Oak kuksa - a first effort

[Tiley]

This is my first kuksa made from oak. I now understand why historically they used that wood to make houses and battleships!

Any comments - savage or generous - or hints for the next one would be gratefully received.

Many thanks for looking!

Richard

 

[tomongoose]

Looks really good, how often did you have to sharpen your knife?

 

[mountainm]

Looks fantastic, is it oiled up?

 

[Mafro]

Thata really good Tiley. I like the big mug style handle and the nice grain of the wood. I look forward to seeing the next one already

 

[Barn Owl]

That's a beaut.

 

[Ape_Ogre]

Absolutely stunning...

 

[luckylee]

you don't need no hints mate, its perfect, well done on a great job.

 

[HHazeldean]

That is a lovely kuska, really nice for a first time!

 

[merrygold85]

Nice, lovely grain.

 

[Tiley]

Tomongoose, I sharpened once at the beginning and once at the end. In between, there was a LOT of stropping! My spoon knife did suffer but, after a little love and affection, seems to be back on form. Ultimately, a lot of the work was done with a Swedish Carving axe - what a superb tool that is!

Luckily, the oak was green (I felled the tree...) but, despite that was incredibly hard. I felt I had to work pretty fast to ensure that the drying cracks were minimal.

 

[Tiley]

Looks fantastic, is it oiled up?

Yes, it is. Have sanded it to the point where I couldn't straighten my fingers and gone through the process of raising the grain and sanding that off, I boiled it in salted water for about 20 minutes (I don't know how long it needs to be done for...) before oiling the outside of it with four coats of Liberon Finishing oil. I'm hoping the inside will take on a characteristic patina as I use it.

 

[dwardo]

Thats a lovely job.

 

[ex-member Raikey]

thats gorgeous mate,....

puts my first to shame,..

i like Oak tho,...its a b***h to work,...but the best results dont come easy,...

Stu

 

[Tiley]

Many thanks for the replies and undeserved compliments. There are a number of things that I want to get straight on the next one - things like getting the inside smooth and even, tweaking the handle a bit, getting the sides a bit thinner and so on.

I'm still not sure about this boiling in salted water lark. How salty should it be? How long should I boil it for? Although I like finishing oil (it's the stuff used on wooden kitchen work surfaces), are there any other recommended oils or whatever to finish the thing off? In quite another vein, does anyone know where I might be able to find some burl - birch or otherwise - as there's nothing worth sawing off down where I live?

As ever, many thanks for any tips, hints and help!

Richard

 

[ex-member Raikey]

Many thanks for the replies and undeserved compliments. There are a number of things that I want to get straight on the next one - things like getting the inside smooth and even, tweaking the handle a bit, getting the sides a bit thinner and so on.

I'm still not sure about this boiling in salted water lark. How salty should it be? How long should I boil it for? Although I like finishing oil (it's the stuff used on wooden kitchen work surfaces), are there any other recommended oils or whatever to finish the thing off? In quite another vein, does anyone know where I might be able to find some burl - birch or otherwise - as there's nothing worth sawing off down where I live?

As ever, many thanks for any tips, hints and help!

Richard

do a search for "turners retreat"

they have bowl blanks and all kinds of lovely burr stuff

not cheap but,.....

i scout for old furniture too,.....picked up an Oak Burr wine rack last week,..but its too nice to butcher....

 

[bear1873]

that is stunning mate ... well done .

 

[dancan]

Nice bit of work !