# Kuksa



## dancan

I had some fresh cut wood dropped off a big thanks to Jerry (Pioneerguy600) since I've got a foot in a cast so I can carve up a few spoons and such .
Since I have some time on my hands I decided to carve some kuksa's .
One of the 3' logs was about 8'' at the but so I decided I try to split it leaving the heartwood section in the part that I wasn't going to be using with an axe and wedges , I was amazed at how easy birch split , I'm sure stringier stuff/bigger/dryer stuff would be different and I'm just putting this up to show that you don't need a bunch of equipment if you want to start carving a bit of wooden ware . 
Here's a bit of the process and a couple of kuksa's .







I drove the axe in on one side of the heart and then a plastic wedge to get the axe out .






I followed the split with more wedges 






With a bit of tapping it split easily to the end and I was left with 2 pieces , heart in 1 half .






X marks the spot to be hollowed out .






A bit of chisel and spoon knife work later , 1 hollow spot .






A bit of axe work later .






Here's the rough one besides a kuksaI made from a piece of beech firewood .






Idle hands is the devil's playground so I make these and spoons to keep me busy .
The wife likes them and some of the better pieces will end up being gifts .


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## pioneerguy600

dancan said:


> I had some fresh cut wood dropped off a big thanks to Jerry (Pioneerguy600) since I've got a foot in a cast so I can carve up a few spoons and such .
> Since I have some time on my hands I decided to carve some kuksa's .
> One of the 3' logs was about 8'' at the but so I decided I try to split it leaving the heartwood section in the part that I wasn't going to be using with an axe and wedges , I was amazed at how easy birch split , I'm sure stringier stuff/bigger/dryer stuff would be different and I'm just putting this up to show that you don't need a bunch of equipment if you want to start carving a bit of wooden ware .
> Here's a bit of the process and a couple of kuksa's .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I drove the axe in on one side of the heart and then a plastic wedge to get the axe out .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I followed the split with more wedges
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> With a bit of tapping it split easily to the end and I was left with 2 pieces , heart in 1 half .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> X marks the spot to be hollowed out .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A bit of chisel and spoon knife work later , 1 hollow spot .
> 
> 
> 
> Idle hands is the devil's playground so I make these and spoons to keep me busy .
> The wife likes them and some of the better pieces will end up being gifts .



I have a few gouge chisels if they would help in any way.


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## dancan

I'd certainly like to give them a try , there's probably fifty some odd different spoon knives and lord knows how many chisels and gouges out there and I'd hate to have to buy them all to see that I'm just as bad with the cheapest as the most expensive LOL


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## pioneerguy600

dancan said:


> I'd certainly like to give them a try , there's probably fifty some odd different spoon knives and lord knows how many chisels and gouges out there and I'd hate to have to buy them all to see that I'm just as bad with the cheapest as the most expensive LOL



I will look them up and drop them off to you.


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## ChainFinn

Do i see li´l bit of _bushcraft_er there 

Old axes, Opinel folder, wooden mauls and kuksas...... i can only like this stuff.


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## dancan

ChainFinn said:


> Do i see li´l bit of _bushcraft_er there
> 
> Old axes, Opinel folder, wooden mauls and kuksas...... i can only like this stuff.



I've had most of the knives , axes and stuff before I found the bushcraft sites and I've only been playing with the spoons and stuff for a over a year .
When I look back at things I guess we did a lot of bushcrafting things growing up not knowing about bushcraft .


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## ChainFinn

dancan said:


> I've had most of the knives , axes and stuff before I found the bushcraft sites and I've only been playing with the spoons and stuff for a over a year .
> When I look back at things I guess we did a lot of bushcrafting things growing up not knowing about bushcraft .



yep, i know what you mean, really. We dont have any finnish translation for the "bushcraft" word, and its not really even a know "hobby " here, but many guys here, that are, like me, born and raised on countryside and in the woods, have been whittling and crafting since were kids, and just some 4 years ago people started to realise that theyre bushcrafters 

Anyways, nice to see people doing crafts of any type, using creativity, simplified tools and techniques, i think.


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## swift4me

Very nice. I like the Opinel too. I have an old carbon Opinel I've had for twenty plus years with a broken blade that I use as a scraper for my turkey calls. Great knives.

The Basques here used to make a very interesting wooden bucket for milking sheep that wasn't symmetrical, but had an angled side and a broad bottom to prevent tipping. I can't find a picture. I thikn you just showed me how they made them though.

Great work.

Pete


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## BrokenToys

..sneaks in from the chainsaw, log splitter, and firewood forums...

just trying this today; seems like a lot of fun and looking forward to making my first one today [or fair attempt at it]. yours looks nice too. 

..goes back to the chainsaw, log splitter, and firewood forums...


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## BrokenToys

BrokenToys said:


> ...looking forward to (making a bunch of firewood) my first one(s) today



First two ended up splitting down the centers when making the handle and ended up in the wood stove; and the third I ended up finding a longer piece of cherry with a nice hollowed out burl at the end and went to town. It is a lot of fun; and even had my son out and let him carve the handle on a second one. NOw I know when I find some birch to keep it aside for these things. Spent about 4 hours outside just sitting on a log whittling away.


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## woodchuck357

*I cheat a little*

and use the splits I find that have grown around cut off limbs, sometimes the stub of the limb leaves an already made hole.

Nice work!


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## tylerbeach3

I cheat too! I axe a blank out, usually oak of some kind, I like valley oak, then with enough wood left I put an ember from the fire on the spot I want to be the bowl or spoon. I hold down the ember with tongs and blow to light the spoon on fire. It goes faster than you'd think. Now I got the bowl part made it goes to the shavehorse. First draw knife the spoke shave. My girlfriend and I spend hours around the fire doing this. I need a spoon knife and gouge though to try to do it the traditional way instead of my "canoe " method.


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## dancan

I haven't made any in a while but if the winter doles out some bad weather I'll make a few and some spoons for gifts .
I've made a couple of coffee scoops from oak , not my favorite wood to work with and it has open pores so it's not the best for liquids except wine , beer and spirit ageing LOL


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## tylerbeach3

Beautiful


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## dancan

Thanks , they're fun to make .


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## pioneerguy600

dancan said:


> Thanks , they're fun to make .



I have some nice white birch I can drop off for you. I need to chip out another stew pot paddle for the Red Island roast.


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## tylerbeach3

What a fun project! Thanks for the ideas/motivation! Sun went down and I'm a little tired, I'll Finnish (pun intended ) the kuksa tomorrow morning and put the pic up.


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## pioneerguy600

I really like your ,shave horse. Did you make it?


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## tylerbeach3

I wish. I'm making one soon. Thought I'd start with the kuksa donkey lol. I have a piece of oak cut for the bench for a shave horse, it heavy and awkward. I'll post a pick, there are really nice simple plans for a shave horse made out of one log by that guy Roy underhill.


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## pioneerguy600

The ones I had growing up were basically made from 3 pieces of hardwood planks, likely yellow birch. Spent countless hours with a drawknife in my hands along with spoke shaves and all manner of carving knives I just made any knives I wanted for doing any special work/projects, was easy with a forge in the workshop.


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## tylerbeach3

Sounds great, we forge a little on the fire pit with manzanita and a hair drier. Like I said earlier in this blog "I cheat". It would be great to have a real forge. Old files seem to be the best for knives yea?


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## tylerbeach3

This ones not going as fast s I thought


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## pioneerguy600

I just used any good tool steel, especially liked turning old planer blades and power hacksaw blades into knives, seemed as good as any store bought knives I used.


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## dancan

Looking good Tylerbeach3 !


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## tylerbeach3

Thanks dancan, check out some pine spoons.


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## tylerbeach3




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