Monthly Archives: July 2016

What’s Wrong with this Edge?

Look at the lines of reflection on the beautiful polished surface.  The polish is good.  The fact that the lines of reflection take a bit of a nosedive as they reach the cutting edge is a problem, and a very … Continue reading

Posted in sharpening, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged | 12 Comments

Ale Hen

In one of my conversations with Beth Moen at Greenwood Fest, we talked about the use of aspen as a traditional wood for bowl carving.  Beth said that she liked Aspen because, although it is a relatively soft hardwood, the … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, historical reference, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged | 9 Comments

Swallows in Wood and in Motion

Last week, I finished these two swallow inspired bowls, one in maple and the other in cherry.  Then I found myself in Lou’s barn, a swallow haven. My friend Lou is a part-time sawyer who knows more about trees than … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, finding wood, nature, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

For Peace Comes Dropping Slow

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow –William Butler Yeats, from The Lake Isle of Inisfree  

Posted in bowls, carving, green woodworking, photography, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Time for a Shave?

  A few days ago Chris Schwarz shared a post on the Lost Art Press blog about an old Estonian scorp used for general hollowing tasks.  Check out the post here.  Coincidentally, I had just stumbled upon the existence of … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, carving, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Behind the Mask

Last week, I found myself in a house with this intriguing wooden mask on display.  It was about 17 inches high, 9 inches wide, and 7 1/2 inches deep.  I know very little about African masks, but to my untrained … Continue reading

Posted in adze, finding wood, green woodworking, historical reference, holding, sketch, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Bowl for Beginners and Beyond

I had been thinking about an ideal bowl design for the Plymouth CRAFT class, now only a month away.  This sample bowl is the result of those thoughts.  In addition to providing challenges for development of various skills, I wanted … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, classes, drying, finding wood, layout, patterns, proportions, teaching, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 7 Comments