My project is an upcycled aluminum camping spoon. So far I have sourced the material and started machining it. Progress is slow but steady. I believe I am on track to finish it before the deadline.
First, I milled the “slot” for the scoopy part of the spoon. This was the most difficult part so far because programming the rectangle was kind of strange with the unique dimensions of the slot. Also, the ball end mill leaves channels in the bottom of the scooper that I need to figure out how to smooth. The following week, I cut the big hole in the end of the handle using the mill again. This was relatively easy because the circle only needed a center point and radius to program it on the mill. Finally, I milled two slots into where I wanted the final handle thickness to be. This week I plan on using either the mill or the bandsaw to hog off the rest of the material around the handle. I am very excited for that to be done so I can begin working on shaping all of the contours and curves with sanders and files, as this is more my specialty.

I am still changing parts of the design as I go. Right now, I am deciding what I want to do for the final handle. Above is an image from one of my favorite knifemakers, Tactical Pterodactyl. I own one of his pieces and I really enjoy the textured G10 handles. I’m guessing he does this with some sort of spindle sander but the radius of the bumps are pretty small so I’m not sure. I am still deciding between leaving it smooth or doing something like this. I will probably try it out on a separate piece of scrap aluminum with either a round file or the spindle sander in the ITLL. Below are all of my project pictures so far.
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HI Carson,
This is a super cool and very difficult project! I am very impressed with your machining ability as it appears you have very fine details. What is your plan to deburr or smooth out the inside of the spoon area?
Hi Cason,
Your idea about creating your metal spoon is cool. It is impressive that you are going into the shop and machining it. I do not have much experience in the machine shop, so I am looking forward to seeing your progress with the spoon and how it turns out. Because of my lack of experience, I cannot give you constructive criticism about the manufacturing process. But I would suggest uploading a video just for documentation. I would enjoy seeing the process in more detail. Good luck with your project!