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This spoon was fashioned for my granddaughter from an apricot tree that was planted on the day of her birth (about 21 yrs. ago). It had been dead for close to a year before I cut it down. I tried to rive some pieces, and saw some, and dry them.
I believe that I was too late in trying to harvest the wood. What the bugs didn't get checked quite a bit (after drying in a "chimney"). This piece was placed in an oven to kill the bugs, and I had to fill some checks with super glue.
Apologies for the bad photos. I used a hatchet, drawknife, homemade sloyd knife, a Mora spoonknife, a rasp, a profile scraper, and sandpaper. The wood was very hard. I tried to get more of the "purple" streaks, but the apricot would not cooperate. I like these with the flat ends, like BN5's. Esp. when cooking grits.
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Love the wood and the thought behind it. I really like the slight dogleg shape (not sure what else to call it). I was going to try some with a bend like that. Assume she's a southpaw?
Steve
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Beautiful wood, I did not know apricot was that color. Looks like she must be a lefty? Nice workmanship!
True power makes no noise - Albert Schweitzer. It's obvious he was referring to hand tools
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You got me with the title, what is an apricot spoon I though, Doh, a spoon made of apricot wood
on me.
Nice spoon
Worst thing they can do is cook ya and eat ya
GW
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That turned out really nice, great color, and the History behind it goes without saying. Thanks for sharing.
Steve
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Thanks for all the compliments and replies.
She is not a lefty. The spoon just turned out that way as I was trying to follow the grain (and get the dark grain) of the riven piece. I noticed it too. Maybe it will encourage her to use her left hand.
Her Mom and the grandson are flying in from NOLA this Tues., and she is driving in from Tenn (where she is a student).
Eric
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Love the color. I've got to get me some apricot wood!
Steve S.
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Tradition cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour.
- T. S. Eliot
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Thanks. Get it before it dries. (While it is still green.
)
Eric
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Apricot is neat wood, but I have yet to figure out how to make anything larger than a pen out of it (lower pen, upper is oak):
I do have a few pieces I have cut into slabs on the bandsaw. Hasn't dried particularly flat. I might manage to pull off a small (like really small) jewelry box.
The pen came from pruning my in-laws tree (way overdue). The slabbed pieces came from pruning the tree that used to belong to my grandparents and now belongs to my parents. My mom let me take the wood on the condition that I make her something from some of it.
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That is a beautiful pen. Thanks.
I am thinking about trying to make my granddaughter a pen from the apricot (one of these days). All of the areas around the knots have checks on the the pieces I tried to dry.
