Tag Archives: carving

Carving a Spoon

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by Woodsbum

I have been messing around with whittling and carving stuff since I was a kid, but they have all been horrible final products. Finally, I went ahead and picked up some actual wood carving knives of various sorts so that I could have a fair chance at coming up with something decent. The fact that my son got me the Work Sharp WSKTS also made a huge difference. I now don’t have to spend more than just a few minutes to touch up any blade.

I started off with a piece of cedar that had been pruned from the tree in my front yard. I stripped off the bark to get to the wood so I knew what I was working with. The branch I chose actually had been chewed on by some bug or worm a bit, but I figured that it would just add character.

Stripping off the bark

Stripping off the bark

The Steven Long I picked up a bit ago worked really well for this task. Once I got the bark all stripped off, I started carving out the actual bowl portion of the spoon to see how well the wood cut and carved. In all actuality, it seemed to cut really well.

Starting the bowl

Starting the bowl

Once I got everything rough shaped, I stared cutting away all the excess wood to get it down to the right size. This actually took a while and I found that many of my less exact cuts I made with my hook knife and chisel made a rough bowl and odd shape. Next spoon I make I will pay more attention and be more careful.

Rough Shaped

Rough Shaped

A little closer now. I am beginning to see the right shape and errors I made with carving the bowl. Of course it is too late at this point, but I start the process of trying to fix it.

A little closer

A little closer

Now is the time to start sanding it. I am not too sure how “smooth” I want to get it considering that the bowl is lop sided a touch. I figure I will hit it with 120 grit and call it a day, more than likely.

Starting to sand it

Starting to sand it

Here is how it finished up. When I saw how badly I shaped the bowl, I decided that 120 grit was smooth enough and that I would relegate this spoon to camping purposes.

Completed except for final finish

Completed except for final finish

Here are a few things that I learned during this process.

  1. Buy a cut resistant glove…….   and wear it…….
  2. Make sure that the bowl is perfect, straight and shaped correctly from the onset.
  3. Spend LOTS of time to get the bowl done and awesome before you take on the handle.
  4. Make the bowl deeper than you want it as a final product. That way you can take some off the top to get everything straight.
  5. The handle can be modified as needed to keep the bowl portion straight.
  6. Buy good carving knives and keep them sharp.
  7. Wood is much less forgiving than metal, so don’t get overzealous with each cut.

This was the first spoon that I have made that wasn’t a total embarrassment. I really learned a lot through this process and am looking forward to my next attempt. Follow on carvings should be much better for I learned a lot about how to get things on center and spaced correctly during this carving. As I do more, I will post them and let you know anything new that I learned.

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Kuksa – The Bushcrafter’s Coffee Cup

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by Woodsbum

There are many, many really cool things that you learn about when diving into the whole “bushcrafting” world. Different techniques for doing things that you have done for years, re-purposing old gear, making your own kit items, and learning about things that you didn’t even know existed are just some of the ways in which an outdoors-person can benefit. When I ran across wooden eating/drinking items, I was not too sure at first. After time, I found that building these things didn’t just help me to become better with cutting tools, but it also helped me to think differently about what I truly needed to carry with me into the woods. Although my spoons, bowls and cups are not ready for prime time I wanted to pass along the whole idea of making your own items. When I make something that is more than one step above functional, I will include pictures and do a post on it. Until then, please learn about the “kuksa.”

Kuksa and Guksi originate from Scandinavian drinking cups that were made from birch burls. Now a days you can find them from all sorts of varied wood types, but they are basically the same concept. They are hollowed out pieces of wood that make a cup shape and have a handle. Not a big innovation of design. They are, however, very nice to use. The ones that I have made seem to cool my coffee to a drinking temperature almost instantly and keep it there for a relatively decent amount of time. They also give something I like to call “style points.”

Here are a couple pictures of different kuksas so that you have an idea of what I am talking about.

Kuksa

Kuksa

Kuksa

Kuksa

As you can see, they differ in shape and handle style. The only common thread that they really seem to have is that they hold liquids and have a handle of some sort. Many are hand carved in the traditional construction method. Many are also done by machine or a combination of machine, knife and axe. Once completed, they are soaked in some sort of a non toxic oil, like vegetable oil, and allowed to dry so that they don’t crack out.

Here are a few videos on construction.

And another one:

Again, these are beautiful and function pieces of equipment that can either be carved or machined, all depending on your skills. So, grab some wood chunks and get to work making your own. It is a rewarding experience that can become a bit addictive over time.

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