Author Archives: Dave Fisher

Spoon of Indecision

Posted on November 18, 2023 by Dave Fisher

When I find a good crooked branch for a spoon, the best orientation of the bowl and handle is usually pretty clear. The bowl is in the tightest part of the bend and the area to one side or the … Continue reading →

Posted in green woodworking, layout, spoons, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Article in the Works

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Dave Fisher

I’m going to do an article on the Bowl-from-a-Plank with Fine Woodworking Magazine. It’s been a little while since my last article, so I’m especially looking forward to it. Everyone at Fine Woodworking is a pleasure to work with, and … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, layout, patterns, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , | 20 Comments

First Snow — Come and Gone

Posted on November 5, 2023 by Dave Fisher

On the first of November, we awoke to a few inches of snow. The familiar trees and plants along the trails had been transformed. Ephemeral ropes of snow clung impossibly to the thinnest branches. I had time to take a … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Barefoot Shrink Pot

Posted on October 21, 2023 by Dave Fisher

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet. Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet (1923) Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by the magical surface of a tree when the bark peels off cleanly in … Continue reading →

Posted in finding wood, Lettering, photography, quotes and excerpts, shrink box, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Back to Those Three Spoons

Posted on October 6, 2023 by Dave Fisher

In April, I wrote a post about riving three spoon blanks from branch crooks. I finally got around to carving the finished spoons. All were carved from black cherry. In the shot above, you can see the difference in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Lettering, nature, spoons, Uncategorized | 9 Comments

September Trees and Flowers

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Everybody should own a tree at this time of year. Or a valley full of trees, or a whole hillside. Not legally, in the formal way of “Know all men . . .” and “heirs and assigns” written on a … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, sketch, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Windblown Bowl Heading East

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Dave Fisher

I love to watch tree branches dance in a breeze. If the wind really gets up, even the heavier limbs rock and sway. What a ride it must be; one that can shape the limbs themselves over time. This bowl … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, cherry, events, finding wood, holding, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments

“Beddar Wood” is Basswood

Posted on September 4, 2023 by Dave Fisher

As soon as I opened the pack of shims, I recognized the particular scent. I took a closer look at the package and noted that the manufacturer celebrated this wood as superior to the spruce, pine, cedar, or plastic used … Continue reading →

Posted in finding wood, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Working Small in Apple Wood

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Dave Fisher

A couple weeks ago, a friend brought me a length of clear apple tree trunk, about 6 or 7 inches in diameter. Apple is relatively hard and dense, even when it’s green. Then it tends to move a lot as … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, drying, finding wood, green woodworking, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Amy Lowell’s Green Bowl

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Ever since encountering Amy Lowell‘s Imagist poem The Green Bowl, published in her first poetry collection in 1912, I had wondered about it. Was it inspired by an actual bowl? If so, does it still exist? Who was Roger, the … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, historical reference, nature, paint, patterns, Persons, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 15 Comments