Bowl/Cup carving questions

[THOaken]

Hello. Can anyone provide me with some good tutorials on carving bowls? I would like to start making simple bowls, cups and "kuskas" as I believe they're called, but I think a simple round bowl would be easier than a kuksa to start off with. I'm quite unfamiliar with the process as bowls and cups are quite different from eating utensils. What size of wood do I need? For starters could I just find a fallen log and carve something small from that? Is Birch best or will other woods such as Sycamore work? I believe chisels are used for the bowl but can I use the spoon knife?

Thank you.

 

[Two Socks]

The kuksas I have been posting on here lately have been carved with hatchet, knife and spoon knife. You dont really need more. Sycamore works well, and birch does too. Take half of a log to start with, and cut away the pith and inner growth rings. This will reduce splitting chances a lot. Then it is as straightforward as chopping out the rough shape, hollowing it out and finishing by knife. Google around for kuksa tutorials. I think there is a good one on the site you took other tutorials from before. I am on my phone now so cannot conveniently find it for you.

 

[THOaken]

Oh yes, of course. Thanks, Two Socks.

http://www.jonsbushcraft.com/Kuksa tutorial.htm

 

[THOaken]

Though I think I want to start by just making a simple rounded bowl.

 

[Limaed]

Why don't you try burning one out? I found the spoon knife work hard on the hands especially for a big job. You can burn most of bowl out then finish with the spoon knife.

 

[ozzy1977]

The skills and tools are the same as a spoon.

 

[shaggystu]

...I'm quite unfamiliar with the process as bowls and cups are quite different from eating utensils....

Not strictly true, on either point.

Cups, and Kuksas are more or less the same as spoons when you think about it. They're just spoons with really short handles and big deep bowls, and you already know how to make a spoon so you are familiar with the process.

Just crack on mate, you'll be fine.

Cheers,

Stuart.

 

[Two Socks]

I find simple round bowls more tricky than kuksas since there isn't anything to hold on to while hollowing. It is true what Shaggystu says. In a way a kuksa is an odd sort of spoon.

 

[mrmike]

Does it make any difference whether you carve the outside first then hollow the bowl or hollow first followed by the outside?

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[titanius anglesmith]

Hello all,
mrmike what I normaly do is rough shape the outside then carve out the bowl.After that I just refine the inside and outside. The trick is to try and keep the walls of the bowl cup etc, even that is, the same thickness. Hope that helps.
Regards Chris.

 

[mr dazzler]

Does it make any difference whether you carve the outside first then hollow the bowl or hollow first followed by the outside?

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In the past I have always shaped the outsides first, then the inside. But too many times I have had fails-including the dish I started in this video (where I later ruined by going too thin on the walls.....) .
http://youtu.be/AUoNRcJM5P0
I am going to try like how P Follansbee does, hollow the bowl out first then shape outside after. I also am realising I need to be more accuate with measuring out, truing up he face side etc. I have tended to adopt a "flowing organic" approach, but get too many fails-which is fine from the stoves point of view, but disheartening and wasteful of my time and energy.... I noticed that the Native American carvers take great care to establish center lines, measure, re-measure dimensions, wall thicknesses, use dividers to establish symmetry, make use of templates etc.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Nice vid here, using an axe only. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19ncMNDMl2E

 

[mrmike]

Cheers guys, will have another go...

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