Retired SAK Fieldmaster, First Kuksa

[paracordist]

Retired SAK Fieldmaster, First Kuksa

I've had a number of fun outdoor / bushcraft related projects going on lately, from the restoration of old American Made (Collins and Coucil Tool), to the building of my own oak foldable buck saw (with paracord tension string), the creation of several knife sharpening paddles for my 220, 400, 600, 1200 and 2000 grid wet/dry sandpapers and leather strops, and the restoration of an old knife of my Grandfather's that I received when I was a boy. Each one of those topics should be several detailed posts of their own (and some are), but I'm short for writing time and wanted to post some things before I'm overwhelmed! I've grown frustrated with the lack of edge holding ability of my swiss army "fieldmaster" under repeated use on these recent projects, so I decided to dig through my keepsake knives looking for a new carbon steel user. I enjoy sharpening just as much as the next guy but don't like seeing a hair-popping sharp blade lose that edge after a few minutes whittling! I settled on a knife that I thought was a Barlow based on the handle shape, but soon learned was an old electrician's knife (probably Camillus) which my grandfather had modified (grinding the screwdriver into a utility blade).
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I cleaned it up, sanded and sharpened the blades, oiled it up and removed some rust, linseed oil for the rosewood handle.
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Within days of carrying it, I was able to give it a true test.

This week I've had the opportunity to put the buck saw and Gransfors Bruks Wildlife hatchet (that I had recently acquired) to hard use pruning several overgown maple trees on my property. The canopies on these trees had expanded so far that my lawn was turning to dirt underneath. In an effort to get some sun back on the ground I cut a large number of low branches with diameter's up to around 6". I used the Gransfors to limb and buck baw to section the bigger pieces. Both cut through the hardwood like butter.
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Recognizing the bounty of fresh green maple I know had on hand, I decided to grab a few select pieces to pursue another project on my list - making my first kuksa (wooden cup). I've wanted to do this for some time, and figured it would be a great campfire project to whittle away at in the coming weeks. I stripped the bark off the branch I selected. Orienting the wood for what I thought was the best use of its natural shape (particularly for the future handle), I sketched some centerlines and cup shape using a sharpie. For some sort of size reference, I grabbed a measuring cup from the kitchen. My buddy pursuaded me to maximize the size so that maybe this cup could double as my beer "chalice" (hense the elongated oval shap right now)! The following photos show the initial rough out using the Gransfors, followed by a "re-draw" and refine shape (profile/side view), and finally the current status after some whittling and top/plan view sketching for the next refinement.
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I've done a substantial amount of the latest rough work with the "new" pocket knife's main blade. The blade is hair popping sharp but still requires firm effort to work the maple. This is dense, tough wood, even though its green! What pleases me beyond words is that after each session so far (probably two hours total use) the blade has passed the shave test. I lapped the strop a couple times with it and it seems literally like I just sharpened it fresh. Goodbye SAK, goodbye stainless, I'm a carbon devotee for life! Maybe an opinel will be my next purchase.


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[paracordist]

I see a crack and I have no idea how it formed (shock of hatchet work?). I'm a little concerned about it, not having worked much with wood. I'm afraid to go too far and have it crack on me. I've cut it back hoping to get to crack-less wood. We'll see how this played out.
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[Rick]

Spalls generally occur from drying too quickly. When you start removing wood you subject the inner moist wood to air and it dries. Sometimes in drying it cracks. You can leave a beautiful chunk of wood on the table at night only to find a crack the next morning. Sometimes that crack is a good thing adding character to the project. I don't see the crack in your pics so it must not be too bad or too deep. Just keep an eye on it as you continue to work the piece. If it's small you can probably work through it.

If you are going to carve a bowl then a straight blade is not going to be your best choice. You can do it but it will take a lot of time. You might look for a curved knife to help remove the inside of the bowl. It will make it a lot easier especially if this is your first one. However, not many pioneers had curved knives and they did just fine. There are several different kinds of curved blade knife. Here are a couple so you can see how it would make your job a lot easier.

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Mora makes a number of woodcarving knives include curved blades (1st pic). You can look for the 162, 163 and 164.

Preferred Edge (2nd pic) makes all sorts of radical shaped blades including the High Curved Double Edge above.

[paracordist]

Awesome rick. I've had my eye on one of them moras. Is it too late to soak my piece or some other approach to slow drying? Here is a better shot of crack (above red line) Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.


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[Rick]

That's really pretty typical of moisture spalls. I had to go back and re-read your post. You used a green branch and that's what caused the spall. You have to let them dry before working them. Since the wood was green it might continue to grow if you continue to work it. You'll keep revealing moisture laden wood that will dry unevenly. You can sit the piece aside for a couple of weeks in your garage or in your house and let the wood acclimate. You should be able to resume working on it then. It appears to be a small spall. If it doesn't grow any larger you might be able to work through it and remove it completely once it's dry. You'll also notice it will be a bit lighter in weight. That wood might be 40-50% to over 200% water while green. It just depends on the specie of wood. Once it acclimates it might be down to 30% depending on what your home is kept at. Ideally, wood should be down around 6-7% moisture to work it but the reality is it's going to be whatever the moisture content is in it's environment. If your home is 30% that's what the wood will become.

Soft woods are more forgiving than hardwoods. Softwoods can be worked at a slightly higher moisture content and swell less than hardwoods under the same conditions. The cells in the wood are gaining and releasing water. As you cut away wood the newly exposed cells released water (dried) at a faster rate than the cells interior to the cut. That difference in movement is what caused the split.

The biggest single problem you will ever contend with in woodworking is moisture. The wood is always either too wet or too dry.

[paracordist]

Very helpful. I'll put it aside for now. My dad is searching this years woodpile for a piece of birch. Someone suggested I start from a piece split like this :
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1401976603.668317.jpg


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[Sunset Sam]

The check/crack you have looks like it will run through the bowl area of the cup. I think it is probably something you cannot fix perfectly.

Possible partial fixes are: continue carving the cup and let the crack open as far as it wants. If it opens enough, you could then mix up some epoxy and work it into the crack and let it dry. If it does not open far enough, open it wider with a chisel or wedge of some kind (this may break the cup open along the fracture line) then put epoxy in the opening and clamp it up. Either way, you will be left with a visible line on the project.

A variation of this is to finish the carving, let the cup season, and then run the project through a table saw along the crack line with a narrow kerf blade. This is tricky and potentially dangerous, so jigging the cut would be a must. If successful, you could then glue the cup back together with something like Titebond III and the glue line would be nearly invisible.

In doing greenwood carving, many carvers keep their projects sealed in plastic bags to slow down the drying process. A damp sponge can be stored in the bag to further slow drying. On a bowl, cup, or spoon, it also helps to orient the wood to avoid including the center of the branch or the trunk (the pith area). Your sketch is correct. By all means, get a knife designed for bowl carving and take it slowly until you get used to the way the curved blade cuts. Remember that even expert woodworkers have checks/splits from time to time.

On branches you are saving for later, it would help to seal the exposed end grain to slow down drying. Woodworking stores sell products expressly for this purpose, but some woodworkers just use leftover latex paint. Color and sheen of paint do not matter.

[paracordist]

The check/crack you have looks like it will run through the bowl area of the cup. I think it is probably something you cannot fix perfectly.

Possible partial fixes are...

FANTASTIC! Thanks. I saw this pic online. Almost looks like cracks fixed up ImageUploadedByTapatalk1401979045.398347.jpg


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[hunter63]

Just a note.
Guy was making wooded shoes....uses green aspen blanks, frozen till needed......Thought that was a cool detail.
Didn't take long to make on either.

[Sunset Sam]

Yesterday I ran into a book about working with green wood you might like to see. It's called "Country Woodcraft" by Drew Langsner (Rodale, 1978). It talks about a lot of different projects and methods. Used copies are still available on the Internet, but your local library may be able to find you a copy through inter-library loan. The focus is on old-time tools and techniques, but there seems to be a good deal of info on choosing, harvesting, preparing, and working with various woods harvested from standing timber. For those into batoning wood for project blanks or firewood, there are some interesting pics. and illus. of traditional approaches that do not rely on chainsaws.

I am kind of surprised that this book has not been reprinted. I found it by accident while window shopping at a used furniture/architectural materials store.

[paracordist]

Yesterday I ran into a book about working with green wood you might like to see. It's called "Country Woodcraft" by Drew Langsner (Rodale, 1978)..

Thanks for the tip!



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