It reminds me of that old joke- you know, a guy walks into a psychiatrist’s office and says, hey doc, my brother’s crazy! He thinks he’s a chicken. Then the doc says, why don’t you turn him in? Then the guy says, I would but I need the eggs.
― Woody Allen, Annie Hall: Screenplay
That joke from the ending of Annie Hall came to mind when I set up for the photo. Actually, it’s about all I know from the movie; I suppose I should watch the whole thing sometime.
It had been a couple years since I had carved a hen bowl. This chunky bit of cherry showed up and it seemed ideal for the form. Due to some deep checks and knots in the log, I was only able to get a good blank that was a quarter section of the log.
In the photo, above, it may be clear how this one came from a quarter section. The growth ring pattern follows the outer shape of the hen’s body. The head is near the pith of the tree. This is an example of what I’ve called a “roof-top” orientation. The first bowls I made with this orientation, hens and otherwise, were more like 1/3 sections. It was Drew Langsner that encouraged me to experiment with more acute blanks, and it was interesting to see the effect that varying the angle had on the design. Drew included some results in his 2020 book Country Woodcraft: Then and Now. It’s just a brief part of the 40 page chapter on bowl carving that Drew wrote based on his long experience.
I also played around with the design of the head of this one, including some chip carving as a suggestion of the hen’s crest.
I carved an egg into the foot and emphasized it with milk paint. I also carved the flutes a little deeper/steeper this time, so I decided to leave a narrow flat between flutes. Like the flutes themselves, the flats are widest at the midsection and taper as they approach both ends.
I took a few shots along the way. Above is the blank laid out and ready for carving.
Excavating this hollow is not as straightforward as with a more open bowl. The adze can hog away the upper material and get down in there a bit.
But, pretty quickly, I go to a bent gouge and mallet, just chunking away as much as it will reach and getting some depth.
Once the shank and handle start to get in the way, I switch to a swan-neck gouge to begin the undercutting and navigate into the center.
Leaving the hollow for now, I start hewing the outside with an axe. I used to rub pine tar on the handle to improve the grip, but lately when I’m roughing, I’ve been wearing this fishing glove. Lots of companies have this sort of glove. This one happens to be from Berkley and a pair costs six bucks. I think it significantly reduces fatigue when you’re really swinging away.
Here I’m working down the side of the tail with an adze, across the grain.
Then more refinements with the axe. Smaller strokes.
I sit at the bowl horse with a drawknife to clean up and further shape the exterior. Then I wrap the bowl in an old sheet to begin to dry slowly.
I let the bowl dry partially before roughing the flutes and refining the hollow.
In order to undercut the hollow, I work mainly with a spoon bent gouge. I put a series of four photos in the slideshow below, beginning with the gouge at the start of the cut, nearly upside down, then proceeding through the stroke. The last couple images show a scorp from Lee Stoffer that does a good job of cleaning up the deepest portions of the hollow.
Then it’s on to the finer details of the flutes, head, tail and so on.
This one already has a home in mind, so she’s about to fly the coop.
David Fisher, Carving Explorations 
If you ever find yourself with a homeless chicken, I’d be very happy to adopt it :>)
Bok bok bok
Kalia
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awesome unique details!
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you gotta be kidding–that is just another beauty–wow–
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Beautiful work and thanks for sharing. Back in Jan, I started taking a woodcarving class one night a week. In the fall, in this class, I want to start carving bowls. How long does it take you to carve something like this (I can triple your time to guess mine)? Beyond Langsner’s book, are there any others you can recommend for inspiration as well as some of order of steps to take to make a bowl? Many thanks David.
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Glad to hear you’re enjoying your carving experience, Joe. I’m not trying to avoid your question about time, but I really don’t know how long it took me. I usually have several projects underway at once, in various stages. Some of that is due to necessary drying times, or sometimes I need to put a project aside in order to rough out another piece before the log goes bad. So, lots of jumping around and I just don’t bother keeping any sort of disciplined time record. I can tell you, relatively speaking, that the cherry hen took me significantly longer than this cherry bowl that I finished a couple months ago: https://davidffisher.com/2024/04/20/cherry-bowl-finished/. I guess I need somebody to follow me around and do a time study. There would be a lot of head shaking!
Regarding resources for steps to bowl carving, I have outlined my methods in various forms, including through lots of blog posts. If you go to my “Resources” tab, you’ll also see a Frequently Asked Questions page and a list of published articles. Some of those articles outline, step by step, how I go about making bowls. I’ve also done two different video series, one with Fine Woodworking Magazine, and one with Elia Bizzarri. You can find links to these at my “Classes/Events” tab. I’ll also be teaching in person at Peter Galbert’s.
As far as books go, there aren’r many dedicated to bowl carving completely. Although I hope to eventually organize some of my thoughts into one. Danielle Rose Byrd wrote a good one a few years ago. All of Drew Langsner’s books are great. Also Drew has made a video available on YouTube that he recorded years ago of Swedish Bowlcarver Bengt Lidstrom at work. It is wonderful and inspiring. No words needed! A quick search on YouTube will lead you to it. And be sure to pick up the book Swedish Carving Techniques by Wille Sundqvist. And all of Jogge Sundqvist’s books are great as well (see Lost Art Press). That’ll do for now! Happy carving!
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Agreed, I’ve watch that video of Bengt on you tube 2 or 3 times so far :). Historically important?
I bought two of Jogger’s books before they were available in English, I bought them from Amazon in German (my high school German isn’t much help but the pictures and drawings are good). Would have preferred English or failing that the original Swedish.
I have Wille Sundqvist’s book in German hardback too! It’s a little thicker than the English version, which is more back in print after we wrote to the publisher in America! I bought 3 more paperback copies in English (for myself, my son and a spare).
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Hi David,
Thanks for the feedback. Will look up the books and videos you mention. Ultimately, the time it takes isn’t super critical. I will figure it out soon once I start.
Sincerely,
Joe
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I’m certain many of us would like to adopt one of your gorgeous hens!
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Another marvellous bowl! Very creative (artistic) as my wife would say
Modernist?
Coincidentally I’m sat here in England on the sofa, with an old copy of Drew Langser’s classic book ” Country Woodcraft” next to me!! Bought secondhand from the USA some years ago. I periodically “dive” into it as a reference and for interest. Good book, well worth updating. One of my favourite books (after only Willie Sundqvist’s “Swedish Carving Techniques” and Paul Seller’s “Essential Woodworking Tools”).
Questions: curious what are the 2 gouges shown above?? The second on looks like it might be something like a Pfeil 8-sweep? I have no idea what the first might be.
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Both of those gouges are Pfeil. In the photo where I’m carving the deeper flute beneath the wing, that’s a #9 sweep 30mm wide. The gouge on the bench in the tail carving shot is a #6/18mm.
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Thanks Dave :). It is the first gouge in the initial hollowing images that I am most curious about, it looks like some sort of fish-tail and/or spoon-shaped gouge, possibly curved too? I think I have one or two vintage gouges a bit like that, which are surprisingly versatile. Or is it some special bowl-carving gouge that somebody made for you?
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The gouge in that image is a #8 30mm Pfeil bent gouge. It’s a workhorse.
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