Who wooden like them?

Click on the images for a close-up view.

A few years ago we lost an old apple tree that I loved. I saved a few pieces of the wood were good enough to work with, with the intent on making something useful out of them as a way of memorializing the tree. After they were properly seasoned, I cut one of them to length and then carefully sawed three nested spatula blanks from it. I next carved each of the differently sized and shaped blanks into the finished spatulas using gouges and chisels. They were shaped so that they would all fit together nicely when done. The final finish was multiple coats of mineral oil that was vigorously rubbed in and allowed to stand on the surface until the wood was saturated. I used mineral oil because it's food-safe and it doesn't turn rancid like vegetable oils will.

From another piece of the same apple wood, I carved this set of cooking spoons, employing pretty much the same technique that I used for the spatulas.

This last spatula was carved from a piece of rock maple that I was given by a friend. The grain is highly figured, and quite beautiful in person! All of the utensils shown above are used pretty much daily, and have been in use for a number of years now. They have held up well, and their patina and character continue to grow.