Carving Cooking Utensils
August 9 @ 9:00 am - August 10 @ 4:00 pm
$290.00
Ditch your black, plastic spatula…it’s melting anyway. Carve your own cooking utensils, and infuse your daily cooking practices with craft. Whether you’re still learning the basic fundamentals of carving or ready to build upon and refine your skills, this class will guide you through carving with more advanced tools and techniques, including spoon mules. On the first day, Dawson will lead students through a series of demonstrations on wood selection and layout. After carving rough-outs, students will spend the second day refining their work with draw knives, and other hand tools. Balancing breaks, movement, lecture, and active learning, this class provides aspiring woodworkers with the opportunity to use a variety of hand-tools with control, creating elegant shaping and details.
Itinerary:
Day 1: We’ll start by getting to know one another. Carving in the round usually lends itself to storytelling of various sorts, and it’s nice to be familiar with one another! Then Dawson will lead the class through demonstrations on wood selection and layout. Students will begin carving rough-outs. After an hour lunch break, students will continue shaping cooking utensils and begin to learn about the tools and techniques involved in more refined shaping.
Day 2: Gathering again on the second day, we’ll review some of the techniques from the day before, and establish a plan for the day. You will continue shaping your cooking utensils and begin to learn about the tools and techniques involved in adding more intricate details. After an hour lunch break, you’ll add finishing touches to your pieces, ending the day with a few new additions to your kitchen! We’ll gather for a few minutes at the end of the day to recap the weekend, and reflect on the crafting experience.
What you get from the class:
- An introduction to basic knife holds and carving techniques
- Practice using more advanced carving tools
- Individual instruction while designing and roughing out carving blanks
- 2-3 Hand carved kitchen utensils
- The knowledge necessary to continue carving on your own!
Meet Your Instructor:
Dawson Moore
Dawson Moore, founder of Michigan Sloyd in Harbor Springs, Michigan, has been practicing traditional woodworking for over 10 years. Drawing from the Scandinavian sloyd tradition, he emphasizes the principles of educational sloyd—fostering creativity, patience, and skill through hands-on learning while crafting functional, everyday objects like utensils and furniture. Dawson has taught at several regional folk schools, sharing his expertise and passion for handcrafting with a wide range of students. Dawson’s approachable teaching style makes woodworking enjoyable for beginners and inspiring for seasoned makers. His weekend spoon carving classes offer hands-on experience in shaping raw wood into beautiful, functional utensils. Whether you’re new to woodworking or have years of experience, Dawson’s guidance will leave you with new skills and a deeper appreciation for handcrafting.
A step beyond wooden spoon carving: It’s undoubtedly great fun to carve a spatula or a cooking spoon, but the real value of this class is learning a skill that you can continue for a lifetime. This class is designed to leave students with a high level of confidence and knowledge for their future carving endeavors. Unlike Dawson’s Wooden Spoon Carving class, which lays out the foundations of woodcarving through small and relatively simple projects, Carving Cooking Utensils brings students to a deeper level of woodcarving. The projects require a bit more precision and control, which is achieved through a wider variety of woodworking tools. And yet, this class is still beginner friendly! You don’t need any prior carving experience-come as you are and take the project as far as you wish. Dawson will be there to encourage, guide, and expand upon your understanding of working with wood!
Green Door classes are immersive and intentionally long. We find that over prolonged time together, students form deeper bonds with each other, the craft, and their instructor for an over all more impactful experience. Even if you are a Traverse City local, the intention is that these classes feel a bit like a retreat away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. If you are visiting from afar, the experience can be even deeper.
Class Details:
Where is the class held?: This class is held at the SEEDS workshop, a space that holds the charming hum of making. SEEDS workshop is conveniently located in the Grand Traverse Commons, with shops, restaurants, and cafes that you might choose to visit during the lunch hour.
Cost: $290 per person which includes a $40 material fee (includes all necessary tools and materials)
Date/Time: August 9th – 10th @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Prerequisites/Skill Level/Age Requirements:
- No prior woodworking experience required.
- Ages 18+
Booking Information and Policies:
What happens after I book the class?: After you book, we will send you a confirmation email that you are IN! A week out from the class, we will send you an email with more details about our meeting locations and some housekeeping items.
Want to make sure you have all of the information before you dive in? Here’s our cancelation policy: We understand that plans change, and we do our best to accommodate while honoring the time, energy, and resources that go into preparing for each class.
Cancellations made more than 14 days before the class start date Receive a full refund, minus a $25 administrative fee. This fee helps cover the cost of filling your spot. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer refunds for cancellations made less than 14 calendar days before class begins.
At this time, we are not able to offer:
• Course credit
• Transfers to other courses
This policy allows us to keep class sizes small and intimate, while minimizing pressure to increase overall course costs.
If the class is canceled by the school: In the event of inclement weather or other disruptions, we will issue a full refund and do our best to offer a reschedule option.
Policies:
Go for it! If you’re a wood grain enthusiast, make frequent use of your stove top, aren’t afraid to try something new, or have an interest in gaining some serious woodcarving skills, this is the class for you.