My first kuksa

[Brandon-C]

So I've carved plenty of spoons and other things before but have never done a kuksa but I've always really liked them. About a month ago I moved to Scottish Highlands so basically I can get as much wood as I can carry for free and this is what finally pushed me over the edge. I'm not really sure what type of wood it is but maybe a type of cherry? Not really sure but there's lots of it around here along side birch and a few other species. Also the piece I had there is a white spot on the front that seemed to go too deep in the wood to carve out.

Anyway I carved the blank and basic shape with my Brades Criterion hatchet, then refined it with a small mora carving knife and carved the bowl/holes with a flexcut carving jack. The carving jack tools were quite small so it took quite a while to carve I obviously need so proper bigger tools.

So yeah it's not a great looker but for my first I'm decently happy.
Thanks.

 

[crosslandkelly]

Nice work, looks very usable.

 

[Brandon-C]

Thanks! Yeah hopefully it'll be usable, I've baked the oil in the bowl good so just need to test it now.

 

[Macaroon]

Looks great to me, especially for a first go. I think the 'white spot' on the front and at the rear of the handle give it a lot of character, and the design of the handle itself is very individual. Very nice

 

[Janne]

Great job! Very professional.
The handle is non traditional (with the finger hole) but as it gives a greater strength, I think it is perfect!
Also, a nicely figured wood you chose.
What kind of oil did you use?

 

[SoldierPalmer]

I'm very impressed for a first attempt Janne has also said about the handle (though it is very practical) the more marked and spalted the wood the better in my opinion. Good job

 

[Robson Valley]

Spalting is fungus rot/decay. I'll settle for clean wood. True, it's more interesting. I recall that burl woods were preferred.
The white wood? Possibly the sap wood just underneath the bark?
I can imagine that the feel of that handle design would be soft yet secure. Must remember that.

Despite the good crooked knife bladesmiths here in the Pacific Northwest, I am looking seriously at several of the
Ben Orford crooked knives. I suspect they are very good value for the money.

An unspoken trick to consider is to hog out most of the waste wood from the bowl void with a Forstner bit in a drill press.
Knock away the remaining webbing and settle into the real carving of the wall.

 

[Janne]

I do not think that the fungus/rot is harmful, specially not if it has been killed by hot oil.
In best case he might have visions about the future and cool stuff like that!

Mora make some good knifes for bowls. Cheap and good quality.

Beautiful work like this are only increasing the list of my future projects!
4 projects on the go now.

 

[Brandon-C]

Looks great to me, especially for a first go. I think the 'white spot' on the front and at the rear of the handle give it a lot of character, and the design of the handle itself is very individual. Very nice

Cheers and yeah I do think it adds a bit of natural imperfect character.

 

[Janne]

What oil did you use?

 

[Brandon-C]

I have seen quite a few with different handle designs but didn't know the none hole design was traditional, might have ago at making one. For the oil I used what I had around which was jojoba oil which probably sounds odd but it's worked on spoons in the past. Thanks.

 

[Brandon-C]

I'm very impressed for a first attempt Janne has also said about the handle (though it is very practical) the more marked and spalted the wood the better in my opinion. Good job

Thanks a lot!

 

[Brandon-C]

That's quite true, the bowl's fine but still it's not perfect. I've seen quite a lot made of burl wood, definitely much more beautiful.
I was thinking the same about the white wood but it was just that specific places on the wood and it seemed to run deep so I left it.
I got the inspiration for the handle from Instagram which is a really great place for checking other people work.
Thanks for all the advice I'll definitely take it all to mind for the next time I carve another.

 

[Brandon-C]

We'll have to see, how does a fortune teller make?
I've used a mora I think it was the single edge crook so they're definitely on my watch list.
Thanks!

 

[Janne]

If you want to make a traditionsl kåsa, then yhe wood selection becomes important. Hence they used a burl with attached surroundiing trunk. The bowl made from the burl and the handle from the straighter grained trunk. The wood fibers need to run nicely along the handle. Even more important if you do an inlay on the handle from horn.

I have a couple of Same made kåsas and can see how they selected the wood.

Your bowl is seems very close to perfect. Do remember yours is hand carved, all the commercial ones are largely machine made. Even the Same 'artisan' made are usually machine made in part.
No carver can hand carve a perfect bowl on the outside and inside, and thin, if he wants to make money to live.

You saw the machine made, cheap kåsas online with the holes for fingers.
The ones I have seen both in Norway and Sweden are not made from burl wood, but from normal timber, hence the design and thickness of the wood. They need to be strong to be useful and not brake.
Remember, birch burl is a rare occurance.

 

[Dean]

Great job on your first kuksa, pretty much what I was going to say has been said by others, can not wait to see your next one.

 

[forginhill]

Very nice! I like the white spot in the wood. Coffee tastes better from a kuksa... And having one hanging from your pack is pretty cool.

 

[Brandon-C]

Cheers for all the information it won't go amiss. I've still got a lot to learn not just with kuksas but with wood working in general but I'm getting there.

 

[Brandon-C]

Thanks a lot! Got to finish some spoons first but then I'll be finding some more/better wood for my next kuksa

 

[Brandon-C]

Thanks and I definitely can't wait to have my first proper drink out of it when I'm out camping