The bees have been busy collecting pollen around our house for a few weeks now. I could not help but think about all that delicious honey they're producing, which inspired me to turn a honey dipper.

Honey dippers are a very simple spindle project. The amount of wood, tools and time to turn a dipper make this a good project for beginners.

The Wood Selection

I selected a small piece of pear for this dipper (seen above). Almost any non-porous wood would be acceptable. For example, maple, cherry and beech are good choices. You will need a blank about 8-10" in length by about 1-1/2" square. If you plan to make the handle very thin, select for straight grain to ensure strength.

The first portion of the project is simply to turn the blank to round with a spindle roughing gouge or skew. I used a large skew to shape most of the dipper.

Turning the Grooves

The grooves serve as the reservoir to hold the honey. The number of grooves and depth determine the amount of honey that can be held by the dipper. I chose to turn the grooves first. I laid out the general dimensions of the head. I then marked out a groove spacing of about 1.5 x the width of the parting tool . The head of the dipper can be just about any size or shape you like.

The grooves can be turned in several styles. I chose a simple method that anyone can replicate with a thin parting tool, in this case a 1/16" parting tool . Of course, you could customize the grooves by varying the spacing and depth. One popular method is to turn beads as opposed to flat rings.

I used a small caliper to measure the depth of cut.

Turning the Spindle

In addition to a skew, I also used a small spindle gouge to shape some of the curves. Most commercial dippers have straight handles. So be sure to add some pleasing curves to customize your project.

You can see I added two burned in lines on the end of the dipper (above). I accomplished this by making two vee cuts with the skew. I then held a wire burning tool against the spinning wood to burn in the lines. This bit of decoration adds an element of interest to a simple project.

I sanded to 400 grit once I was happy with the overall shape. I also held savings against the spinning dipper to burnish the surface.

This burnishing method is a favorite old time process that produces a beautiful luster. Extreme care should be used any time one hand holds shavings or sandpaper against spinning wood. Then I applied pure bees wax while the dipper was still on the lathe. That just seemed like an appropriate finish.

I held a paper towel against the spinning dipper to melt the wax into the wood.

The Final Step

The only thing that remained was to part it off and finish sanding the ends. Now, I just need a pot of honey and a warm bagel.

Curtis was a former President of Central Texas Woodturners , is a member of the American Association of Woodturners , and is a member of Fine Woodworkers of Austin . Curtis teaches and demonstrates nationally for Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. He also teaches for TechShop. He owns a studio where he works and teaches. Curtis lives in Central Texas with his wife and four young children. Take a look at his website at www.curtisturnerstudio.com