Hey. Been a while since I posted here. What with one thing and another, but now I've more free time to myself I'm going to try and form some drinking vessels from these two birch burls I was fortunate to acquire. Not sure if the 'birds eye' grain will appear once shaped, but I'm hoping it does. The completed kuksa, seen posing on the burls is from plain birch. Made it for a pal who's had a battle with long c19. Another image has a kupilka in it for scale. I'll post some more images once I get the knives out. Hoping I'll get 2 large ones from the big burl. I don't need another one myself, so may put them up for sale or swaps.
Birch burls waiting in the wings.
- Thread starter quietone
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Hey. I've a couple of mora hook knives, and mora small carving knives and Hans Karlson dogleg gouge. I also use a mini skrama occasionally for certain cuts. I can post an image of them all later if you like.
Probably not a modified farriers hook knife
I actually considered trying to modify a farriers knife after seeing robson valleys post about them a while ago. Actually bought one too. But never got around to fiddling with it.Probably not a modified farriers hook knife
Here you go RV. Never taken a photo of all my treasures together before. Made me smile, I must say. These are my woodshaping friends. Some are obviously not used to shape the kuksa. Some hand made sheaths and rehandled blades there too. Put my favourite kuksa amonst them, some might remember it being destined as a gift a few years back. But couldn't part with it.
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Beautiful kuksa!
The collection of tools isn't bad either, nice toys! Is that a rehandled kansbol in there?
Lovely leather tooling as well by the way
Thanks. Its a mora 2000. Is the kansbol an update on the 2000? Spalted birch. Tried to copy the original 2000 handle. Did have a much browner finish to it, but sanded it back to original birch colouring.
Thank you for the pictures. Pretty much as I suspected, right down to the draw knives. The kuksa looks exquisite. No wonder you won't part with it, I'm of the same mind.
The hooked tips of farrier's knives are your friends for carving in tight corners and cup bottoms. Rough down the bevel with a chainsaw file at first. Then the sand papers. Not too tedious and you only have to do it once. Used knives ought to cost a few pence.
The hooked tips of farrier's knives are your friends for carving in tight corners and cup bottoms. Rough down the bevel with a chainsaw file at first. Then the sand papers. Not too tedious and you only have to do it once. Used knives ought to cost a few pence.
I surprised myself just how attached I became to that kuksa. All the while carving, the thought that I was going to give it away. As it took the final shape, I knew I had to keep it. Kind of like gollums precious. My precious. Glad I didn't actually show the recipient it at any stage of carving. I will have a crack at the farrier knife mod. Thankyou.
The tight little scorp tips of farrier's knives can be opened slightly with a 7/16" Oregon chainsaw file. Then, you can use that as a mandrel with the silicon carbide sandpapers to finish that at 12 degrees. The tip was what attracted me to these knives in the first place. You can carve sideways, impossible with a Eurogouge.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, crooked knives are the most common carving tool for First Nations and others. The equivalent scorp blade shape is fairly straight but just a 90 degree bent tip. Big ones and little ones. I do find that so handy in the bottoms of things.
Here in the Pacific Northwest, crooked knives are the most common carving tool for First Nations and others. The equivalent scorp blade shape is fairly straight but just a 90 degree bent tip. Big ones and little ones. I do find that so handy in the bottoms of things.
Made a start on the smaller of the burls. Its a bit of an odd shape, and will certainly be a quirky kuksa if I can manage to follow the shape of it. Not decided whether to leave the outside as it is, or cut back to a smooth surface. As you can see there is some birds eye grain there, so I'm glad of that. The plan is to follow the shape of it and try and see if I remove as much wood as possible. Not intending it to have a handle, but there is some natural finger sized indentations on the side that may solve the handle issue. Early days yet, so no rush to decide.
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Thanks for the process pictures, they should help to encourage others.
Our local birch, Paper birch, Betula papyrifera, don't ever seem to develop burls of any size. They would be extremely rare.
Does the texture change much as the burl dries?
I have to ask: who forged your gouge? Looks very effective.
Our local birch, Paper birch, Betula papyrifera, don't ever seem to develop burls of any size. They would be extremely rare.
Does the texture change much as the burl dries?
I have to ask: who forged your gouge? Looks very effective.
I've not noticed a texture change. The other burls I carved have not changed at all over the years. I guess they must have been pretty dry when first cut. The gouge is a Hans Karlson dogleg.
Thanks. Karlsson has a reputation that stretches even all the way over here.
Not a snowball's chance in Hell of ever getting any of his tools, though.
Possibly there's some mechanical stability contributed by the twisted and tangled grain.
Pushing up pretty fast to +40C again this afternoon. Must descend into my basement shop (20C) and work on some carvings. Might be +45C by supper time.
Not a snowball's chance in Hell of ever getting any of his tools, though.
Possibly there's some mechanical stability contributed by the twisted and tangled grain.
Pushing up pretty fast to +40C again this afternoon. Must descend into my basement shop (20C) and work on some carvings. Might be +45C by supper time.
Did a little more today. Was tricky in places, being such an odd shape, but using the still thick top edge, and my thumb as a lever made it easier than I thought it would be. Filled it with water and its just shy of 200mls capacity, happy with that and will be more once finished. No handle, but its easily held with the thumb in the groove. Sipping edge to the right of the hand. It pours great too, with the spout shape on the right. I'll be removing a little more inside, and a few places outside.
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Carving? XXX tedious, shaping caterpillars. The life of a butterfly.
I am carving a pair of "story poles" which are 5" x 64" western red cedar.
Reading from the bottom up as usual, the pole begins with insect eggs then very small caterpillars above that. The 5 instars are bigger and bigger caterpillars but fewer and fewer of them (predation? disease? misfortune). At the top is a cocoon on the back side and a full butterfly on the top front. Wing span will be some 18" I think. I will need to use some paint to carry the story.
I have completed another story pole that describes the life of a frog from egg through the tadpoles developing legs to the mature adult frog at the top.
These are not projects for anyone with limited reserves of patience.
I am carving a pair of "story poles" which are 5" x 64" western red cedar.
Reading from the bottom up as usual, the pole begins with insect eggs then very small caterpillars above that. The 5 instars are bigger and bigger caterpillars but fewer and fewer of them (predation? disease? misfortune). At the top is a cocoon on the back side and a full butterfly on the top front. Wing span will be some 18" I think. I will need to use some paint to carry the story.
I have completed another story pole that describes the life of a frog from egg through the tadpoles developing legs to the mature adult frog at the top.
These are not projects for anyone with limited reserves of patience.
