How long does it take to make one and what type wood ? Varnished ? Stained ?

Very cool!  (And sweet) 8)

Charlie,

Those are really cute! Is it any harder or easier to make tiny things - as opposed to larger ones?

How long does it take to make one?

Hey Charlie,  let us know the specifics of making them.   I will try to make some today.  How did you make the curve in the top side of the scoop?  Those would make very "sweet gifts" just for giving to a "sweetie".  ;) Thanks for sharing your little brother's talents, Tom. 8)

OK......here's the specifics.

These sugar scoops were made from some scrap Black Cherry. But any close grained hardwood would work. I stay away from walnut because it is slightly toxic and I stay away from oak cause it is open grained.  I finish stuff that is used for food with mineral oil and bee's wax (varnish might flake into food and stain might leave a ichy taste in the food). I didn't time how long it took me for each one but I would guess 30 minutes from start to finish. a good woodturner might be able to do it faster.

MAKING A SCOOP
1) Mount wood between centers, turn to a cylinder and put a tenon on one end.
2) Remount the cylinder into a chuck. The chuck's jaw grips the tenon. Use the tail center to make sure the wood is true in the chuck, then tighten the jaws of the chuck and move the tail center out of the way.
3) Hollow out the end of the cylinder. Because this is endgrain turning, I find scrapers to work the best. Clean up the cuts and then sand until smooth.
4) Measure depth of the cup you just turned and mark that on the top of the cylinder plus about 1/4".
5) True up the cylinder and then shape the outside back of the scoop rounded starting at the mark.  Add a bead and form the handle. I use a skew and a small gouge for this work.
6) Sand the outside of the scoop and the handle real smooth. Be careful not to round over the nice sharp edges.
7) Apply a coat of Mineral Oil (buy it at the drugstore) and then apply Bee's Wax over that.
8 ) Part off the end of the handle sort of rounded , sand it smooth and finish it with Mineral Oil and Bee's Wax.  I use the skew to part it off, but you could also use a small gouge.
9) To make the scoop, I use a Spindle Sander (Drum Sander). I lightly mark the cup with a pencil for the shape of the scoop and then hold the cup against the Spindle Sander to grind away the unwanted wood. Now you have a scoop. Sand the fresh edges smooth and round them off a bit. Finish the raw wood with more mineral oil and Bee's Wax.

Note: Some people cut the scoop out of the cup using a bandsaw or scrollsaw. I didn't have good luck using that method because the bandsaw splintered the wood sometimes and I found it more difficult to keep both edges of the scoop even. I have better luck with the Spindle Sander. I imagine that if I made a large scoop, then I'd use the bandsaw.

Have fun. If any of you try this, be sure to put some pictures on the Forum. I'd like to see them.        

I came in early for lunch today just to see if you had posted.  I had to wait about an  hour and sure enough, good ol' Charlie show and does his thing.  I sure appreciate you taking the time to share your skills.   :P

  Ok Charlie i will try hacking one out to see if i can do it.

Rav, I forgot to answer one of your questions. I don't think it is anymore difficult to turn something small as large. But, some of the real large bowls might be quite a bit harder 'cause you would be dealing with weight and revolution. On many things it takes about as long to turn something small as the same thing but bigger.

Frank and Woodman.......if you have any questions about something not going right...holler......

Thanks for the answer, Charlie!

Charlie I do believe you have found your nitche. Selling sugar scoops, you could not only make the small ones but larger ones as well. What a sweet market that would be.

Heck once you got rolling you could even sell a few flour scoops as well.

Some pretty work Charlie your older brother has taught you well. ;)
Gordon

I didn't teach him that, Gordon.  He did that himself.  You should see some of the furniture he's built.

Can we  see some of the furniture, Charlie? Can we, can we, please! 8) 8) 8)

Well Tom got to give credit where credit is due. My fault :-[

But now since Charlie is able to post photos I would also like  to see a few more of his creations.

Gordon