As seen in Martha Stewart, Real Simples, Anthology Magazine, and The Coastal Table Magazine.
This ultimate set will let you finish your spoon faster and safer with the bench hook, Welly First Aid Kit, and be able to cut even more blanks with the mini panel z-saw. A signed copy of one of Melanie's book, Carve a Simple Guide to Whittling. It has 12 different projects and all the instructions on how to keep your tools in the best shape. The kit also comes with a place to keep all your tools with our nifty canvas roll and one of each spoon blank: bass, cherry, and walnut. Using traditional Japanese tools, this wooden spoon carving kit will teach you how to design, carve, and hollow out the bowl of the spoon. It's a fun afternoon project and easy for anyone to learn. The best part is that you get to finish and keep your very own custom creation. All supplies, a 15 mm spoon gouge and Japanese carving knife, and instructions are included. This kit is ideal for adults and children under direct supervision. These tools are great if you would like to continue carving more projects other than spoons afterward.
Kit Includes:
+ 3 Spoon blanks in hardwood 1.5"w x 5"h (bass, cherry & walnut) + 15 mm Japanese spoon gouge + Japanese Carving Knife (left or right-handed) + Bench Hook with Cork +Canvas Tool Cloth + Mini Panel Z-Saw + Spoon Carving Instructions + Video instructions + Mini Wood Butter + Sandpaper: 80, 150, 220 + First Aid On The Go Kit by Welly

Material: Bass, Poplar, Cherry, or Walnut

Types of wood:
Beginner: Bass - light wood, almost white when left unfinished. Very soft to carve! Finishes light to medium yellow. Medium: Cherry - a somewhat pink color when left unfinished. Finishes as a deep red. Hard: Walnut - Light brown to medium brown when left unfinished. Finishes as a deep brown.
Melanie teaches classes too! Check out her website to find out more. Spoon Carving Workshop: 

Melanie Abrantes Designs is a Bay Area-based producer of handcrafted, heirloom objects.

Melanie Abrantes Designs

New | Ultimate Spoon Carving Kit With Book, Bench Hook & More

Knife Option

Benches

If you're a beginner at carving, these gloves will be perfect for keeping you out of harm's way. The kevlar construction in an open weave pattern, these gloves manage to be cut resistant while retaining the properties of breathability and flexibility. Light-weight enough to be worn for long periods.
Please note that these gloves are not a substitute for a carver's care and proper technique, which are the most essential aspects of safe carving. A sharp point directed straight at the fabric will probably not be able to be stopped by this design and, while they are cut resistant, sustained or elevated pressure on concentrated areas of these gloves may result in penetration of the kevlar layer.
We advise these gloves to be used as a complement to best sharpening practice and believe that they are an especially helpful aid for beginners looking to gain confidence while learning proper and safe techniques.

Made in Japan
These gloves come in small, medium and large. They run a little small. Our model is wearing a size small.

Japanese Carving Gloves

Size

Home & Furniture

Watch a Melanie Abrantes Designs Carving Tutorial to sharpen your skills on carving! We are offering 3 projects from CARVE to enhance your learning. Choose from a Spoon Carving DIY, Knife + Fork Carving DIY or River Stone Carving DIY.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: + Saftey Awareness + How to hold the tools + What blank to use + Whittling Techniques + Sanding + Finishing + How to use your finished piece
Once purchased we will send you a link to the video and password so you can begin carving!
Attention: With the purchase of our Carving Kit you will receive the video for free and do not have to purchase here.

Carve Diy Tutorial Videos

Video Tutorial

This one of a kind double bud vase is made from a solid piece of walnut. It is hand turned and carved in my studio in Oakland, CA. Hand finished with mineral oil and beeswax to bring out the rich tones of its beautiful grain. Gorgeous with just a single flower or two this vase is a wonderful addition to any home. Glass vial included with purchase for fresh flowers.
Size: 3" dia x 4" h Material: Walnut

Walnut Double Bud Vase

Material

Vases

This one of a kind straight bud vase is made from a solid piece of maple. It is hand turned and carved in my studio in Oakland, CA. Hand finished with mineral oil and beeswax to bring out the rich tones of its beautiful grain. Gorgeous with just a single flower or two this vase is a wonderful addition to any home. Glass vial included with purchase for fresh flowers.
Size: 3" dia x 4" h Material: Maple

Maple Straight Bud Vase

I n every MARAIS vase, the materials- colored glass, cork, and hardwood- combine to create an object that is both art sculpture and functional. Inspired by the natural beauty of the raw material, Abrantes designed each piece to speak for itself. We named the vases by inspiring women of our century.
Introducing our newest Marais Vases, named after these infamous AAPI women: Patsy and Grace.

Patsy Vase $180 size: 3.25” dia x 8” h Material: Bleached Maple Hardwood and Champagne Metalic Glass. Inspired by Patsy Mink the first Asian congressional woman in congress for Hawaii.

Grace Vase $180 size: 3.25” dia x 9” h Material: Bleached Oak Hardwood and Copper Metalic Glass. Inspired by Grace Lee Boggs an activist and philosopher who fought for women’s rights and black power.

Please note this item is made-to-order and takes 4-5 weeks to ship.

Marais Vase Collection | Bleached Wood

Marais Vase

This one of a kind wide and straight vase is made from a solid piece of cherry. This wood was hand-turned and carved in my studio in Oakland, CA. Hand finished with mineral oil and beeswax to bring out the rich tones of its beautiful texture. Gorgeous with just a single flower or two. A glass vial is included with purchase for fresh flowers.
Size: 3.5" dia x 7.5" h Material: Cherry

Cherry Tall & Wide Vase

We all know to keep a bandaid close by while carving! We are huge fans of Welly bandages here in the studio for that reason! They are even what we include in our carving kits when you get a boo-boo! Not only are these bandages so fun to look at and put on, they also are incredibly durable and well made.

Small enough to bring along with you for any carving adventure, this handy kit is filled with bandages, antibiotic ointments, and hand sanitizer to treat falls, bumps, and scratches in a pinch.

18 brightly colored flex fabric bandages in two sizes
3 triple single use antibiotic ointments and 3 single use hand sanitizers
This compact tin is the perfect travel companion
Latex free

First Aid On The Go Kit By Welly

Title

Enjoy a super flush cut with this fine detail saw. This 4.5” ultra-flexible saw is double toothed for easy and smooth sawing. The blades' width is narrow and suitable for cutting out small details in your next project.
Blade thickness is .7mm, Pitch 1.0mm Overall Saw Dimensions: .75" W x 9" L Wooden Handle
Made in Japan

Japanese Fine Detail Saw

Hand-Dyed Mel's Carving Club Shirt's celebrating Womxn!

Grab one of these fun "WOMXN WOODWORKER" tye-dye long sleeve shirts! We hand-dyed this batch to be a beautiful crimson color. The process of ice dye makes each shirt unique. "Crimson" has a base color of a warm pinkish-red with tones and splashes of blue, green hot pink, and dark yellow. This basic mid-weight crewneck combines the best of comfort and style. The perfect cozy thing to wear while whittling your heart out while at home!
"Womxn Woodworker" on the front with MCC logo on the back
Heavy Crewneck Long Sleeve
100% Cotton
Stretchy ribbed collar and cuffs
Double-needle stitched for durability
Pill-resistant, air-spun fabric

Fit Guide:
Since we hand-dyed these pieces, they are already pre-shrunk and run smaller than your usual size. Size up to have a regular fit.
Lilah is wearing a Medium (but for a looser fit)
Melanie is wearing a Medium.
Melissa is wearing a Large.

Womxn Woodworker Long Sleeve Shirt | Hand-dyed Crimson Red

Our first Mel's Carving Club T-Shirt!

Grab one of our limited edition t-shirts in classic black! This basic heavy-weight crewneck combines the best of comfort and style. The perfect cozy thing to wear while whittling your heart out while at home!

Ultra-soft premium cotton feels great against your skin.
Non-chafe fabric taping reinforces the neck and shoulders.
Lay Flat collar keeps its shape wash after wash.
Durable double stitching trims sleeves and bottom hem.
Full cut provides a roomier fit.
100% Cotton Tee
Screen printed in Berkeley, California

Fit Guide:

These shirts run true to size. Lilah is wearing a size small in the picture.

Mel's Carving Club T-shirt - Black Crew Neck

We all know to keep a bandaid close by while carving! We are huge fans of Welly bandages here in the studio for that reason! They are even what we include in our carving kits when you get a boo-boo! Not only are these bandages so fun to look at and put on, they also are incredibly durable and well made.
This pack of bravery badges includes 48 flex fabric bandages in three bold tie dye patterns and colors.

Premium flexible fabric bandages move with your every move.
The bandage seals on all four sides to keep out germs and dirt, and is 2x more absorbent than other brands.
Bright colors help you wear your bumps and cuts with pride.
Durable, stackable tin packaging helps keep your medicine cabinet organized.

Tie Dye Fabric Bandages - 48 Counts By Welly

A traditional all-purpose knife used for woodworking and bamboo crafting. The blade is beveled only on one side creating a thinner edge compared to a knife beveled on both sides, allowing for extremely fine cuts. Only the beveled side requires sharpening, requiring less maintenance.
Size: 6.5" length, 1.625" blade length Made in Japan.

Japanese Carving Knife

Make your very own chopsticks using our hardwood chopstick blanks. It is hand-cut in our studio in Oakland, CA.
Use these chopsticks to eat a delicious meal!
Material: Oak
Dimension: Sticks 8.25" H x .375" W x 3.75" D Stand 1.75" W x .75" H x .375" D

Chopsticks Blank

This extremely high-quality wood carving tool is excellent for taking off small amounts of wood on the back of a project. It is extremely sharp and thin making it a great tool to work with harder woods and sharpen easily.
The sharp blade is flat, but with a slight curve, making it useful when needing to take out a lot of material. Use this tool when smoothing out bowls or even larger spoons.
Dimension: 9" H x .75" W
12mm or 15mm
Made in Japan

Japanese Straight Chisel

A compact knife designed for general craft work and wood whittling. We use this knife in our spoon carving kit and love how much control you have while whittling. It comes with a leather blade cover for safe storage. It is recommended to wipe the blade clean and dry and to apply a thin coating of oil on the blade after use to protect the blade from rust.
Dimensions: 6" length, 2.25" blade Material: blue steel Made in Japan

Mikikichan Carving Knife

Our first Mel's Carving Club Sweatshirt celebrating Womxn!

Grab one of these fun "WOMXN WOODWORKER" dark grey sweatshirts! Repressing all the women woodworkers out there!
This basic midweight crewneck combines the best of comfort and style. The perfect cozy thing to wear while whittling your heart out while at home!

Midweight 50/50 Crewneck Sweatshirt
50% Cotton/ 50% Polyester
Stretchy ribbed collar and cuffs
Double-needle stitched for durability
Pill-resistant, air-spun fabric
Screen printed in Berkeley, California

Fit Guide:
These sweatshirts run true to size. Lilah is wearing a size small in the picture.

Womxn Woodworker Sweatshirt - Heather Grey Crew Neck

Our first Mel's Carving Club Sweatshirt!

Grab one of our limited edition sweatshirts in NEON! This basic midweight crewneck combines the best of comfort and style. The perfect cozy thing to wear while whittling your heart out while at home!

Midweight 50/50 Crewneck Sweatshirt
50% Cotton/ 50% Polyester
Stretchy ribbed collar and cuffs
Double-needle stitched for durability
Pill-resistant, air-spun fabric

Melanie above is wearing a size small, we recommend sizing up if you want a looser fit.

Mel's Carving Club Sweatshirt - Neon Crew Neck

Using traditional Japanese tools, this wooden river stone carving kit will teach you how to design and carve a wooden river stone. It’s a fun afternoon project and easy for anyone to learn. The best part is that you get to finish and keep your very own custom creation. All supplies, a Mikikicha carving knife, wood stone blank and instructions are included. This kit is ideal for adults and children under direct supervision.
Kit Includes: + NEW Link to video tutorial on how to carve river stone + carving techniques (the link will be sent after purchase) + Unique Stone blank of your choice of hardwood (bass, buckeye, or cherry) + Mikikicha carving knife + Instructions + Mini Wood Butter + Bandaid (ya know, just in case)
Melanie teaches classes too! Check out her website to find out more. Carving Workshop: 

River Stone Carving Kit

A compact saw with a special tooth on the tip allowing you to cut from the center of a board. The mini woodpecker saw with its 6” blade saw can cut up to 1.5” thick material. Perfect for cutting your own spoon blanks if you do not have access to a shop.
Z-saws are produced by Okada Hardware Manufacturing Company (established in 1943). This company uses a method called hard impulse, which is the process of instant heating and cooling of the cutting edge, making a very tough metal.
Size: 10" length, 6" blade Made in Japan

Mini Panel Z-saw

Save money with our new Group kits! They are our individual carving kits for up to 5 people. These are perfect for any kind of group setting including birthday parties, team-building exercises, or craft parties.

They include everything in our normal kits. You can choose between our Orginal Spoon Carving Kit or our Beginner Carving Kit. You can get them sent to one individual address or let us take care of shipping them out to your friends, family or co-workers. If you're sending to multiple addresses please let us know in the notes! You will receive an email shortly post-purchase so that you can enter all the names and delivery addresses. (Additional charges might apply depending on the location)
Contact Melanie if you would like to schedule a private spoon carving class on Zoom at 

Original Spoon Carving Kit: Best for our more ambitious students due to its larger spoon and tools.

Using traditional Japanese tools, this wooden spoon carving kit will teach you how to design, carve, and hollow out the bowl of the spoon. It's a fun afternoon project and easy for anyone to learn. The best part is that you get to finish and keep your very own custom creation. All supplies, a 12 mm spoon gouge and Mikikichan carving knife, and instructions are included. This kit is ideal for adults and children under direct supervision. These tools are great if you would like to continue carving more projects other than spoons after.
Kit Includes:
+ Spoon blank of bass hardwood 1.5"w x 5"h + 10.5mm Japanese spoon gouge + Mikikichan carving knife + Spoon Carving Instructions + Video instructions + Mini Wood Butter + Sandpaper: 80, 150, 220 + Band-aid (ya know, just in case) Material: Bass
Beginner Wood: Bass - light wood, almost white when left unfinished. Very soft to carve! Finishes light to medium yellow.

Beginner Spoon Carving Kit: Best for our beginner students or younger crowd due to the smaller size spoon.

Beginner Carving Set with 3 different tools and 2 spoon blanks made from Japanese cypress. Using traditional Japanese tools, this beginner-level spoon carving kit will teach you how to carve and hollow out the bowl of the spoon.  It’s a fun afternoon project and easy for anyone to learn. The best part is that you get to finish and keep your very own custom creation.  All supplies, a spoon gouge, and straight chisel angled chisel, and instructions are included. This kit is ideal beginner-level students. All children should be under direct supervision. Kit Includes: + 2 Cypress Spoon Blanks ( 1"w x 4"h) + A Gouge, Straight Chisel, and Angled Chisel + Handwritten instructions + Video + Mini Wood Butter + Sandpaper + Band-aid (ya know, just in case)
Beginner Wood: Cypress- light wood, with soft brown grain. Very soft to carve! Finishes light to medium yellow.

Group Carving Kit Sets: Great For Parties, Team-builds And More!

This extremely high-quality wood carving tool is excellent for taking off large amounts of wood on the back of a bigger project. It is extremely sharp and thin making it a great tool to work with harder woods and sharpen easily.
The sharp blade is flat, but with a slight curve, making it useful when needing to take out a lot of material. Use this tool when smoothing out bowls or even larger spoons. The hardwood handle is durable and wrapped with Japanese rattan. It offers a decent grip so it's easy to work with. The end of the handle is wide, which means hands can be better protected when using a mallet. Carve with ease using this sturdy chisel.
Overall Dimensions: 11" L x 1.75" W
Blade: 1.625" x 5.75"
Made in Japan.

42mm Straight Chisel

Get the coolest carving set we have! Our best selling Beginner Spoon Carving Kit, Hand-Dyed Canvas Tool Roll, and our book "Carve: A Simple Guide to Whittling"!
They will be on their way making the coolest stuff to use on their next camping trip!
Includes:

Beginner Carving Kit (2 spoon blanks, 3 carving tools, sandpaper, wood butter, and bandaid in wooden box)
Crimson Tie-Dyed Tool Roll
Carve: A Simple Guide to Whittling

The Fun Starter Pack Carving Bundle

Color

The ultimate set of carving tools to help finish your project. This deluxe set comes with 5 different carving tools all snugly fit into a paulownia wooden case. Each tool is made from high-quality Yasuki blue steel laminated with soft steel. The handles are made from Japanese Cypress.
Types of Carving tools: 4.5mm u-gouge 9mm u-gouge 4.5mm v-gouge 6mm straight 9mm skew right
Overall dimensions: 9.5" L x 5.5" W x .75" TH
Made in Japan.

5 Piece Carving Set

Enjoy a super flush cut with these ergonomic saws. This 5” ultra-flexible saw has no set to the teeth, enabling the user to cut dowels and smooth down imperfections with ease. This saw has a wider blade than our Japanese Flush Cut Saw, but has two different sizes of teeth for extra versatility. Blade thickness is .3mm Wooden Handle

Japanese Double-sided Flush Cut Saw

PLEASE NOTE: This item is now marked on sale due to the item passing its expiration date for:

10 Count Triple Antibiotic Packets (exp. 2/2022)

10 Count Hydrocortisone Packets
(exp. 2/2022)

1 Vial - 16ct Ibuprofen
(exp. 2/2022)

We all know to keep a bandaid close by while carving! We are huge fans of Welly bandages here in the studio for that reason! They are even what we include in our carving kits when you get a boo-boo! Not only are these bandages so fun to look at and put on, they also are incredibly durable and well made.
The Excursion First Aid Kit will never leave you stranded. This MEGA tin is the perfect complement for your life filled with fun. First house, apartment, car, RV, camper, cabin or a housewarming or college gift - we have your back, elbows, knees covered! When you're ready for anything, everything is possible.

72 Count Standard Fabric Bandages in Various Patterns
54 Count Small Fabric Bandages in Various Patterns
18 Waterproof Bandages in Nautical Patterns
6 Count Rectangle Fabric Bandages in Classic Patterns
1 Roll of Tape
8 Count Non Stick Pads
10 Wound Prep Pads
10 Butterfly Strips
10 Count Triple Antibiotic Packets
10 Count Hydrocortisone Packets
1 Vial - 16ct Ibuprofen

Excursion First-aid Kit By Welly

This super-compact utility blade that can be used for a variety of things, from opening mail to small scale carving projects. Popular with students in Japan, this thin-bladed kasaya marking knife is tightly wrapped in a thin folded brass sheet. The blade is covered with a cleverly designed sheath with one side sprung so that it stays in place securely.
The blade is made from Japanese high carbon spring steel strip, it takes a very acceptable edge and is easy to sharpen. Brass will patina with time naturally deepening the metal to become a dark bronze.
Dimension: 5" H x .625" W
Made in Japan

Brass Japanese Knife

Using traditional Japanese tools, this wooden knife carving kit will teach you how to design and carve a wooden butter knife. It's a fun afternoon project and easy for anyone to learn. The best part is that you get to finish and keep your very own custom creation. All supplies, a Mikikicha carving knife, wood knife blank and instructions are included. This kit is ideal for adults and children under direct supervision.
Kit Includes:
+ NEW Link to video tutorial on how to carve flatware (will be sent a link after purchase)
+ Knife blank of your choice of hardwood (poplar, alder, or walnut)
+ Mikikicha carving knife
+ Instructions
+ Mini Wood Butter
+ Bandaid (ya know, just in case).

Size: 8" x 2" x 2" Material: Walnut, Poplar, or Alder
Melanie teaches classes too! Check out her website to find out more. Carving Workshop: 

Japanese Knife Carving Kit

This beautiful and elegant swallow bird kit is the perfect weekend project. All you need is your own knife to whittle and shape the bird blank! The kit provides everything else!

This kit comes with a cedar wood bird blank and metal stand to display your piece. You can also paint your bird with the Acrylic Black Gouache provided. We like to admire our finished piece on the shelf of our home. Swallows are known to bring happiness and luck to a household. We love knowing this piece can represent so much more once finished and keep your loved ones safe!
Swallow Bird Kit:

Cedar swallow bird blank
Black gouache paint
Small Paintbrush
Metals and Wood stand
Instructions
Sandpaper

Materials: Cedar Wood, Metal, Acrylic Gouache
This Kit is made in Japan.
Tools you need to carve your swallow: Carving Knife or Mikikichan Knife

Swallow Bird Kit

We updated our starter toolset! Perfect for any carver that is just starting!
A subscription-based carving blank will come to your door every month. Each blank includes instructions, wood butter, and sandpaper. Get exclusive access to Carve Along's with Melanie! During each Carve Along, Melanie will show you tips and tricks on how to make your piece perfect.
Starter Tool Set:

15mm Japanese Gouge
Japanese Carving Knife ( right or left-handed)
Bench Hook with cork

Our free shipping code can not be used on the product. Carving tools are not included in the subscription. Don't have tools? Purchase our Starter Tool Set to get you started!
STRICTLY NO REFUND POLICY
Have more questions? Check our MCC FAQ page here.