Author Archives: Dave Fisher

My Former Workshop

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Dave Fisher

We turned over the keys yesterday. My workshop of the last 27 years, and the house to which it is attached, is in new hands. To say the least, it has been an especially busy couple of months. I’m behind … Continue reading →

Posted in events, Uncategorized | 27 Comments

Fine Woodworking Video-Workshop News

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Dave Fisher

I’ve been meaning to mention this for over a week, but my spare moments have been hard to find lately (More news on the home transition coming soon). Fine Woodworking recently announced a new way to access the “Carve a … Continue reading →

Posted in classes, teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Riving a Cherry Crook

Posted on April 29, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Some cherry branches with nice crooks fell during some recent windstorms. I snapped a few photos while splitting them into spoon blanks to show how I typically go about it. They can be split with an axe or wedge, but … Continue reading →

Posted in cherry, finding wood, spoons, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Bright Bowl

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Saw a king fisher on a tree over the water. Does not its arrival mark some new movement in its finny prey? He the bright buoy that betrays it! Henry David Thoreau, Journal Entry, April 11, 1856 As I was … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, nature, paint, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Windfalls and Wheelbarrows

Posted on April 12, 2023 by Dave Fisher

High winds blew over a lot of trees in our area in two separate episodes recently. The tall maple in the photo stood strong in round one but was toppled in the second. Fortunately, it missed the shed — just. … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, finding wood, nature, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Drawknife Fun With a New Bowl

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Dave Fisher

I began sketching an idea on this page of my notebook last September, then added a bit here and there since then. Nothing revolutionary, just some thoughts on a design with rising ends and an underside that goes from convex … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Bowl Horse Plans Update

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Dave Fisher

This evening, I was alerted by a bowl horse builder of a typo in the materials list portion of the plans. The swing arm length is correctly labeled at 31 1/2″ everywhere else on the plans, but in the materials … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Update on the Upcoming Workshop Transition

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Dave Fisher

The house project has been progressing in spite of the typical delays and hiccups. It has been inspiring to meet and watch the many skilled tradespersons working on the project. From the framers, to the electrician, to the HVAC pros, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Carving the Leaves

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Following a couple recent posts on carving a sign in white oak, here and here, there were some questions about how I carved the leaves. Below are two photos of the leaves before and after painting. I’ll expand on my … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, sharpening, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

New Bowl Horse Plans and Tutorial

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Over twenty years ago, I designed and built my first bowl horse and it has been an important carving partner for me ever since. I use it for every bowl, but also for shrink pots, spoon blanks, and all sorts … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, carving, events, holding, patterns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments