View Full Version : kuksa making instructions
mmcniven
07-11-2003, 23:13
Hi
I have already carved a Kuksa ( Finnish carved cup) but was wondering if there are any web sites that explain how it is done properly. I know that traditionally it is finished with paraffin and salt but how is this done. Any sources of info on this topic would be appreciated.
Michael :shock:
ChrisKavanaugh
08-11-2003, 06:17
Pop off an email to ragnar@ragweedforge.com I believe he has a text on the subject and firsthand knowledge. Tell him I sent you.
redcollective
18-09-2005, 01:01
Yes, have a look here: http://www.tregor.co.uk/nordic.html
Some nice ones on Kellam Knives (http://www.kellamknives.com/cart/shop.cgi/page=kuksas.html/SID=1127075611.13963) too.
Thought not quite sure why you'd want a knife in the handle of one. :)
redcollective
18-09-2005, 23:40
Also have a look at this post (http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?p=24432&mode=linear#post24432) for more information and some good links - if you trawl Bushcraftuk enough you'll probably find what you are looking for.
You've got me interested now. I've just finished a spoon with a bowl so deep and useless for eating it may as well be a kuksa!
Just spent the weekend at the Scottish Meetup doing just this - from a piece of greenwood birch from the site.
Took a log, split off two edges with an axe to leave a central rectangular cuboid shape. Sawed this into two lengthways to make two square blocks of wood - enough for two kuksas.
Draw out a rough circle cup shape on top - make sure the grain runs in the same direction as the handle, not across it.
Carve out a cup shape hollow with a spoon gouge, chop out or saw out a thinner handle shape from the rest.
Keep carving into the cup until its deep enough, then turn over and shave off the outside to round it off underneath.
Drill or carve two holes for fingers into the handle piece, then carve these out.
I'll post some pics of my progress once I get them off my camera.
Finally got round to offloading my camera pictures - and found that only one of the kuksa-making ones is clear - still it shows enough to give the idea of how it is formed out of a split log:
http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/%7Emrichar1/images//2005-10%20Second%20Scottish%20Meet/Kuksa%20Progress.jpg
The handle stem (eventually shortened a lot) was made with an axe, the bowl shape was worked with a rounded wood gouge and a spoon knife, the back of the bowl was worked at first with an axe, then with a small knife.
I'm now onto the coarse sanding stage (i.e its 'finished' but still has the odd nick or scratch here and there).
I'll post pictures of this and the fine sanding etc a bit later (hopefully less than two months time :D )
A few questions about the final finish. I've heard people recommend both the 'london finish' technique as well as boiling in salt water, followed by oiling.
Any advantages/disadvantages of london finish/salt boiling?
Which oil? Beeswax is presumably not heatproof, vegetable oil etc is probably not penetratinng enough, linseed might taint the flavour and take a long time to dry, and mineral oil probably isn't god for eating?
OK - http://www.yle.fi/matochfritid/hobby.php?id=121 suggests rough carving, then boiling in salt water (slows drying and prevents cracking) for 6-8 weeks, then sanding down, 'london finish' then fine sanding and oiling.
Jury is still out on the milk-boiling though...
It's not a kuksa but I just finished carving this tankard. Pretty much the same process. Right now it has a couple coats of mineral oil on it. The wood is butternut. You can see how it darkened up from the before and after shots.
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/images14/mug1b.jpg
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/images14/mug2b.jpg
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/images14/mug6b.jpg
BorderReiver
26-12-2005, 14:22
Very nice Hoodoo. :)
Right, here is the finished article:
http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/%7Emrichar1/images/bcuk/kuksa.jpg
(Sorry for the soft glow - the camera I'm using didn't like me). It holds about 250ml of liquid - i.e one mugful :D
I'm now applying a London Finish (i.e dipping in water, leaving to dry and sanding of the 'fuzz' that raises 2 or 3 times).
After that a good application of oil (probably sunflower or similar) and that should be it finished. The wood is birch and so has a beautiful grain when wet which I'm hoping the oiling will show...
Just seen the photo Match, now that is a lovely piece of work :)
Incidentally, historically boiling in milk was used to repair hairline fractures in porcelain cups. A croggie, a domestic hearth fired type of Scottish pottery that's been made for eons is sealed by pouring milk over it shortly after the pot is removed from the ashes and is still hot. The sealant works really well, hot or cold, and doesn't taint food.
Cheers,
Toddy
pierre girard
02-01-2006, 20:50
Hi
I have already carved a Kuksa ( Finnish carved cup) but was wondering if there are any web sites that explain how it is done properly. I know that traditionally it is finished with paraffin and salt but how is this done. Any sources of info on this topic would be appreciated.
Michael :shock:
We have something similar - canoe cup, or naagan. Here are a couple I did a number of years ago. The one on the left is birch burl. It is an 18th century French Canadian engage pattern. The one on the right is maple burl. I made the bottom flat so I could set it down. They were carved with a crooked knife. for the flat bottom one I had to fire up the forge and bend a crooked knife to an angle close to 90 degrees.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/pjjgirard/IMG_6915.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/pjjgirard/IMG_6918.jpg
PG
We have something similar - canoe cup, or naagan. Here are a couple I did a number of years ago. The one on the left is birch burl. It is an 18th century French Canadian engage pattern. The one on the right is maple burl. I made the bottom flat so I could set it down. They were carved with a crooked knife. for the flat bottom one I had to fire up the forge and bend a crooked knife to an angle close to 90 degrees.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/pjjgirard/IMG_6915.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/pjjgirard/IMG_6918.jpg
PG
nice work.. ;) do you use them still?for coffee?
Here's one I've been carving, as you can see I'm not finished yet. I'm going to leave the bit of bark on just to make it look different.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/landymartin/DSC00240.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/landymartin/DSC00241.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/landymartin/DSC00242.jpg
What wood is that Martin?
It's Silver Birch. It was a lump of fire wood I had with me the last time I went fishing. The pike didn't want to come out to play and I was getting a bit bored. I had my carving gear with me so I set to and made it while lent against my Landy watching my floats.
Great way to spend your 40th birthday :lmao:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/landymartin/DSC00205.jpg
Finished!
Having completed the london finish (repeated 3 times until there was no 'fuzz' rising to sand off) I then boiled the kuksa in vegetable oil for about 45 minutes, til it stopped bubbling (water and air escaping from the grain). This has darkened the wood a lot, but really made the birch grain look beautiful. Its happily stood up to both hot and cold liquids with no staining, and will hopefully serve me well with no more than an occasional oiling every now and then.
So here it is:
http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/%7Emrichar1/images/bcuk/kuksa-finalsm.jpg
http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/%7Emrichar1/images/bcuk/kuksa-insidesm.jpghttp://www.see.ed.ac.uk/%7Emrichar1/images/bcuk/kuksa-sidesm.jpg
My only advice to anyone repeating this process - if you boil it inside your house will smell like roasted peanuts for about a week afterwards :D
Now off to finish off my first attempt at making a whip...
pierre girard
03-01-2006, 05:13
nice work.. ;) do you use them still?for coffee?
Every trip - for everything I drink. We hang them off the belt or sash. Each one is made to hold exactly one cup - liquid measure. I have a very nice round bottomed one - in the same shape as the one at the left in the previous photo. The bottom is carved to look like a turtle. Wife has it stuck away somewhere and we couldn't find it.
My first really good burl cup (much nicer than either of those shown) had very thin walls to the cup. You can guess the rest. Very cold weather - very hot coffee - split right in half. I've made the walls thicker since.
I make a lot of them in aspen or basswood (very easy to carve) for re-sale, and when I used to guide - I would make one for each client - out on the trail.
I really like the looks of the kuksa's you-all have made - kind of a different style. Have never seen one before. Odd - with the number of Suomi around here. The only thing they make like that are birch sauna ladles.
I was intrigued by the link which said they were boiled a long time in salt water - to cure them. I've never done anything with them except wash them with warm water, dry them, and swish a little bear oil or olive oil around inside - and wipe off the excess. The flat-bottomed cup has a little crack in the lip. It was in the original piece of burl and has not cracked any more in 15 years of use.
PG
Every trip - for everything I drink. We hang them off the belt or sash. Each one is made to hold exactly one cup - liquid measure. I have a very nice round bottomed one - in the same shape as the one at the left in the previous photo. The bottom is carved to look like a turtle. Wife has it stuck away somewhere and we couldn't find it.
My first really good burl cup (much nicer than either of those shown) had very thin walls to the cup. You can guess the rest. Very cold weather - very hot coffee - split right in half. I've made the walls thicker since.
I make a lot of them in aspen or basswood (very easy to carve) for re-sale, and when I used to guide - I would make one for each client - out on the trail.
I really like the looks of the kuksa's you-all have made - kind of a different style. Have never seen one before. Odd - with the number of Suomi around here. The only thing they make like that are birch sauna ladles.
I was intrigued by the link which said they were boiled a long time in salt water - to cure them. I've never done anything with them except wash them with warm water, dry them, and swish a little bear oil or olive oil around inside - and wipe off the excess. The flat-bottomed cup has a little crack in the lip. It was in the original piece of burl and has not cracked any more in 15 years of use.
PG
why do they hang of your sash?do you walk around say when you are hunting with them on,or only when in the canoe,what is the purpose ??? :confused: thanks..
pierre girard
04-01-2006, 00:37
why do they hang of your sash?do you walk around say when you are hunting with them on,or only when in the canoe,what is the purpose ??? :confused: thanks..
More likely walking around. It's a traditional thing. In the canoe, I stuff it in the top of my pack or, using the toggle, attach it to a thwart. In the canoe, if we are on a large lake, I drink from the lake. In streams or smaller lakes, I am more careful due to giardia.
Purpose is - find a spring - take a drink.
PG
I was intrigued by the link which said they were boiled a long time in salt water - to cure them. I've never done anything with them except wash them with warm water, dry them, and swish a little bear oil or olive oil around inside - and wipe off the excess. The flat-bottomed cup has a little crack in the lip. It was in the original piece of burl and has not cracked any more in 15 years of use.
PG
The salt-water boiling is done to slow the drying of the cup. The initial carving is done in green wood, and then this is boiled in salt water to drive salt into the grain. This causes the wood to dry out much more slowly, which reduces the risk of cracking as the wood dries, especially since the wood has been carved to a quite thin wall.
The two steps I added - the London Finish and boiling in oil are both optional, but the London Finish gives a much nicer (and smoother) surface, making it nicer to drink out of and less absorbent and the oiling drives the oil deep into the grain meaning that even hot liquids and things with strong flavours don't make their way deep into the grain.
The salt-water boiling is done to slow the drying of the cup. The initial carving is done in green wood, and then this is boiled in salt water to drive salt into the grain. This causes the wood to dry out much more slowly, which reduces the risk of cracking as the wood dries, especially since the wood has been carved to a quite thin wall.
The two steps I added - the London Finish and boiling in oil are both optional, but the London Finish gives a much nicer (and smoother) surface, making it nicer to drink out of and less absorbent and the oiling drives the oil deep into the grain meaning that even hot liquids and things with strong flavours don't make their way deep into the grain.
do you let the oil dry before actually using the cup? :)
pierre girard
04-01-2006, 23:06
The salt-water boiling is done to slow the drying of the cup. The initial carving is done in green wood, and then this is boiled in salt water to drive salt into the grain. This causes the wood to dry out much more slowly, which reduces the risk of cracking as the wood dries, especially since the wood has been carved to a quite thin wall.
The two steps I added - the London Finish and boiling in oil are both optional, but the London Finish gives a much nicer (and smoother) surface, making it nicer to drink out of and less absorbent and the oiling drives the oil deep into the grain meaning that even hot liquids and things with strong flavours don't make their way deep into the grain.
I've done all my burl carvings in dry wood. Very hard work, but guarantees my work has not gone for naught. The cups I've made in green aspen and basswood are quickly done, and it is no great loss if they split, though I do some cups in green straight grain birch and maple that might benefit from the salt treatment. Thank you. Always good to learn something new.
PG
More likely walking around. It's a traditional thing. In the canoe, I stuff it in the top of my pack or, using the toggle, attach it to a thwart. In the canoe, if we are on a large lake, I drink from the lake. In streams or smaller lakes, I am more careful due to giardia.
Purpose is - find a spring - take a drink.
PG
hi pierre i was inspired by your cups,and the use of the toggles,so i added my own antler toggle to my cup,now i just need to make the canoe... :lmao:
[]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8/wolf_1965/c1.jpg[
[]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b8/wolf_1965/c2.jpg[
cheers..... :)
pierre girard
05-01-2006, 15:38
hi pierre i was inspired by your cups,and the use of the toggles,so i added my own antler toggle to my cup,now i just need to make the canoe... :lmao:
cheers..... :)
Toggle looks good! :) You want to have the thong long enough so it can go around your belt. The toggle needs to be long enough to go between the looped thong and hold it in place.
:lmao: Making a canoe is a little beyond what I can convey on a website. If you can come up with 12 to 14 pieces of birchbark 3 feet X 4 feet, 1/8 inch thick, and pliable - flatten them between two pallets - the top one filled with rocks, in a dry place, for a couple months, and we'll talk.
Truth is - I sold my birchbark canoe. Just too much trouble. I have eight others and it was just too much upkeep.
My grandfather and his fathers family never really liked birchbark canoes. Lot of work, and they'd only last two years in the rocky rivers near where they lived. They also built dugout canoes - some of which are still around. They would name the dugouts. My grandfather's dugout canoe was named "The Lone Trapper." Get two people in it, and it would capsize. They were very beautiful canoes. Looked more like a piece of parlor furniture than a canoe.
Here is how they would build them:
They would start with a piece of clear virgin white pine log. White pine is a very special wood - in that you can drive a large nail within a short distance of the end of a board and it will not split.
They would square one side (which would end up being the "top") with a broad-axe, draw the outline of the canoe, and take after it with axes to get the exterior roughed out. Then they would go after the exterior with drawknives and crooked knives. They would finish it with flat smooth stones and sand. Once they had the exterior looking the way they wanted it, they would drill a series of small holes the exact depth they wanted the thickness to be.
They would take an adz after the interior, followed by chizels, crooked knives, stones and sand. They would take out wood until they hit the small holes they'd drilled. They would plug the holes with the proverbial square peg in a round hole. When they had the tool work done, they would fill the dugout with water, and heat stones, lifting the hot stones into the dugout with two antlers. They would wedge the belly of the canoe out until the canoe reached the correct form. They later used a Model T jack for this. The wedging often took three or four times to get the shape correct.
These were extremely beautiful canoes made by people learned in their craft. They were about 5/8 inch thick on the sides, though they were thicker at the bow and stern. The texture was smooth as a gunstock. They were very heavy to portage though, and that is why they also made birchbark canoes.
Care of the dugout canoe included sinking them in deep water every winter, and laying canvas over them, so they wouldn't crack, when they were out of the water. The virgin white pine was very rot resistent.
About 1918 my grandfather bought a stove-in Oldtown canoe from the US forest Service, repaired it, and they never made another birchbark or dugout canoe. By the time I wanted to make a birchbark canoe, he really couldn't remember much about making them and I had to go elsewhere to find out how.
PG
do you let the oil dry before actually using the cup? :)
Surprisingly with the boiling technique, very little drying is needed. As the wood is hot when you take it out the oil, you just need to hang it up, and as the wood cools it traps the oil in the wood pores. After hanging up overnight it was dry enough to use for hot and cold liquids. The first cup or two had a very slight film of vegetable oil on the surface, but this soon disappeared.
Interestingly, I thought I should re-oil after trying out various liquids, so I rubbed some cold oil into the kuksa and hung it up to dry. The oil didn't really absorb at all and just dripped off the cup onto the floor, making a mess but showing that the wood really has sealed well :D
Mad Mike
06-01-2006, 12:09
This boiling in oil - how similer is this to deep fat frying :D
I was wondering how high a temp you use
Krispy Kuksa is not something I would want to make by accident
Anyone who speak finnish can translate this ?
http://gamma.nic.fi/~esa2k/kuksa.htm
I never knew the London Finish actually had a name before. I just thought it was wetting and sanding... :D
Anyone who speak finnish can translate this ?
http://gamma.nic.fi/~esa2k/kuksa.htm
It's not great but kindof (http://www.tranexp.com:2000/InterTran?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgam ma.nic.fi%2F%7Eesa2k%2Fkuksa.h tm&type=text&text=&from=fin&to=eng)
This boiling in oil - how similer is this to deep fat frying :D
I was wondering how high a temp you use
Krispy Kuksa is not something I would want to make by accident
Actually, its pretty similar :D
Although I tend to use the oil as cool as possible, I've not tested with a thermometer, but I guess its probably around 100-120C - I put the hob on its lowest setting, put the kuksa in the oil (completely submerged) and put that pan on the hob and it starts to bubble (millions of tiny bubbles of air/water come pouring out of the grain).
As soon as it is bubbling well I turn off the heat so it doesn't get any hotter, and leave it for 3-5 minutes, til the bubbles start to slow, then turn the heat back on to get it bubbling again - basically hot enough to drive the oil into the wood, but as cool as possible so as to not burn the wood at all (to be truthful, there is a darker patch on the bottom of the kuksa where the wood touched the metal pan, but if I do this again a small piece of pine or similar at the pan bottom would stop this).
And yes, when its finished , it does smell like a cross between freshly sawn timber and making pancakes :D
And yes, when its finished , it does smell like a cross between freshly sawn timber and making pancakes :D
Sounds nice! :) What do you do with the oil afterwards?
Have you considered boiling one in milk?
BorderReiver
09-01-2006, 16:32
It's not great but kindof (http://www.tranexp.com:2000/InterTran?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgam ma.nic.fi%2F%7Eesa2k%2Fkuksa.h tm&type=text&text=&from=fin&to=eng)
Tried a couple of them Stew,the original Finnish was easier to understand. :p :D
Tried a couple of them Stew,the original Finnish was easier to understand. :p :D
I just look a t the pictures... :rolleyes:
Sounds nice! :) What do you do with the milk afterwards?
Have you considered boiling one in milk?
I'm guessing you mean oil in that first sentence :)
I just poured it back into the bottle once it had cooled, and shoved it in the corner with 'wood oil' on it - I did point out to others that seeing as its vegetable oil, and all I did was boil non-toxic wood in it it would be fine for cooking, but this idea was not greeted with approval :)
Milk is my next project, although now I have a kuksa, it will probably be something else - maybe a nice spoon to go with it...
I also want to try making earth-fire pottery at some point, in which case milk-boiling is definitely what I'll be trying.
I'm guessing you mean oil in that first sentence :)
That's what I said! :p
Milk is my next project, although now I have a kuksa, it will probably be something else - maybe a nice spoon to go with it...
I also want to try making earth-fire pottery at some point, in which case milk-boiling is definitely what I'll be trying.
I've used milk and it requires more care than I gave it. I overboiled and ended up with lumpy bits on the spoons.
WhichDoctor
08-10-2006, 15:27
The only reason I'm posting on this thread is because it contains all the information that I've been looking for on making and treating Kuksa Cups. There seem to be a endless string of people wonting to make Kuksas, including me, many of them making new threads on the subject. Despite that I couldn't find half the information I was looking for until I found this one.
For some reason this thread didn't show up on any of the searches I did on the subject, maybe its just to old, I only found it vier a link from a nether old thread. so i thought I'd revive it and bring it to the attention of all the other newbe carvers like me.
Thanks doc for putting this tread on here , i recently made a kuska cup , pics posted on here .
I thought i would use it last week so i opened a bottle of wine it was great to drink from , but when i looked at it the next day it had cracked along the side and is stained badly , the sunflower oil i used didnt seal it at all , though the crack has now sealed its self back up again as the cup dried out .
Im gonna sand it back to clean wood then try the boiling in oil method
Hiker
bent-stick
09-10-2006, 14:16
I'm surp[rised no one has mentioned burnishing or boning. It works the oil in and closes off a lot of the pores. A leatherwork boner works well.
WhichDoctor
10-10-2006, 12:03
I'm surp[rised no one has mentioned burnishing or boning. It works the oil in and closes off a lot of the pores. A leatherwork boner works well.
Could you elaborate on that? I did a quick google and couldn't find any reference to burnishing or boning in connection with wood working. I know about burnishing pottery I didn't know you could do it with wood, it sounds interesting.
bent-stick
31-10-2006, 15:49
Sorry WD, Just saw your question.
Really simple technique, just rub the wood with lots of pressure with something hard and rounded. For large flat bits the bowl of a stainless steel spoon is good.
I use my leathermakers bone folder or a pork rib I rescued from the bin. It seals the pores and forces the grain together. I use it for the backs of my bows to force the oil in to the grain.
Try it out on any old bit of carved wood, you'll find you can get a good finish without oil or anything. It's even better if you burnish the oil into the wood.
Getting a good picture isn't easy but you can just see the burnished but of this spoon handle. (burnished is on the right)
http://img315.imageshack.us/img315/5639/burnishingxi8.jpg
It's not a kuksa but I just finished carving this tankard. Pretty much the same process. Right now it has a couple coats of mineral oil on it. The wood is butternut. You can see how it darkened up from the before and after shots.
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/images14/mug1b.jpg
Hoodoo - What kind of tool is this you're using? I've been doing something similar for a few months now on and off, but using a spoon knife is frustratingly difficult. :rolleyes:
Pillar drill with sander?
Hoodoo - What kind of tool is this you're using?
I'd have assumed that was one of the Flexcut carvers from the photo, but I'm not entirely sure.
Pillar drill with sander?
Funniest looking pillar drill i've ever seen ;)
Seriously though I've considered doing that but felt i'd rather carve it all by hand.
I was referring to the outside.
WhichDoctor
01-11-2006, 12:35
[QUOTE=bent-stick]Sorry WD, Just saw your question.
Really simple technique, just rub the wood with lots of pressure with something hard and rounded. For large flat bits the bowl of a stainless steel spoon is good.
I use my leathermakers bone folder or a pork rib I rescued from the bin. It seals the pores and forces the grain together. I use it for the backs of my bows to force the oil in to the grain.
QUOTE]
Thanks that looks really interesting, just having a surreptitious rub of my latest spoon with a teaspoon. I've actually got my first kuska half finished so ill have a go burnishing that. It sounds very much like burnishing pottery, strange how i've never herd of it before. Could it be use as a alternative to sandpaper in a bushcraft situation i wonder.
bent-stick
02-11-2006, 15:09
Here we go...
boning bows (http://www.primitivearcher.com/articles/boning.html)
this is specific to wooden bows but I finish a lot of my carvings with it.
Nordica Heat
23-11-2006, 10:18
I personally dont think a kuksa can be made out of the nordic countries.
Even in finland. the traditional kuksa makers are located in or near the artic circle where they can find gnarled birch!
WhichDoctor
23-11-2006, 12:13
I personally dont think a kuksa can be made out of the nordic countries.
Even in finland. the traditional kuksa makers are located in or near the artic circle where they can find gnarled birch!
I think in this case the term "kuksa" is used to describe a certain type of bowl/cup made out of wood, similar things have been made everywhere. In england I believe they were called noggins, in Canada they were and still are called canoe cups, there probably were similar things made all over Europe. For some reason "kuksa" has become the generic name for all of these.
P.S. does anyone have any information about english noggins, pictures etc? I've herd them mentioned on this site but haven't been able to fined anything about them on google. I'd be very grateful :) .
bent-stick
23-11-2006, 12:24
:eek:
:nono:
tut-tut.
Looks like a pretext for a commercial posting to me...
Nordica Heat
23-11-2006, 17:23
I think in this case the term "kuksa" is used to describe a certain type of bowl/cup made out of wood, similar things have been made everywhere. In england I believe they were called noggins, in Canada they were and still are called canoe cups, there probably were similar things made all over Europe. For some reason "kuksa" has become the generic name for all of these.
thanks for letting me know. I finnish people 's minds. a kuksa must be a drinking cup made out of gnarled birch in LAPLAND.
In linguistics. this phenominon is called..broadening--the meaning of the word broadened.
Hyvää jatkoa!Keep well going!
OzaawaaMigiziNini
28-11-2006, 00:01
I think in this case the term "kuksa" is used to describe a certain type of bowl/cup made out of wood, similar things have been made everywhere. In england I believe they were called noggins, in Canada they were and still are called canoe cups, there probably were similar things made all over Europe. For some reason "kuksa" has become the generic name for all of these.
P.S. does anyone have any information about english noggins, pictures etc? I've herd them mentioned on this site but haven't been able to fined anything about them on google. I'd be very grateful :) .
Noggin, is a desending word of the Ojibway word "Naagan" which is Ojibway for cup.
pierre girard
29-11-2006, 07:00
I personally dont think a kuksa can be made out of the nordic countries.
Even in finland. the traditional kuksa makers are located in or near the artic circle where they can find gnarled birch!
All you need is a birch or maple burl. As OzaawaaMigiziNini says, here they are called naagans or canoe cups. English colonials referred to any utensil made of wood as "treenware.":
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/pjjgirard/Tools%20and%20Camping%20Gear/IMG_6905.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/pjjgirard/Tools%20and%20Camping%20Gear/IMG_6918.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/pjjgirard/Tools%20and%20Camping%20Gear/IMG_6915.jpg
Treenware:
http://www.spooners.com/
http://www.woodsurgeon.com/treenware.htm
OzaawaaMigiziNini
30-11-2006, 15:55
Have a big maple burl outside... and now that I have a hook knife... hmmm