Spoon, Cup and Bowl Patterns by Jim Dillard

Spoon, Cup and Bowl Patterns

There are few things more satisfying for a bushcrafter than to sit down in the woods with a few simple tools, and without plan or pattern, make a functional spoon or other woodenware from materials at hand. There are times, however, when a special purpose utensil or a special gift requires a little prior planning, and maybe a good pattern. One good way to come up with a plan is to draw the intended piece before starting to carve. Sometimes this is essential, because it is much better to discover mistakes in design on paper than in the wood after hours of work.

Some carvers may feel that the drawing is a bit of a challenge, especially while doing their first few projects. For those folks, I have provided a few pages from my own sketchbook. Some of these patterns are standard, traditional Native American or Scandinavian in origin. Most are original, but of course are influenced by looking at the work of others, and even by examining well-designed commercial utensils.

I would encourage anyone who carves to spend time drawing. But for those who are not quite ready for that as yet, please feel free to use the following patterns as you wish. You can simply draw them from your computer screen, or an even simpler method is to print a pattern and use a copy machine to enlarge the designs to fit your need.

Keep your tools sharp, and keep carving!