A billet of straight green wood, suitable for carving a cooking spoon or small serving spoon from.

Online Classes

If you have booked a place on Axe Skills 1 or Axe Skills 2, you will need a billet like this, or one you have prepared yourself. Feel free to order more than one if you’d like to have a spare to practice on. You will also need a Carving Axe. If you decide to use your own axe, make sure it’s sharp.

The Wood

The billet in the picture is sycamore. Yours may not be the same wood but it will be a suitable hardwood, depending on what I have available. It will most likely be sycamore, beech, hazel, alder, birch or willow. I will split out a relatively straight and knot-free billet for you. These must be made to order to ensure they are ‘green’ so it may take a day or two for me to make and ship yours. If you have booked a class, do let me know the date of the class in the comments section at checkout.

Approx dimensions: 35cm x 7.5cm x 3.5cm

Storage

Green wood is softer and much easier to carve. Your billet will dry out over time and become more difficult to carve. It may also check (crack) at the ends as it dries. Ideally, use it as soon as possible. To prevent drying, you can keep it green by keeping it a plastic bag in a cold place, like a garden shed for example. If you plan to store your billet for longer than a few weeks, you could keep it in the freezer or in a bucket of water. The freezer will keep it totally fresh and prevent mould growth but it’s not very practical for billets. If you choose to store it in water, you may want to change the water every week or two.