——August 14-16——Kuksa: Nordic Wooden Cup Carving with Alex Yerks

Related Courses/Events: Woodworking Courses

Dates: Fri-Sun, August 14-16, 2026, 9am-5pm

Registration closes August 1 so the instructor can prepare materials.

Optional: Thursday, August 13, 6pm Scandinavian Wood Carving Traditions & Travels Craft Night Series slideshow presentation with Alex Yerks about his recent travels to Scandinavia.

Description: A kuksa is a carved wooden cup from the Nordic region of Europe. They can be used to drink your daily morning coffee or any other beverage. Alex has been making and developing his own designs of kuksa for many years, as well as promoting their daily use. Alex enjoys working in the old tradition, filling the room with the clatter of axe work and the sound of super sharp gouges scooping out smooth thick curls of wood with unplugged tools.

This is a great class for beginners to learn carving with hand tools. The process of making a kuksa is similar to hand carved spoons and hand carved bowls. Alex will help you to become more confident carving with an axe, using techniques to slice smooth curved lines and develop an eye for forms, as well as power chop through thick end grain. More advanced carvers will find a whole new toolbox of techniques and carving concepts. Over the three day course you will learn multiple methods of hollowing with different gouges, hooks, and adzes. Once the rough work is done, you will be using a variety of knife grips, performed with safe body mechanics to bring your cup design into shape. You will learn about wood grain and orientation, spend time sharpening and discussing tool maintenance, and discuss drying and finishing techniques. If all goes as planned you will carve with a great group of people, make a mountain of wood chips, and toast “Skål” (“cheers”) from your wooden cup at the end. Kuksas can be a challenge to carve, but Alex’s unique approach and technique will help demystify the process.

Prerequisites: All skill levels are welcome, however, please note that this course requires hand strength, stamina, hand eye coordination and the ability to follow precise instructions with regards to safety. Being able to open a sealed jar is an example of basic hand strength. Ages 18 and up.

All tools and materials will be provided, but it’s encouraged that you have a basic carving kit. Recommended, but optional (see last photo):

• Axe

• Craft knife (Morakniv 106 or 120 recommended)

• Hook knife

• Gouge

• Mallet

• Saw

• Adze

• Compass

Workshop fee: $325

Materials Fee: $40 To be paid in class directly to the instructor.

ALEX YERKS is a fulltime craftsperson - slöjdare, teacher, photographer and writer who has been a daily woodcarver since 2009. Alex works in his studio in Stillwater, Minnesota designing, selling, and making woodenware for kitchens around the world. His specialty is kuksas—kåsa or noggin—nomadic style wooden drinking vessels hewn by axe and hollowed with a big iron scoop. Alex teaches year round nationally and internationally. He has taught classes in Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Wales, and Sweden. Alex has also been a co-director of the Milan Spoon Gathering, the world’s oldest spoon carving festival, for ten years. Part of Alex’s approach to woodworking is thinking outside the box, using tools in unfamiliar ways, with big inspiration from the music he plays, the hand made life of dirt farmers and hobos he grew up around in the mountains of Upstate New York. All of his materials are harvested from local forests, and most of his work is carved while the wood is still fresh (green). www.alexyerks.com@alex_yerks