A bit of help making a kuksa

[Fozz_forrester]

ive recently tried my hand at whittling wood, ive made one spoon - its not a pretty thing but its functional! now im having a bash at making a kuksa, however carving the bowl interior out seems to be taking AGES using just my crooked knife, im using cherry wood its pretty hard! are there any tips for speeding this process up?

Taa. Fozz

 

[greensurfingbear]

i used a curved gauge like this one

I've also heard of people drilling out the middle to the depth they want then carving the rest out my hand.

 

[Ratbag]

Are you carving green wood, or seasoned? Green wood (freshly cut wood) is much easier to carve, although you run the risk of splitting as it dries. Seasoned wood is much harder, in both senses.

Get hold of some green birch or sycamore and see how easy it is....

Oh, and your knife needs to be sharp, or it's no fun at all. Get a strop loaded with some honing paste and use it regularly, makes a big difference.

HTH

Rat

 

[Fozz_forrester]

thanks guys i will try both. unfortunatley the only wood i currently have access to is seasoned. but I'll go and have a look for some green wood to practice on - im using the cherry wood as i REALLY like the colour its coms out as when its finished

 

[Jjja]

I have drilled out the centre of a kuksa before with regular drill bits but have toyed with the idea of using a bigger Forstner bit too. I have also put water in the bowl of the kuksa to try too soften the grain. It works but only to relatively shallow depths within the wood. I have done this before as I often start carving with green wood but due to family/work pressures the item doesn't always stay fresh and green!
Cherry is lovely wood and smell fantastic when worked green.

All the best

JjJ

 

[SimonMast]

I recently carved out a little cup from a piece of birch that I had been keeping in my living room (I live in a flat), and hollowing that out took hours...

But some prefer to burn the bowl out, which doesn't require you to buy an adze/gouge/etc. I haven't tried it, but I thought it worth mentioning.

 

[andyBruce]

Personal opinion is that carving the whole thing out is part of the appeal! Its one of the few things that actually relaxes me so getting lost in carving seems to be a good thing for me, I find it fairly therapeutic! But I have seen people drill out the main part of the bowl just to take away the main bulk, then finish up with a spoon knife, or other such implement!

 

[crosslandkelly]

Using a hot coal or charcoal in the centre of the bowl area is effctive but messy.

 

[fishfish]

rough out the inside with an adze.

 

[dancan]

A flat or curved chisel and a mallet will get you there quite fast , reduce the strain on your wrist and without a lot of cost , especially if you have one already .
Just work your way around the bowl to get rid of the bulk until you get close and then use your knife .

 

[BigM]

Make loads of spoons before you try a kuksa. Just my experience

 

[dancan]

It's just a big round spoon LOL

 

[Dean]

Make loads of spoons before you try a kuksa. Just my experience

Good Idea.