FAQs
How long have you been carving?
I began carving in 2015 through a need to escape the pressures and stresses of daily life.
How did you learn to carve?
I'm completely self taught so have learned to carve through trial and error (a lot of errors and painful mistakes!). As a result I have developed my own techniques, methods and approach, many of which are quite different to conventional woodcarving and those that are traditionally taught.
What tools do you use?
I work with just four tools. I use a saw when foraging and for cutting the wood to length; an axe for splitting and roughly shaping the wood; a carving knife for refining, carving and detailing my work and a hook knife to hollow out the bowl when carving spoons.
Do you use any power tools?
No. My decision not to use any powered tools in my carving is based on two key factors that sit at the heart of my approach to wood carving. Firstly, because I started carving through my love of being in and working in the woods, if I were to be reliant on power tools, and therefore an electric power supply, I would be more restricted in terms of where I could work. Secondly, my methods and approach to woodcarving is to work in harmony with the wood as my material; power tools rip and tear at the wood fibres which damages the wood far more than the hand tools that I use.
Why do you carve spoons?
The spoon is one of the oldest, most fundamental and most basic tools in human history. Its proliferation has resulted in it being largely taken for granted by most people; most people will use a spoon every day and never give any thought to its design or how essential it is in our lives. In carving my spoons I seek to jar people's preconceptions and cause them to question the other things, material or otherwise, that we are surrounded by and use on a daily basis. I like the idea of seeing and creating beauty in the mundane.
Are your spoons purely decorative or can they be used?
They are both, usable and decorative. Each one is designed to be a functioning spoon and most are treated with a food-safe Tung Oil so they can definitely be used. The choice as to whether they will be used or simply kept and displayed as works of art really isn't down to me; it is entirely the choice of the spoon's owner. I'm happy either way.
Are they Love Spoons?
No. Traditional Love Spoons (in the Welsh tradition at least) are defined as decorative objects that are carved by someone as a gift to a loved one to demonstrate their skills and their intentions or commitment to that person. Love Spoons will usually feature elements and motifs from a traditional, well defined set of symbols to convey meaning including love, longevity, security and faith. My spoon carvings don't adhere to any tradition or pre-defined symbolism and are intended as sculptural, functional pieces of art through which I express my personal creative interpretations of nature (and occasionally mythology). Any connection to or similarities between my spoon carvings and traditional Love Spoons is entirely accidental and most often down to the individual viewers perceptions.
Commissions & Custom Requests
Do you take commissions or custom requests?
By the nature of the way that I work it’s not possible for me to take on very specific, pre-determined briefs as everything I carve is dependant on the wood that I am working with. I do very occasionally accept a commission but only if the buyer is very open to my interpretation of their ideas and only if the piece is fitting with my style and my approach.
Can you do repairs and restoration of old woodcarvings?
No, sorry. My work is focused on the creation of new and original artworks.
Can you carve a copy of something if I send you a photo?
No I’m afraid not. Each piece I carve is an original, one-off artwork. Additionally it is against copyright laws to create a copy of someone else’s original work.
Facebook / Social Media Advertising Scams
On 28 July 2021 I was made aware of an advert appearing on social media, specifically on Instagram and Facebook, using my images without permission and promoting the fraudulent sale of illegal copies of my spoon carvings. Since that date I have been made aware of many more fake Facebook pages publishing hundreds of ads of across both Facebook and Instagram. The pages and the websites they link to have stolen my images, my videos, content from my website, my designs and even my identity, my name and photos of me in an attempt to sell fake copies of my work.
To be clear, I have NOTHING to do with these pages, ads or websites and I am in NO WAY AFFILIATED with the individuals or companies claiming to be producing the copies of my work. They DO NOT have permission to use my images, videos, content, designs or my name. They FALSELY CLAIM that I have provided them with the ‘moulds’ and designs for their use; THIS IS NOT TRUE and nor is their claim to be based in Florida as they are in fact based in China… the Florida Woodworks company name and phone number shown on these websites is for a genuine company but this particular company is in no way affiliated with this scam either. The individuals or companies creating these social media pages, ads and websites are in breach of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 and Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act 1998 and as such I have been pursuing all legal avenues available to me to have their illegal and fraudulent activities shut down; though I cannot afford professional legal support so I am currently having to take all action myself.
Unfortunately at this time Facebook is proving negligent in their responsibility to protect Intellectual Property as I have now filed hundreds Copyright and Intellectual Property complaints with them but the majority have resulted in no action and the ads that I have managed to get taken down have almost instantly been replaced by the same pages without any further action by Facebook. Further to these complaints I have issued Cease and Desist Orders to all of the fake websites that have so far been identified and have issued DMCA Takedown Notices to the online service providers enabling these sites to function. At time of writing this no action has yet been taken by any of these parties.
Needless to say I am devastated by these events. I have spent every day since I began woodcarving dedicated to developing my craft and countless thousands of hours designing and carving my one-off, unique wooden art spoons only for this work to be stolen and for my name and my identity to be discredited in their pursuit of this fraudulent money making scam.
Please, if you read this message and have seen one of these ads, posts or pages on social media, report them to Facebook. Please do not purchase anything through these websites as you will lose your money and may well fall victim to further scams and frauds by these individuals.
Delivery, Shipping and Postage
How soon will my order be dispatched?
For all orders placed between Monday and Friday we aim to dispatch items within 24 hours of the order being placed. Orders placed on a Saturday or Sunday will be posted out on the following Monday (with the exception of UK Bank Holidays when orders will be posted on the next working day). If for some reason your order cannot be dispatched within this timeframe we will be in touch to let you know when you can expect your order to be on its way to you.
Original artworks may take longer to dispatch than other purchases as each piece requires bespoke packaging to be made up. You will be kept updated with the processing of your purchase.
Customs, Duties and Import Taxes
Orders are shipped from the United Kingdom and, depending on the recipients country of residence, may be subject to Customs checks and import duties. We are unable to accept any responsibility for delays or additional costs associated with customs checks and import duties. Import duties and costs are the sole responsibility of the buyer. Please check with your relevant authorities regarding rules and costs of importing goods.
Can you understate the value to reduce import taxes?
Unless otherwise requested, for reasons of insurance, all orders will bear the full value of the items purchased. Understating the value of goods can reduce or invalidate claims for compensation with postal services in the event that your order goes missing in transit.
How long will my order take to arrive?
All UK carving kit orders are posted First Class with Royal Mail (unless Special Delivery is chosen during checkout) and should arrive within 1 working day of dispatch. International carving kit orders are sent Tracked with Royal Mail and should arrive within 10 to 14 days depending on region and any delays caused by customs checks.
Original works will only ever be sent with a Tracked and Insured service either via Royal Mail or by DHL Express. UK purchases should arrive within 1 working day of dispatch. International purchases should arrive within 5 days of dispatch depending on region and any delays caused by customs checks.
Please note that these delivery times are only estimates and are subject to any delays caused by third party postal and courier services as well checks by customs and import authorities in the purchasers country. We cannot accept any responsibility for any such delays.
I placed an order but haven’t received a dispatch notification…
When your order is dispatched you will be sent an email to let you know. This order will include any tracking details if applicable. If you placed your order more than 1 day ago and haven’t received a dispatch notification email please check in your ‘Junk’ or ‘Spam’ email folder to make sure that it hasn’t been wrongly identified as unsolicited. If you still can’t see a notification please get in touch via the Contact Page and include as much information as you can about your order such as your order number, order date, name and the email address that you entered during checkout as this will help us to look into the issue for you.
Where is my order?
If you haven’t received your order within the timescale detailed above, please check for any tracking information included in the dispatch notification email before getting in touch via the contact page.
Delayed, Missing and Lost Orders
All orders are shipped with Royal Mail's 'Tracked and Signed For service' (where possible) or with DHL Express and proof of postage / shipping will be provided. Once dispatched we are unable to assume any responsibility for delayed, missing or lost orders, though we will do everything reasonably possible within our power to follow up orders reported to us and to support enquiries with the relevant postal and customs services.
Please note that Royal Mail are unable to follow up on any missing items until 25 days after the expected due date.
Woodcarving Kits
What tools do you need to carve a woodcarving kit?
The woodcarving kits are designed to be carved using just a knife.
Do your woodcarving kits include a knife?
No. Each woodcarving kit includes the wood with a ready made design on it, fixtures and fittings (for example cord and an eyelet for pendant kits), sandpaper and a plaster (just in case!). You will need to purchase a knife separately.
What knife would you recommend?
The best type of knife to use for the woodcarving kits is a design often referred to in general terms as a ‘Sloyd’ knife (derived from the Swedish word Slöjd, referring to a system of handcraft education), which ideally features a well balanced, relatively short blade of 55mm - 70mm and a full-length tang in either quality high-carbon steel or laminated steel.
I have personally used a Morakniv 120 carving knife for many years and it is the knife that I provide my students with when teaching. At around £20 and widely available online it is a perfect tool for newcomers to woodcarving.
Are your woodcarving kits suitable for children?
The woodcarving kits require the use of sharp tools and so it is the responsibility of a parent or guardian to decide whether the activity is suitable for their child. Woodcarving can be dangerous so children should only be allowed to attempt it under the constant supervision of an appropriate adult. Additionally the kits may contain small parts and so should be kept away from babies and small children.