A "Quick" Bush Cup. (Warning: Picture Heavy!!!)

[WI_Woodsman]

Some years ago a Swedish Bushcrafter by the name of Fredde (Hobbexp is his Youtube Channel) made an excellent video on how to make a cup out in the bush with all natural materials.  Below is my attempt at it.

I started out by collecting some Spruce roots which can be harvested just a couple of centimeters below the soil.



Spruce roots are an exceptionally strong natural cordage.



Using my Bahco Laplander saw I cut a piece of straight grain Willow, I chose Willow because its abundant and easy to carve.

WARNING: If you have an aversion to battoning please exit this thread immediately, I don't want to be responsible for undue stress cause by a conniption fit brought on by a legitimate bushcraft skill... 

My philosophy is that battoning is a useful skill IF you know the limits of your blade, and IF you actually use your blade on a regular basis it is not difficult to extrapolate it's capabilities.  I don't condemn those who don't Batton, I just ask that those who don't would respectfully keep their opinions to themselves, (at least on this thread)...

I battoned the chunk of Willow with my Puukko...



I cut the chunk into 6 somewhat equal sections.  Make a note here; it is imperative to keep these pieces in order as you cut them because they have to go back together and the seal depends upon these pieces matching up!



I begin to remove material on each of the 6 pieces to create the cavity for the cup.



Next I bigin to prepare the Spruce roots by removing the outer skin.



The Spruce roots are a bit too thick so I decided to split "em.



This next part can be a bit tricky, I lined up all the pieces making sure they fit tightly together then wrapping the Spruce roots around the cup I tucked the end underneath the wrap to secure it.



I filled it up with water to see if it sealed properly, it did have a small leak...      Not a problem it'll seal itself as the wood swells!      I could use some Spruce pitch if this was vessel for long term use.



It does the trick! 



It's a bit crude I could have evened the inside, maybe made the walls a bit thinner but it did the trick.



This was a fun little project and is a lot easier/faster than carving a Kuksa!  Next time your out in the woods and you forgot to pack your coffee cup give this a try!   

[Old Philosopher]

  That's sweet. Thanks for sharing this.

A lot more elegant than a folding cup out of birch bark.

[WI_Woodsman]

Thanks OP!  I don't think I've ever made a Birch bark cup...      That would have to be the fastest method for a bush cup!

[Old Philosopher]

Thanks OP!  I don't think I've ever made a Birch bark cup...      That would have to be the fastest method for a bush cup!

I added your "Bush Cup" to the Tutorials thread. Hope you don't mind.

The birch bark cup is quick and field expedient if you find a seep, or spring you trust.
It's just a "paper folded cup" you make out of a square of birch bark instead of paper. I've also made small pots out of birch bark, and you can boil water/soup in them, just as you would a paper one.

[wolfy]

I could see where you were going with that as soon as you battoned that piece of willow into 'staves', but I'd never thought of trying that or even heard of it before.  Very clever and expedient method of backwoods cooperage for making a cup or even a larger container!  I'm going to give that a whirl when I get the chance.  Thanks for the excellent tutorial, WWoodsman!

[kanukkarhu]

Great job!

I recently watched a ewe toob vid of this exact same method. Slick! Well done!

[JTD]

Very cool tutorial WI_Woodsman!  I've never seen that before, and it looks like a great little project. 

[WoodsWoman]

whoa...  LOVED this tutorial.      Thank you for sharing.


WW

[Spyder1958]

Thanks for sharing Freddies cup with us. Neat ideal, good way to make a bucket as well.

[WI_Woodsman]

I could see where you were going with that as soon as you battoned that piece of willow into 'staves', but I'd never thought of trying that or even heard of it before.  Very clever and expedient method of backwoods cooperage for making a cup or even a larger container!  I'm going to give that a whirl when I get the chance.  Thanks for the excellent tutorial, WWoodsman!

...Well I've run into some passionate ANTI-battoners over the years and I just wanted to squash any decent that might taint MY thread...  I don't object to a separate thread on the pros and cons of battoning I just didn't want this to be that thread.   

I glad you enjoyed the tutorial Wolfy!

Thanks for adding it to the, "Tutorial Section" Ol' P, I kinda forgot we had one of those...    

[Draco]

That was darn cool.  I have never seen it done like that before.  I need to give that a try. 

[MnSportsman]

 Very nice! Thanks for sharing your project!
 


Fredde has some great skills. It is a bummer he has decided to not post up videos of his doins' much anymore.


BTW...Loved the "disclaimer" about batoning with a knife...
LaffedMAO.
 

[greyhound352]

Thanks for sharing.

That is definitely a cool cup.

[randyt]

Awesome job, something I need to try.

[WI_Woodsman]

Very nice! Thanks for sharing your project!
 


Fredde has some great skills. It is a bummer he has decided to not post up videos of his doins' much anymore.


BTW...Loved the "disclaimer" about batoning with a knife...
LaffedMAO.
 

Yeah, Fredde's got a humble demeanor and amazing skill's, sound's like he has started a business that's why he hasn't made any videos in a year...   

Lol JB, I'm just happy if I can bring a smile to your face!   

[Old Philosopher]

Like Wofy said, on a grand scale that would be an awesome water gittin' bucket for a semi-permanent camp. Rawhide hoops would cinch that up like a drum when they dried.

[WI_Woodsman]

Like Wofy said, on a grand scale that would be an awesome water gittin' bucket for a semi-permanent camp. Rawhide hoops would cinch that up like a drum when they dried.

Come to think of it, using this method a small keg could be made if both ends were left on and a bung drilled in the center.      

[lgm]

Nice, maybe I should give it a try first but would pine pitch seal it more?

[WI_Woodsman]

Nice, maybe I should give it a try first but would pine pitch seal it more?

This cup is only meant to be a temporary drinking vessel, pitch would give it a more permeant seal, especially since the leak will only get worse as the cup dries. 

[zammer]

Very cool tutorial WI_Woodsman!  I've never seen that before, and it looks like a great little project.

Totally agree...well done, thanks for sharing this useful project...

[wolfy]

I was thinking of another quick method to create a flat-bottomed firkin.  You could cut a saw kerf at the point of each individual stave to the depth of a predetermined mark on the saw blade an inch or so up from the end that will be the bottom, so they were all the same depth.  Then you could quickly split off the unwanted triangular waste piece by batoning from the top of each stave, bind them together, add a bail and "POOF"........instant flat-bottomed bucket!              Just a thought.

[Old Philosopher]

I was thinking of another quick method to create a flat-bottomed firkin.  You could cut a saw kerf at the point of each individual stave to the depth of a predetermined mark on the saw blade an inch or so up from the end that will be the bottom, so they were all the same depth.  Then you could quickly split off the unwanted triangular waste piece by batoning from the top of each stave, ...

  I'm all for labor saving ideas!

[Dano]

Very nice job on that for sure!!  Looks like a very handy skill to have and could be applied to a lot of different things beyond the original.  I remember seeing Freddie's vid on that and have always enjoyed watching him.  I didn't know he had started a business, but bet he'll be busy based on his skills.

Thanks for sharing this- you always post up some really great ones 

[wolfy]

I was thinking of another quick method to create a flat-bottomed firkin.  You could cut a saw kerf at the point of each individual stave to the depth of a predetermined mark on the saw blade an inch or so up from the end that will be the bottom, so they were all the same depth.  Then you could quickly split off the unwanted triangular waste piece by batoning from the top of each stave, ...

  I'm all for labor saving ideas!

My dad always used to tell me, "Work smarter, not harder!" :[

[Old Philosopher]

I was thinking of another quick method to create a flat-bottomed firkin.  You could cut a saw kerf at the point of each individual stave to the depth of a predetermined mark on the saw blade an inch or so up from the end that will be the bottom, so they were all the same depth.  Then you could quickly split off the unwanted triangular waste piece by batoning from the top of each stave, ...

  I'm all for labor saving ideas!

My dad always used to tell me, "Work smarter, not harder!" :[

Only WI can tell us how much time and effort that would have saved.

[Sarge]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

[brush_loper]

Very Viking! Gotta love it.

[wolfy]

I was thinking of another quick method to create a flat-bottomed firkin.  You could cut a saw kerf at the point of each individual stave to the depth of a predetermined mark on the saw blade an inch or so up from the end that will be the bottom, so they were all the same depth.  Then you could quickly split off the unwanted triangular waste piece by batoning from the top of each stave, ...

  I'm all for labor saving ideas!

My dad always used to tell me, "Work smarter, not harder!" :[

Only WI can tell us how much time and effort that would have saved.

I'm not sure it would save all that much time on a tankard like WiWoodsman showed us, but on something the size of a firkin or bucket I think it would save a huge amount of carving time!

[OutdoorEnvy]

Nice job!  I'll give this a try sometime. 

[Old Philosopher]

I'm not sure it would save all that much time on a tankard like WiWoodsman showed us, but on something the size of a firkin or bucket I think it would save a huge amount of carving time!

I dunno.... My first reaction when I saw the photo of carving out each stave was, oh, my aching wrist!  That, and, Holy Carp that's a sharp knife!

[kanukkarhu]

I was thinking of another quick method to create a flat-bottomed firkin.  You could cut a saw kerf at the point of each individual stave to the depth of a predetermined mark on the saw blade an inch or so up from the end that will be the bottom, so they were all the same depth.  Then you could quickly split off the unwanted triangular waste piece by batoning from the top of each stave, ...

  I'm all for labor saving ideas!

My dad always used to tell me, "Work smarter, not harder!" :[

Only WI can tell us how much time and effort that would have saved.

I'm not sure it would save all that much time on a tankard like WiWoodsman showed us, but on something the size of a firkin or bucket I think it would save a huge amount of carving time!

That 'saw thing'^ is how the sherman fella did it on ewe toob.  Looks like it would save a bit of work. But, honestly, I like the idea of WI's method, because with practice maybe you could end up with a round bottom. That and... battonning a pukko like that is SICKENING!!!!

(Just kidding, buddy! GREAT toot.  Awesome job!)

[easy_rider75]

Cool idea never thought to try this but then again I got into kuksa carving. More interested in your knife what make is it?

[lgm]

The more I think about it the more I want to give it a try. Around here I think willow , Cottonwood or Cedar would work best as they are all softer. Same three wood I like for bow drill.

[WI_Woodsman]

I was thinking of another quick method to create a flat-bottomed firkin.  You could cut a saw kerf at the point of each individual stave to the depth of a predetermined mark on the saw blade an inch or so up from the end that will be the bottom, so they were all the same depth.  Then you could quickly split off the unwanted triangular waste piece by batoning from the top of each stave, ...

  I'm all for labor saving ideas!

My dad always used to tell me, "Work smarter, not harder!" :[

Only WI can tell us how much time and effort that would have saved.

I'm not sure it would save all that much time on a tankard like WiWoodsman showed us, but on something the size of a firkin or bucket I think it would save a huge amount of carving time!

That 'saw thing'^ is how the sherman fella did it on ewe toob.  Looks like it would save a bit of work. But, honestly, I like the idea of WI's method, because with practice maybe you could end up with a round bottom. That and... battonning a pukko like that is SICKENING!!!!

(Just kidding, buddy! GREAT toot.  Awesome job!)

Thanks for all your appreciation of the tutorial I can't take all the credit I was defiantly inspired by Fredde!  I prefer my method over using a saw, carving it out like I did took about 5 minutes (less time than I thought), as they say, "to each his own"...  Lol, What can I say I live to be a thorn in the craw of the opinionated KK.   

Cool idea never thought to try this but then again I got into kuksa carving. More interested in your knife what make is it?

You do some beautiful work ER this cup is definitely rudimentary compared to your Kuksas, my Puukko is a Kellam Wolverine.
         

[kanukkarhu]

It's a beautiful knife, bro! Stunning.

[Mudman]

Dang that's impressive!

[PetrifiedWood]

Brilliant! First time I've seen this. Great project!

[Yeoman]

I'm impressed. I remember seeing the video but had forgotten about it. For some reason your pics seem like a better explanation.
I hope I get a chance to give this a try. Thanks for the example.

[mibuwulf]

That was VERY cool!  I have right clicked and saved in my brain.  I will most definitely be trying this.  Thanks!

[Native]

That's awesome man, never tried that.... looks like I know what I'm doing this weekend!

[redneck]

Brilliant Idea, I'll have to try that out!

[Neomaz]

That is just plain neat. I have seen buckets made in a similar way I just never thought about trying it for a cup.