Craft Your Cup: Easy Wooden Mug Making!

Prepare to embark on a magical journey into the realm of woodworking as we delve into the fascinating art of crafting a Kuksa - the legendary wooden drinking cup! So grab your axes, chisels, and a hefty dose of enthusiasm as we transform a simple log of firewood into a vessel worthy of epic sips!
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[@Glorfindel_117]

Make a spoon next! Then you can have a little bit of soup or stew in there too!

[@holbertshawn85]

Who needs a spoon when you can sip soup from this!

[@Glorfindel_117]

@@holbertshawn85 because soup has stuff in it, that you cant just sip out.

[@markfergerson2145]

It was standard for people to carry their own eating knife and a spoon for centuries (forks not being a common thing until relatively recently). A spoon, shaped to fit the curve of the bowl and made from the same piece of wood would be perfect. An eating knife with a handle also made from that same piece of wood would complete the set!

[@edwarddavis7858]

You don't need a spoon in a bowl like this. You just sip out of it, like they did in ye olde days

[@russrandall4834]

Welsh love spoon...

[@lord.tomioka]

Life in Finland: When I was in 6th grade in elementary school, we went for a five day hike in Lapland as a field trip. Every student were handed a pre-hollowed block of birch and during the hike we whittled those into our own kuksas (every one had knifes with us anyways). The kuksas also had threads hanging from them, and each time we climbed on top of a tunturi (small mountains) we got a different colored beads to hang from the threads. Seeing this video made me think that maybe now, after 15 years, I should make a new, better one.

[@SkillTree]

Has it lasted the full 15 years? If so, that is awesome!

[@lord.tomioka]

@@SkillTree It has been a good while since I've used it, don't know if it still holds

[@charlesmckinley29]

Sixth graders with KNIVES!!! Oh the horrors! 😱😱😱 (heavy sarcasm) Sounds like a cool trip.

[@DavidUthmann]

LOVE the idea of adding beads and decorations to show significant adventures!

[@DanielMaixner]

​@@charlesmckinley29 Used to be so normal when I was a kid (also about 17 years ago) I know you're kidding but in UK you have to be 16 (or 15 not sure) to buy a pair of scissors, what has the world come to

[@awkwerdcreations408]

Couple of observations: 1. I have been wanting to make a Kuksa for a while, this is great inspiration 2. Love the wrench knife, its really smart 3. Love the idea that the piece decided it wanted to look that way, and you just rolled with it. I need to learn to do that a lot more 4. No one is surprised you like to burn things. Not a single person

[@julialewis8794]

All of this is true

[@awkwerdcreations408]

@@droopy_eyes weak

[@NoJusticeNoPeace]

My suggestion is to make a porron to go with your collection. A porron is a container (usually glass, but can be wood or gourd) with a bent straw-like spout at the top so that when it's tipped, the contents shoot out in a stream. It was traditionally used in Spain to allow multiple people (often soldiers or hunters) to drink wine from the same container without having to touch their lips to it.

[@EverettVinzant]

You had me at wine.

[@heatherholland1051]

Who doesn't like a better way to share wine😉

[@LadyVineXIII]

That sounds brilliant. Such a great idea for drink sharing.

[@rubenskiii]

That sounds like something i theorize could be made quite easily using a real cork and one of those metal straws. Sometimes in restaurants you see these oil bottles that use something like you described so maybe you could also use that for such a project.

[@zoescott779]

Try doing your whole cutlery set for when you larp, fork, spoon, wooden knife for spreads and soft food(like a butter knife) ect, even a little saucer to go with your kuska for snacks! And a leather carry case!

[@PatrickCordaneReeves]

So, the way you did this is excellent, good job. Just a pointer though. The boiled linseed oil they sell at the home improvement stores isn't just what it says on the tin. It also includes drying agents that really aren't super food safe. Shouldn't kill ya since it's on the outside of the mug, but... I would suggest maybe butcher block oil (which is largely beeswax and carnauba wax) for the exterior, OR if the body of the mug still gets fairly warm, then you could just use raw linseed oil. It takes a lot longer to dry (couple days to a couple weeks, depending on your humidity), but it's also perfectly food safe, as it's basically food (linseed, flax, flaxseed, all the same plant).

[@adambacchus839]

Yeah, I was thinking the same about the boiled linseed - it's pretty toxic. Another popular finishing oil among spoon carvers and other green wood workers is walnut oil. You can get it at grocery stores. Very cool kuksa - I like the happy accident feature!

[@amjbailey8123]

Love your energy when explaining your work, shows how much you love what you do.

[@Struthio_Camelus]

Food grade flax seed oil (from the healthfood store) will do the same thing as boiled linseed oil - and is food (coffee) safe.

[@uniballoutlaw]

You can use butcher block oil which is food safe compared to some other wood oils

[@WigglesMother]

I was going to suggest cutting board oil, which I think might be the same thing (or at least very similar). We picked some up (along with cutting board wax) to treat a wooden bowl we'd received secondhand that was drying out and needed to be essentially refinished with something food-safe. Also a good choice for people who don't have coffee on hand and don't want to buy it to finish a cup.

[@Rocketsong]

Mineral oil. Cutting board oil is Mineral Oil. Small bottle lasts forever.

[@jamieshoemaker9986]

Fire wood makes honestly amazing knife handles. You can find so much character in big pieces that you would normally have to pay an arm and leg for for pre cut handle scales

[@JAB671]

I was at a campground a few years ago and got into a conversation with a camper in the next spot. He was using wood from a tree that had died on his property for his campfire. It was some kind of plum wood that had a reddish, almost purple cast tonite (although not nearly as purple as purpleheart). I commented that I would love to make some knife scales out of that wood and he told me to take as much as I wanted. I just picked out one or two of the pieces I thought looked best and still have them. They are waiting for the right project. My nephew just recently got a propane forge and I am thinking of getting one, too so the 'right project' may be a long soon.

[@DrTurtleBee]

Sounds like your next skill up is pottery. Make your own ceramic mug. I mean wooden mugs are nice, but still have the same sealing problems.

[@SkillTree]

Ceramics would be FUN. Maybe make my own clay oven?

[@EverettVinzant]

@@SkillTree There’s a set of directions on KZbin for taking an old ceiling fan, a 5 gallon bucket, and a ceramic pizza cooking sheet and making your own electric wheel for throwing ceramics.

[@yourLittleSinner]

​@@EverettVinzant I need to find these instructions

[@Mu-podcast]

Here's my idea for an accessory for your kuksa. Make a lid for it. While you obviously won't put liquid in it and carry it on your belt, at an event, you may want to set it down on a table and not have bugs fly into it. Carve a lid that will fit into the opening and cover it so it stays bug free. A piece sticking off the side with another lanyard would make it easily carried in the same way as the cup. Or a bag to put the lid in so they don't bump together and possible crack. The bag can be used as a trivet, and hold a spoon too.

[@craigsurette3438]

European pre modern people made lids out of a piece of rawhide they soaked in water, and stretched over the tops of their pots/bowls, and then let dry there until they shrunk fit. These are like pre modern tupperware lids and work fantastically

[@katherinehartner6170]

This might be more fiddly than what you're imagining, but I've watched my aunt make pitcher and glass covers from a small circle/square/triangle of cloth such as handkerchief fabric with beadwork, such as fringe, around the edges. The beadwork acts as a weight to keep the cover on and the cloth keeps bugs out of the drink. Of course, you could also carve a disc of wood into a cool lid shape. Options!

[@robbiestapleton9080]

Glad you saw a kuksa in the wild and gave it a go. I had suggested one a ways back for when you were looking for a hot beverage vessel but it must have gotten lost in the comments. Another great and more stable way to seal a kuksa is soaking it in tung oil. Its food safe and a hardening oil so once its cured it wont flavor your drinks. It also makes it impossible to dry out if its not being used since the oil is hardened into the wood. Great job on your kuksa!

[@paulw6550]

Excellent! Now I have to look to the wood pile (again). I have used bundled wood for smokers, specifically mesquite for many projects. I have made powder flasks from bison leg bones, capped with mesquite from the bundle, knife handles, inlay for other wood projects, powder flask from a coconut (In a bit of nostalgia watch Disney's Swiss Family Robinson, and decided my naval flintlock needed a coconut powder flask), bases are mesquite. Had a couple of pieces that are scheduled to be a wooden drink flask, just have not gotten to them. So many projects, so little time.

[@stephefw7601]

Pro tip: A chisel works best with the flat side facing away from the wood, and the ground facet held almost-flat against the wood. Aka you are holding your chisel upside down. With the “nose” of the chisel facing out, any grain will catch the blade and push it down into the wood, with no leverage to correct the angle. This can cause dangerous gouges that can break out suddenly and cause injury. With the “bent” end close to the wood, you can control the pitch that the blade enters the wood at, and the edge will tend to deflect upwards not inwards.

[@farleysmith4074]

Also wear some type of cut resistant gloves, I was having visions of chisel slipping and doing damage to your hand that was holding block of wood. Maybe finding different ways to hold/ brace wood while you carve.

[@fjolliff6308]

A bowl for light foraging and putting your cooked food in. And a 3 prong fork could be a challenge! Might as well also make a spoon for cooking and eating with. A "knife" for spreading butter and soft things. You'd have a whole table set then.

[@TonyMcCormick]

I carve a lot of stuff from a birch my neighbor felled. Candle holders, cups, spoons, butter spreaders… love found wood and doing mixed hand and power tools . Keep the magic going.

[@nicolaspeters5980]

Maybe you should try growing some of your own bottle gourds. A few years back i got some "giant bottle gourd" seeds from the livingstone brand at a local greenhouse and despite not even having a long enough time to grow them until they dry on the stem i hollowed out the gourd and let it dry for several weeks. That thing can be chucked across a room without any problems

[@rockinrswoodshop]

Dear lord, watching Kit use a hand plane correctly was amazing! But since you have a forge and some woodworking skills: I ISSUE A CHALLENGE TO YOU!!! Forge a draw knife out of some decent steel, and make the wooden handles for it. Makes taking the bark off of things a lot easier, and will open up a lot more things that you can make with it as well. Madi! Make him add it to the list! And I will follow it up with my own!

[@kieranneale973]

100% going to make one of these. I’m heading to the woods tomorrow to get myself a ye old lump O wood 🤙

[@AvenRox]

I love that little lifehack about making a spoon knife out of something round and metal like a wrench! I want to get a spoon carving kit myself, but I don't have a lot of money and way too many hobbies 😅

[@syriuszb8611]

I see that the accidental groove not only looks good, but also gives a support for fingers if held with both hands! It's much better with this groove!

[@ClearlyPixelated]

I like my coffee like I like my magic...Very nice sir! I'll be using that one.

[@shakyarcher]

I'm a woodcarver & I carve a lot of spoons, bowls & cups (mostly spoons). I treat them with mineral oil. For stuff that won't get hot, I use a mix of mineral oil & beeswax.

[@Rocketsong]

Mineral oil is what I use for our wooden bowls for Ren Faire, and cooking spoons.

[@kristophermelin7160]

Great project - another one of those things I had absolutely no idea that I would desperately need ;-) The only aspect of the project that I thought I would do differently is skipping the wrench/ spoon cutting tool thing, and just going with the Dremel to shave out the bowl. In any case, the results speak for themselves! Enjoy your content - keep it up! Cheers

[@spoplehughes]

When I use my belt sander similar to yours, I clamp it to a board in my vice to turn it into a vertical sander it is much easier to control the piece that way I find

[@SkillTree]

Good plan! I will give it a try!

[@metalgoth7343]

I love the improvised fixes.

[@patricianorwood1075]

I love it. Simple and elegant. I would love a matching plate and bowl set

[@InadequacyinaBucket]

Couple of things you can do with firewood logs! 1. Carve a spoon 2. Make a bowdrill set to start a fire the bushwacking way 3. I saw that you were free-handing your chisel- make yourself a club-style chisel mallet for more precise chisel work

[@ICdedppl666]

not circular shaped, spherical! and yay! I love Felix Immler's videos!! He's so ingenious!

[@keiths.9239]

Make a whole medieval fanstay mess kit out of fire wood. Fork, spoon, plate? Cooking things. Happy accident note. Carvings also make the peice lighter and more likely to be used or carried.

[@r.baston8329]

You should make two more Kuksas and finish each one in the other ways that you mentioned. Then you can see if there is a "best" finishing method.

[@lynxlynx6685]

Yes, and if they are useful for people not liking the taste of coffee. I am also currious about if the kåsa leaks out oil on the table when hot beverage is put in it as the oil it is treated with also gets warm (mine does, and I dont know what to do about it).

[@CalliopePony]

You could use the other pieces of wood to make a a bowl and spoon to go with the cup. That way you can enjoy some campfire stew along with your beverage.

[@nevernether3368]

That wrench spoon knife conversion is suddenly making me wonder what random or excess stuff I have to make the special tools I need for future projects. YOUR A GREAT INSPIRATION AS ALWAYS MAN!

[@Rocketsong]

Point of order: that "hole saw" is a special type of drill bit called a Forstner Bit.

[@jehrad0]

This is awesome. Definitely making one of these very soon

[@SkillTree]

I hope you share how it comes out!

[@clintonm2357]

When you got to your existential crisis, I thought of the shelves I used to make out of logs. I left the bark on, planed the top, and fit brackets to them. They made great shelves.

[@GirishManjunathMusic]

A fire! But like a carved statuette of a fire!

[@SkillTree]

🤣🤣🤣

[@HNXMedia]

+10 Metal Working simply for the wrench trick. As a traditional bushcrafter, I approve this video. Excellent!

[@Rage-Baby]

Matching measuring spoons/cups would be a nice addition

[@just_goose]

I love how genuinely happy You look through every project You do! It's very inspiring!

[@hanelyp1]

Boiled linseed oil has additives you don't want on eating utensils. Urethane lacquer would be better. Or the classic shellac.

[@jakeaurod]

I saw a video of wooden bowls being made, and if I remember correctly, they used a curved saw that was stationary as the wood rotated on a turn table. This allowed multiple bowls to be cut from the same wood in a nested pattern.

[@charlesmckinley29]

The Imler tool and your tennis ball sander are great.

[@killianjones9078]

make some cooking spoons and ladles, very useful, especially if you are going to use your new wooden bowl to eat your soup

[@Caeleinn]

Revisiting this video to remind myself how to do this. I've leaned very much into my Irish/Viking persona in the SCA, and feel like a kuksa would be a perfect addition to my kit (for when I don't want to carry my drinking horn). I think my boyfriend would like one as well, since he's of the same culture persona. Kind of thinking of using some horn as an inlay around the bowl, since horn was basically the "plastic" of the time.

[@queenmidna4998]

Idk if this will be seen, but I'd love to see a more traditional style tea cup on here.

[@kameljoe21]

Whoot. I like watching you make stuff!

[@crazyhorse360]

Always start with carving the bowl out, a tip from experience, also spoons are cool to carve

[@orianaspiderowl769]

@1:43 🤣 We love you Clever.😁

[@MythicalHex]

when you space out between showing the idea and 5:40 and come back to the shock of most of it being shaped already

[@hollyingraham3980]

This is a quarter of the way to making a rebec! There's an old Pop Mechanism article on it to get you started. Or maybe a Saxon lyre.

[@hollyingraham3980]

That's Popular Mechanics when one remembers how stupid the AI is and keeps an eye on it.

[@worm_vaquero]

Love Felix Imlers channel almost as much as yours

[@woodstrapper8947]

Such a wonderful project well executed. You scared me, though, when I saw that chisel cutting towards your thumb. You need that thumb!

[@Teeniebfable]

Ooh this reminds me that I saw a couple of fallen trees, in a local wood, with several burls on them. Gorgeous cup, it looks so silky smooth!

[@kida4star]

You make this look so simple! I want to make a lucet out of scrap wood, and now I think I can!

[@Egeslean]

Firewood spoon and spatula-type utensils. You could cut the wood down into sections that could then be lashed together to make a cutting board of sorts. When loose it could be rolled up or folded to save space, but when you tighten/secure it it becomes stiff. Not sure exactly HOW you'd do that, but it sounds like a fun challenge that I think you could figure out and pull off.

[@IronShadow93]

If you've made spoon knife of sort, try making a wooden spoon to compliment that kuksa and to stir salt in that coffee. Easy, fast and nice project, just needs quite a lot of research and trial and error until you get it really right if you want to use that spoon also for eating. It can't be too deep nor too shallow. You can also use that wood to make template and use piece of "medieval plastic"(jic. it's horn, obviously it's horn) to make a spoon.

[@samh.r.380]

Not gonna lie. I screamed in anger/terror at the TV when you were cutting toward your hand with the chisel as you removed the bark.

[@craigsurette3438]

Dude! I had been wanting to make a Kuska for a very long time, but always imagined it being something I would need to use a lathe and hand tools for and thus was outside of my skillset/budget. This version is awesome and looks super easy!

[@deepsouthNZ]

That's beautiful, I'm a professional oyster shucker here in New Zealand and I make my knife handles out of firewood, macrocarpa is good and has a nice colour similar to that cup

[@scafleet]

The "tradition" is a burl: but I think the original concept was made from "stuff we have on hand."😊

[@TwilightRage2099]

The best way to preserve a wooden piece like this is to stabilize it with a food safe resin. The process is fairly simple and will not only prevent it from drying out and cracking, but it will make it significantly more durable. So basically, you put your project in a vacuum chamber, fill the bottom with a slow curing food grade resin, then vacuum out all the air. It will remove all the air from all the parts of the wood and when you re-pressurize, all that resin gets sucked into all the voids in the wood. Do this a couple times and pull it out to cure. When thats done, this thing will last several lifetimes. You might even be able to do this with a gourd too. Though, I've never seen anyone do that. But that would be a fun experiment.

[@tzisorey]

Idea for some of the rest of the wood - have you carved a suitable head for a wizards staff? I dont remember seeing one.

[@davidward3263]

That was entertaining all get out. Love your unorthodox style.

[@hughbrown8290]

thats very cool, Have you thought of just using food safe resin?

[@MarushiaDark316]

Something else you can try for sanding narrow interiors is attaching the sandpaper to some kind of extender jig (like a wooden dowel) that then goes into a drill.

[@ronhorner4060]

I made an egg flipper camping once due to forgetting to bring one. Worked so good I kept using it once I got home lol

[@chrisycochran2916]

It would be neat to see some carved cutlery and one of those lipped plates that also kinda works as a bowl. Maybe even other little personal items like a comb. Oh! Or a shaving kit!!! You could carve a bowl to mix your shaving cream that's big enough to hold your accessories as well and give it a leather top that could maybe hold a mirror in it.

[@MakerCuisine]

Wow incredible looking kuksa! This really enjoyable to watch and the method you used to finish the cup with the coffee has give me a great idea for a project I've been wanting to do for a while now

[@MrViper452]

Thanks for the video, I have some firewood... really inspirational.

[@SkillTree]

Go for it!

[@Marillawen]

Wellp. Time to hit the firewood pile, ours is mostly ash though. I should work anyway! Great video!

[@ProfCuneusStern]

Make a Birch Martini "Glass"...you know...to be fancy.

[@Tgauchsin]

Beautiful work.

[@user-hx9tp9cn2h]

Excellent & Enjoyable!

[@liamdevlin1584]

So for a good sealer that is food safe I recommend Howard's Butcher Block Conditioner. I've used it on a couple wood cups I've made and haven't had any toxic reactions to it

[@rebagoldin4077]

Maybe you could try to whittle a little figurine or make some wooden dice and dice box out of the rest of that fire wood. Or both! Dice in a dice box with a little figurine on the lid.

[@tisema17]

I am gonna make that this weekend. Love this.

[@eostyrwinn5018]

Great build. I recently grabbed some wood from the side of a mountain road (a tree had fallen across the road and was cut back) that's a beautiful orange color and I was wondering what to do with it. This might be the perfect project. I am curious though, as someone who hates both the taste and smell of coffee, if you could use tea instead of coffee to seal it.

[@angieconley6501]

Cool Kuksa!!

[@rubenskiii]

Awesome work again! I suppose by now the rest of the stack is either turned into other projects or nothing but smoke and memory, but you could also try to make one with instead of a flat bottom a sort of 3 legged design, with short, smooth stubs in a tripod configuration. Tripods have this nice feature that they stand nice and stable even on uneven terrain, like a log or stones. Might be a cool variation to make and look different. I have never seen a "tripod' kuksa but i've seen it quite a lot with medieval earthenware cooking utensils like small pots.

[@lysan1445]

I love your way of presentation; it's really fun! The kuksa looks fantastic!

[@spiritwhispers667]

brilliant

[@JAB671]

I like how you started with dry wood. A lot of the kuksa making videos I have seen start with green wood and then have to do a very controlled, slow drying process to prevent checking and splitting. Of course green wood is much easier to work using hand tools than seasoned wood (having used straight gouges to carve the dished-out portion of a platter I made from seasoned red oak I can attest to that - but using a hand maul does make it a lot easier) but using your power tools took care of that issue! Funny thing - just a few minutes into the video, before you got to the part where you needed a spoon knife, I had decided that after watching the complete video I was going to suggest in the comment section that you would probably enjoy Felix Immler's channel if you hadn't come across it - but now I know you obviously have

[@lweismann]

Neat process!

[@winterknightwarden8543]

Nicely done. I'll have to try one.

[@atticus_ink9487]

So I was looking for cool natural wood building projects. I subscribed because of the T-shirt. Awesome, lol

[@vidowatcher91]

YOU CAN USE COFFEE TO SEAL IT!?!?!?! THAT'S AMAZING THANK YOU

[@jeffreymoffitt4070]

Make a whole set of dinnerware!! Plate, fork, spoon ,and bowl!!

[@CrayolaCoffeeBean]

It’s so cute!

[@r4dwolf]

Love it 😍 Greetings from Finland, though a bit further south.

[@SkillTree]

Greetings!!! I hope I did a good job😁

[@r4dwolf]

@@SkillTree oh definitely! Might not be exactly traditional, but as it works and looks amazing I call it good 😁

[@Ongzhikai]

Awesome! I was thinking of buying one of these but now I think I'll try my hand at making one

[@Rtrknght]

Wooden shot glasses i dont know why clever but i think would suit you lol😂

[@ChibyPuppy]

Love to see you make a set of cutlery out of wood and one out o metal

[@itsamindgame9198]

chiselling straight at thumb

[@robkoch9174]

I love that project! Awesome 😎 I'm making one of these. You make your videos so inspiring that I'm hopefully leveling up very soon. I'm also starting with leather projects. Thank you so much for your inspiration. Greets from Germany

[@timgleaves9496]

Awesome project, Sir!

[@MasterMafiaDK]

Thank you for being my inspiration to be the creator I've always aanted to be!

[@kensumner5815]

Enjoyed the video, keep up the high energy fun! A small ring box, salt cellar or decorative dagger would all be good firewood projects.

[@glenngriffon8032]

You could scale it up a lil bit and make a simple wooden bowl for soup or stew. Make yourself a wooden spoon and fork too. Heck, if you get a nice, large, whole log you could cut it up into wooden discs and then carve them discs into plates. Imagine having an entire set of dinnerware that's all wood with that nice grain. And if you make all your plates from one log they'll match.