About

Craftsman

Kenneth Bownes

I have always enjoyed working with wood, even as a school boy. For some years now I have been making simple kitchen utensils, mainly spoons, spatulas and cheese/cutting boards. The quality of of my work and the designs have improved over this time and I am excited to share my work with you.

My utensils combine craftsmanship, thought and quality. From kitchen and dining utensils that can be used every single day to special spoons gifted for a wedding - each object is a genuine piece of Erie.

I am now a retired engineer with experience in automation and control, maintenance and reliability. I have worked for several of the largest companies in the world as an engineer. Now that I’m retired, I enjoy working in my small worksop and outside in the garden when the weather permits. I teach at the Erie Spoon Club along with a fellow artisan. I cycle a lot and do yoga regularly.

My Process

I use traditional hand-carving methods, including axes, draw knives, gouges, spoon knives and sloyd knives.

Whenever possible, I split (rive) the wood by hand and shape it using axes and saws. Traditional hand tools are used to complete the basic shape. From there, all utensils are hand-sanded to obtain a wonderfully smooth finish.

I protect all of my utensils using natural linseed oil, which hardens into a strong coating through polymerization. This forms a relatively long-lasting finish that is both natural and nut allergy safe.

Environmental Sustainability

My utensils are made from wood locally harvested in Erie and NW Pennsylvania. In fact, most of it comes from my neighbor’s houses here in Erie! All of this wood is removed for safety reasons or from trees that fall during storms. No trees are cut down in the making of Erie Woodcraft products.

I rescue and up-cycle wood that would otherwise be turned into firewood (creating CO2) or chipped for mulch (which requires lots of energy in the form of gasoline and again, produces CO2).

I aim for all of my work to be environmentally-friendly and sustainable.