A Quote From The Pote Journal and Experimental Archaeology.

Bushcraft forums abound with people making wooden spoons, but this craft has never interested me. Then whilst doing some research, I came across the following quote in "The Pote Journal":

“my master told me to

Try if I Could make me a Spoon, and Gave me a hatchet

and told me he would assist me in it for he Said there

was nothing more Necessary for me to be furnished

with in my march, his orders I quickly obeyed, and

finished my Spoon with So much Dixterity, yt my

master was Verey well pleased with me, and told

me he hoped I Should make as Good a heron, as

one John Honewell an English man that had Lived

with ym Near thirty years, and was maried amongst

them and had Severel Children, this Night they

placed me between two Indians, with a String Round

my middle, and Each End made fast to my Companions,”.

The Pote Journal 1745

I have made horn spoons, but never made a wooden spoon before, but thought this quote might be an interesting project. So I decided to make a wooden spoon using just a hatchet. Below is the result.

This is of course only my interpretation, I have no way of knowing what the Pote spoon looked like. The cup of the spoon was the hardest part to shape with just a hatchet, though I dare say that I could make a better job of it given time.