Wooden Cup (Kuksa)

Intro: Wooden Cup (Kuksa)

I love kuksas and wooden cups so i was so excited when i saw the potential for one in a piece of elm i found after a trimming company trimmed a tree on main street.

What you need:

-Hatchet.

-Drill.

-Woodworking rotary files

-Chisels or just a pocket knife.

-Sandpaper

-Epoxy (the cheapest kind will do)

-Some type of oil to finish it

STEP 1: Roughing the Shape

I found an elm branch with a smaller branch coming off of it. The main branch will be the cup part, and the branch coming off will be the handle. The top side was already flat from the chain saw, so i roughed out the outside or bottom of the cup. I used a hatched for this part.

STEP 2: Starting the Hole for the Cup

I started the hole in the center of the kuksa with a spade bit, and then i used some chisels to hollow out the rest of the cup. I carved this wood while wet knowing that it would probably crack when it dried. I just thought i would take care of that when i came to it.

Just keep hollowing the hole out, don't go too deep or thin on the walls though. The smaller branch was still long, and i kept it long so i could have a handle to hold on to while i chiseled. The wet wood was great to carve and this was a fun step.

STEP 3: Thin the Walls

I used a rotary file and a rotary rasp in a drill to hollow out the inside and smooth the outside. By the way, this does not work very well on wet woods. Actually it only works until the tool gets gummed up with wood, which happens almost immediately.

I waited until the cup mostly dried before i started this step. The bottom of the cup contained the center of the branch so it cracked when it dried.

STEP 4: Fill Cracks With Epoxy

The bottom of the cup cracked, and some other cracks developed along the handle. I just used cheap five minute epoxy to fill in the cracks.

STEP 5: Lots of Sanding

If this step does not require large amounts of sanding then you obviously did a much better job on the other steps then i did. I just progressed from 60 grit to 1500 grit. You can sand however much you want, but i like the polished look.

STEP 6: Oiling and Admiring

I used mineral oil, but if i were going to choose again i would use coconut oil. After three coats it kept its shine. Its finally done. whew what a trip

Make sure and enjoy what you made after your done with it. Go show it off to your family and friends.

Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment on your thoughts and or any input you may have.

I enjoyed making this wood cup and making this instructable, I hope you guys can enjoy it also.

Comments

[Kyleluvspets]

I decided to make a kuksa, after lots of time reading about them. I am using a cypress log that was spilt in half, and I have already carved out the inside. I need advice. The piece is about 5 inches thick and sanding down to the shape is no option. How should I cut out the shape? Thanks.
Kyle

[Corinbw]

if you have a bandsaw, then I would carefully cut it with that, if you don't have that then I would use a hatchet and just hack away at the outside until you get closer to the right size. As you get closer to the size you want, then you start using smaller knives. You could also use a belt or disk sander to finishing thinning the walls.

A picture of where you are stuck at would help me give more ideas. And plus I just want to see it. Thanks for commenting

[merictaylan]

lovely form and 'ible. I always wanted a kuksa, will try to make one :) thank you!

[buck2217]

Very attractive project

[Shoops1111]

Looks nice. If you had a thicker handle part you could have drilled finger holes.

[Corinbw]

thanks and yeah but I did not want the finger holes anyway so I am okay with the handle I have.

[kylie.nay]

This is so awesome! I had never seen anything like this until Corin showed it to me. It is so beautiful!!

[Dlhornscxm]

Very inspirational, I have some wood leftover from one our trees being cutdown. Thanks to you, I now know what I must do with it. It's been sitting for almost two years, I hope the cracking issues will be to a minimum.

[Corinbw]

since it has been a while drying, then you should be fine. I hope you enjoy making them. There are some other instructables out there on kuksas if you need more ideas. Thanks for the kind comment, and pleaseost pictures when you're done.

[Corinbw]

I was almost finished when I rememberded the boiling step, but I did keep it submerged for a while while carving and hollowing.

[chesterdad]

I'm curious~ Wouldn't the coconut oil go rancid eventually? The basic use of walnut or mineral oil -- rather than say cooking oil or olive oil -- is that they won't go rancid later. Will coconut oil become rancid?

The bowl is a gorgeous piece of art!

[Corinbw]

That was part of the reason I used mineral oil instead. I dont know how long it would take to go rancid, or if it even would. I will do some research on that, but I have used coconut oil before and nothing had gone rancid yet. Thank you

[Basement_Craftsman]

Any tips on stopping the cracking. It is a woodworking concept that has always baffled me?

[Turtlemom3]

All woodworkers know that "wood moves" - especially when the wood is wet (green) and drying out. So cracks will appear. Stopping cracking is between difficult and impossible. LOL! So, my suggestion is to start with wood that is fairly dry to begin with, and be prepared to use a lot of epoxy or superglue.

As I looked at this lovely shape, however, I stopped and thought how much easier and quicker it would be to use my lathe to accomplish the same thing.

[tucker135]

I live in the tropics and it is common for local craftsmen to carve pangas (dug-outs) with out-riggers from whole tree trunks. They keep the exterior of the trunk damp so the trunk will dry from the inside out. They also drill small holes through the exterior shell that relives the stresses encountered while drying. These holes are then filled with a hydraulic cement mixed with pulverized wood before launching.

[Corinbw]

it's good to know someone has solved that problem. Thanks for the input. It makes sense that it would work.

[Corinbw]

In reply to the last three comments, I would just like to say thank you for the advice and new information. I too thought epoxies were inert after curing, and this was also confirmed by a couple of my teachers and also many articles. I will take this new information into account when I make other items. Thank you. As for the drying process, I just let it slowly dry as I finished hollowing out the inside with a rotary rasp and rotary file. I didn't apply the epoxy until it was completely dry.

[Switch and Lever]

Some epoxies are safe, some are not. You basically have to look up the manufacturer and the MSDS to understand whether it's alright to use or not. Either way, it should not be used for food contact until it is completely cured and outgassed, which can for regular epoxy glues take a full month. Even if it feels fully cured after a few hours, or a day, does not mean that it is, there are still chemical processes going on.

[Corinbw]

thank you For the information. That is good to know

[Pothuset]

What a beautyful piece of art.