Blog – Which Axe for Spoon Carving?

If you want to turn a chunk of wood into a spoon, you often start with an axe to remove most of the excess wood. But there are many different types of axes. That’s why I often get the question: which axe is best suited for spoon carving? I answer that question in this blog.

Splitting, chopping, carving… which axe do you choose?

Three types of axes

To figure out which axe we choose for spoon carving, we first explore three types of axes you most often come across and how you can use them for carving spoons (or not). We’ll look at their features, uses, safety, and what to do if you’re on a tight budget. Of course, I’ll also answer that big question: which axe is best for beginner spoon carvers?

Splitting, chopping, and carving

With axes you can perform three types of tasks: splitting, chopping, and carving. When splitting wood, you strike along the grain, such as when making firewood or breaking up chunks for spoons.

Chopping is done across or diagonally to the grain: you cut through the fibers, like when felling a tree. For carving, you use the axe more like a knife, in a slicing motion. This is what you do when roughing out your spoon shape.

So: splitting, chopping, and carving. For each of these, there are specific axes. They differ in shape, weight, and grind.

The splitting axe

The splitting axe is meant for splitting logs and thick branches into smaller chunks with force. Think firewood or blanks. This axe is meant to be used two-handed and with a lot of power.

Features:

• Heavy head
• Strong wedge-shaped profile that flares out for good splitting.
• Convex grind: more metal behind the edge makes it tougher. Usually not razor-sharp to split better.
• Long handle for maximum leverage and safety (your legs are farther from the axe).
• Weight: Usually between 2 and 3 kg.

Is the splitting axe suitable for spoon carving?

Hardly. You can use a splitting axe very effectively to break logs into coarse chunks, for example for firewood. For spoon carving, it’s only useful if you use it with a mallet. That way, you can split wood into blanks quite precisely, using the splitting axe as a sort of wedge with a handle. But once that’s done, it’s time for another axe.

The felling axe or hatchet

This axe is designed to chop through wood fibers, like when felling or limbing a small tree. Light splitting tasks also work, like making kindling. You use it for lighter tasks that require more precision. You can use it two-handed, or one-handed if the handle is shorter, holding closer to the head.

In the photo you see 3 small felling axes. From front to back: a Gränsfors Hand Hatchet, a Gränsfors Small Forest Axe, and a Talens hatchet from Action.

Features:

• Lighter head in various sizes.
• Narrower profile, usually with convex grind.
• Shorter handle, often slightly curved (your legs are closer to the axe).
• Weight: Between 400 and 1500 grams

Suitable for spoon carving?

Depends on the type. A light felling axe with a short handle can be used one-handed to rough out a spoon shape. Precision is more difficult though, because the convex edge can deflect along the grain. It also makes slicing harder.

The carving axe

A carving axe is specially designed for precision work, like carving spoons and other utensils. In the photo below, from left to right: a Julia Kalthoff Small Carver 01, a Hans Karlsson Carving Axe, and the Robin Wood Carving Axe from Wood Tools.

Features:

• Curved handle: better grip in different positions
• Thin and wide edge for less resistance while carving.
• Slender head: lets you work closer to the wood.
• Flat or hollow grind: around 25–30° angle. This lets the axe glide over and cut into wood cleanly.
• Ergonomic use: comfortable for long sessions.
• Sharp edge: it really slices, rather than splitting.
• Weight: between 700 and 1500 grams.

Suitable for spoon carving?

The lighter carving axes around 750 grams are ideal for spoon carving because they allow long, accurate sessions. The shape and grind are designed for precision. The handle and head allow for multiple grip styles. What they don’t do well is heavy splitting. Being thin and pointed, they can’t handle hard blows. These axes are only for splitting small logs.

Working safely with the right axe

Each axe is designed with a specific task in mind. It’s important to respect that for both efficiency and safety. If you use a light axe for heavy work, you’ll have to use more force. That wears down your tool faster and increases the risk of slipping.

Using a heavy splitting axe for precision work makes it hard to work in a controlled way. You’re more likely to slip and injure your hand. In short: you need a balance between weight, control, and the nature of the work. That balance depends on your strength, experience, the type of wood, and desired precision. For spoon carving, nothing beats a real carving axe. Preferably, try out a few and choose the one that feels best to you.

Start with what you have (and tips for a small budget)

Fortunately, you don’t have to immediately buy an expensive carving axe. You can also start with a standard hatchet. As long as it’s short, light, and sharp.

Tips for beginners:

• Many hatchets can be easily modified: sharpen the edge to be sharper, thinner, and preferably ground straight or concave. This will turn it into a proper carving axe. You can do this with sandpaper or a diamond file and other sharpening tools, but it’s quite a precision task.
• Adjust the handle: make the transition from the handle to the head slightly lower and smoother, so it feels better in the hand when working close to the wood.
• Check flea markets: you can often find old carpenter axes that are perfect for this. Some have been terribly abused with metal hammers and are misshapen. I’d rather leave those behind.
• Pay attention to the handle: if it’s loose or worn out, you can re-wedge it or replace it.
• You can then make a new, curved handle for better grip and ergonomics. It’s also a fun project!

For very little money, you can have a great starter axe — especially if you’re handy and willing to modify an axe.

Bonus: A DIY project

The photos below show such a DIY project. It’s a very cheap hatchet from the Action store in its original state, next to the same hatchet, but fully modified. The head has been roughly reshaped with a belt sander and then finely sharpened with a diamond stone. As a result, the shape and angle of the grind are more suitable for spoon carving. The gold paint on the head was removed for looks. The handle’s varnish was stripped and replaced with linseed oil, for a comfortable grip and less chance of blisters. The shape of the handle was also slightly adjusted to make it more comfortable to hold near the head.

All in all, such a DIY axe is fun to make, but a lot of work. With the result of your work, it will certainly cut better, but it will never be a true carving axe. If for no other reason than the quality of the steel. This makes the edge more fragile, and you’ll need to sharpen it more often.

Conclusion: Choose an axe that suits your work and you

There’s much more to say about axes than can fit in a blog like this. There are dozens of types, and if you really want to study the manufacturing, steel types, and sharpening techniques, you’ll have no time left to carve spoons. Therefore, here’s a summary:

• Do you mainly work with smaller branches and thinner logs? Then a hatchet or carving axe will suffice. You can also buy metal splitting wedges for heavier splitting work.
• If you’re working with thicker wood, for example, because it dries out less quickly in the summer, you can use a splitting axe for the heavy work.
• And here’s the answer to the big question: ultimately, nothing beats the shape, properties, and (steel) quality of a true carving axe when it comes to spoon carving.

Whichever axe you choose: make sure the type and weight match the work you’re doing, and your physical strength and experience. That makes working safer and more enjoyable.

Axes in the webshop: