Making Viking Utensil-things.

So these aren't EXACTLY how vikings made silverware. I based the knife off images I'd seen, and sort of made the spoon and fork into what I thought made sense.

That being said, I actually made 2 spoons, 2 forks and a knife. Why, you ask? Because the first spoon looked like a kid's toy, and the fork looked like it was a mushroom pitchfork. Point is, they were too small. So I redid them. It's called perfection, people.

So what do you plan to discover within these next pages? Well, that's a good question, really. I feel like I'm supposed to tell you a lesson or something I learned.

Oh, geez, I'm not good at this...

Let's get buildin'.

So I made these from little boards I made the Viking Comb with, in a previous project.While I used a scroll saw in this I'dible (a scroll saw is basically an underglorified bandsaw), I decided to make the spoon with hand tools.

That being said, let's give ourselves an invigorating pep talk, eat some chocolate almonds, and prepare our playlist of Sea Shanties, cause we sure are going to need them.

So after tracing your general spoon-ish shape onto the wood board (I used willow for all of these, surprise, surprise.), I went at it with a hook knife.

Hook knives are great little things. You can make bowls, kuksas, and fabulous-looking indentions with them. Sadly, they don't come with sheaths.

Anywho, I cut out the shape of my bowl, with the aid of a couple chisels to start the cuts. Then I switched to the hook knife and scooped at the wood, rather like you scoop up ice cream from a bowl. But with more difficulty, unless it's frozen, in which case I'd recommend a hot brand or a Jacuzzi.

Then I fixed the spoon-to-be in a vice and began cutting at it with a coping saw, which was only slightly aggravating. I'm still trying to figure out how to use it; this was the only time I'd ever used one.

Fortunately, I got the shape out, with only slight difficult. All of you with bandsaws and scroll saws; enjoy yourselves. When the electricity goes, remember how you laughed.

True to my word, I won't use power tools. So I sliced up a 80 grit sanding belt and started back-sanding like a boss. It got it roundish, but it was still a little scruffy lookin', so I worked on it with 150 grit and worked my way up to 400, then jumped to 600. After some manual labor, it was as smooth as...well, something really really smooth.

I won't claim to be Leonardo Di Vinci (not like he ever painted Nordic art, anyway,) but I did my best with my own design. I drew it out in pencil and wood-burned over it, making it look quite awesome, if I do so say myself.

On to the other utensils.

So you've got your spoon good to go, so let's move onto the most popular medieval utensil-thingymagig. Otherwise known as a ping-pong ball.

It's a knife, people, honestly.

So I cut this one out with the scroll saw, because I have such an awesome workshop. I don't, actually, it's all my dad's, except the odd hand tool I've gotten. Anyways, I cut out the general shape with a scroll saw, which was a little terrifying, I've got to admit.

Then you've got to sand. Like before, I fixed it in a vice, then back-sanded it with 80 grit until my fingers bled and I ran out of Sea Shanties. So, go back to the oldies (spirit in the sky is perfect, in case you asked), and start working.

Because my fingers bled so badly, I had to go to the medic and get a new set, but that's just a day in the shop, you know? Anywho, sand it until it's really, really round. I also focused on making the handle taper a little, so the 'tail' thingy is thinner than the handle, which gives it a forged, realistic look.

(second pic) I jumped up to 150, then 400 and 600 grits, to finish my masterpiece. Not that I'm bragging, but this ended up looking pretty sass-tastic.

All right, let's be honest; wood knives aren't generally very sharp. This knife, despite its obvious beauty, and, in my opinion, general handsomeness, is very much not sharp. More of a jam spreader, really.

To give it a better cutting edge, I whipped out Guppy (swiss army knife, for all you people who have no idea what the heck I'm talking about, which is probably a lot) and started making V-cuts.

In case you don't know what a V-cut is, you make two cuts at different angles, which meet, cutting out a wedge-shape, which always reminds me of pizza, because pizza is yummy and yummy is what I think about when I'm working.

Last, but not least, I wood burned. This is a running trend, that you'll see in a lot of my I'dibles. I like to make my stuff standout.

I ended up woodburning on both sides, actually, making a near-perfect mirrored image. Not gonna lie, that was tough, drawing a duplicate.

Please continue reading, we've got more to do.

So again, power tools are boring; let's get cutting. I drew out the shape and then started cutting out the spokes. This was long and tedious, using Guppy to make angled V-cuts to gently remove wood. If you have chisels, it'll make your life easier. I didn't, and my life's been pretty lame because of it.

After (finally) getting the spokes carved, I proceeded to carve the handle out. I used Sharktooth (the poor guy needs a dentist, or a good hammer, one of the two), and made stop cuts. Then I worked my way through, "freeing the fork" from the wood.

Back-sanding, again. You've gotta make that handle comfortable, no?

Fine sanding and Redbone. Can't have one without the other.

So I ended up with 2 forks, 2 spoons and one knife. Each one I sanded into oblivion, wood burned, and washed and sealed. And boy was it fun. I've got to say, it's very satisfying to make these, particularly the knife. I'm super proud of how they came out, and I think they'll do nicely. I now have my own woodware set! (getit?)

If you're going to make these, I'd advise using a soft, straight grained wood, and I'd prefer it if you didn't copy my artwork (feel free to make 'em look purty, though)

So...this is the part of the show where I wrap it up, I guess. If you liked this I'dible, please check out my others, and look out for future projects.

Brokk out.