Kuksa question

[ditchfield]

I've recently started carving my first kuksa. I'm making it out of a sawn piece of timber about 3ft x 3" by 4". It was found in a skip and i'm not sure what kind of wood it is. Its definately deciduous and is perfectly straight grained and fantasticly easy to carve.

I've started out by carving out the hollow as the size of the wood makes it easy for me to straddle the plank and thus have a secure piece to work. However, i've noticed that every tutorial or picture i've seen seems to show the outside being shaped before the inside. I can understand why this is done, to retain strength, but i'm wondering if I can still make a satisfactory kuksa this way. I will avoid using an axe so that I don't put unessecary stress on it.

Any thoughts?

 

[gorilla]

ultimately i don't suppose it makes too much difference, but i have found that shaping the outside first means that you will have a bowl-shape that sits nicely in your hand as you carve the inside of the kuksa, rather than trying to shape the outside with a big block in your hand. for me, this allows me to turn the bowl against the crook knife and gives much more control over the width of the cup 'wall'. the crook knife takes very thin shavings off, whereas a knife has a tendency to dig in a bit more, and i can envisage the nightmare scenario of being nearly finished, and digging the knife through the cup trying to get that last little bit 'just right'
i don't think strength of the cup is an issue, more that it is just easier to do the outside first

 

[stotRE]

Even if this kuksa splits due to its straight grain you will have learn't the techniques needed to make one.

Better off sticking to birch burl for a kuksa,less prone to splitting and easier to work if green.

The reason for doing the outside first is that there is a danger of making the outside too thin and going inside,into the bowl.

Fashioning the outside of the bowl first allows the eye to judge (you can also use you thumb and finger as a caliper) the thickness or thinness (which ever way you look at it) of the inner bowl.

 

[shep]

I'd also be worried that any seasoned timber from a skip that's easy to carve by hand may not be hard enough for a food vessel. I guess it depends on how easy you mean by 'easy', and either way, you'll still practice the techniques.

stotRE, I was thinking of posting this question and you've reminded me. Is there any way to cut a birch burl off a live tree without killing it? Or is it always something that's taken from a tree that's already been felled?

 

[stotRE]

stotRE, I was thinking of posting this question and you've reminded me. Is there any way to cut a birch burl off a live tree without killing it? Or is it always something that's taken from a tree that's already been felled?

I would stick to taking them from dead birch trees as you probably have seen for yourself in the woods,birch trees here in Britain are easlily killed and litter many a forest floor.

You can protect a tree with birch oil if you see a really juicey burl but you do not need a hugh burl for a kuksa so you should be able to find a dead standing or one thats been felled either by man or Odin's breath

 

[ditchfield]

I'd also be worried that any seasoned timber from a skip that's easy to carve by hand may not be hard enough for a food vessel. I guess it depends on how easy you mean by 'easy', and either way, you'll still practice the techniques.

Cheers for all the advice. This piece splits reasonably easily but is still fairly dense. However, it is an attractive piece of wood and is intended more to learn the techniques than function as a vessel. And it is great fun!

What other woods are good alternatives? Presumably anything non-toxic and close grained could work ok.

Cheers

 

[jon r]

I would make sure the wood hasnt been preserved with any chemicals before you use it! Otherwise you could be getting poisoned every time you drink from it!

 

[brancho]

You could use
Birch (Burr if you can get it)
Sycamore (traditionally used for spoons plates bowls etc)
Hawthorn would work if you can a piece big enough
and many more would work fine