Carving a Cup

[Nuin]

My first piece was a cup made of balsa wood (no, it didn't hold water in case anyone was curious). A friend of mine found out that I was carving a cup and asked me to make her one with her shield (she's a squire in a Renaissance re-enactment group) on it. I have a couple of problems here. I've got a beautiful design though, that I know works.
1. I'm not sure how to carve out the middle (ya know, where the liquid actually goes).
2. I wanted to carve her shield (which is a raven) in relief (I think that's the term for it), so it stands out from the rest of the wood. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to go about that. I was thinking to just carve around the pattern for the raven but now I'm not so sure that's going to work.
3. I really want to add in a symbol of protection for her on the other side of the cup. I want that to be...the opposite of the raven (where the raven sticks out from the back, I want the symbol to be lower than the area surrounding it. I'm not sure what tool would be best for that.

So if anyone could help me out, I'd be eternally grateful! If I'm not clear enough or you want a picture of my design, I'll do my best, just ask.

[Thor]

I would like to see the pattern just for fun.
One bit of advice I can pass along is to make sure the "cup" is successful before you go to the trouble of carving the outside design. It would be a real shame to do all of the work on the outside only to have it split and crack after you hollow it out.
good luck
Thor

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

I'd take out as much of the wood in the center as possible with a drill. Your going to be carving all end grain.

[doris]

hello nuin, welcome to wci :-) that is a nice project you have in mind. i did carve once a cup, not in wood, but in stone...
i think the relief of the raven, yes your idea, how to go about it, is good. first carve around the pattern, and lower the ground=surrounding. one can do this in severaly ways, depending on which tools you have available. i would recommend first stay a bit more outside the lines and lower the background to wished depth, then carefully cut close to the lines...once you have this, you can either let it this way. it is very decorative already, or you try to round and shape the raven a little. maybe if we can see your design we can help better.
when the symbol is carved lower than the surrounding, or in general when you want carve concave holes, like where the liquid goes too, you probably work best with some round gouges, and carefully dig out the design. i have not yet carved this style you intend on the other side of the cup, so in this question someone else recommends better than me, but thats how i would approach the problem......

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I would bore out the center on a drill press with a Fortsner bit and finish the bottom with a hook knife I think.

[chuckbolton]

i dont know if a basswood cup will infact hold water without cracking in the long run-- i think id soak it in vegetable oil or actually coat the inside with beeswax. i know this works as i do it for water barrels for reenactors.

cutting the center out with a forstner bit and drill press is the way to do that. besure and leave plenty of wood on the side walls.. and find someone local to help with the relief-- i know what to do--but dont know how to explain it well. good luck with what im sure will be a nice project.

[Nuin]

Thanks, everyone! When next I see a scanner, I'll get the design up. Is very pretty.
So, just to state it blatantly, I should hollow it out first right? before I start the rest of the carving, I mean.

[BobD]

Hollow it first! Then if anything goes wrong (the wood cracks, etc.) you haven't invested a lot of time carving into it!

As for a finish, I'd avoid vegetable oil. Vegetable oil never dries, and can actually go rancid over time. I'd suggest a pure tung oil, walnut oil, or mineral oil. Then I'd use carnauba wax, which is much harder than beeswax.

Bob Duncan
Technical Editor

[mark yundt]

I've carved a Chalice for a Lutheran Bishop that has been in regular service for about 12 yrs. Did it in Cherry. Not a problem so far,,,think something would have happend by now. I also carved some religious symbols on both sides of it. Not a cup or mug per se,,,but close enough. I sealed the inside with urethane so wine wouldn't damage the finish.( poly resists alcohol) Worked good!

[BobD]

Any worry about chemicals leeching into the wine from the Poly, Mark? Or am I falling prey to the "food safe myth?"

Bob