Author Archives: Dave Fisher

Explorations in the Deep Snow

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Dave Fisher

A lot of snow has fallen around here over the past couple weeks, and, after doing the necessary digging out, we’ve been enjoying it. Noah and Chip made a dog igloo in the back yard. Chip loves the snow, but … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Round Walnut Bowl: Follow Up

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Dave Fisher

This post is the follow up to the one I wrote a few months ago on the early stages of carving this walnut bowl. After the bowl dried, I did some reshaping and refining of all of the surfaces inside … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

New Walnut Bowl

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Dave Fisher

This bowl started with a black walnut log about 13″ in diameter but only 13″ long. I split it into quarters and was able to get this bowl out of one of those sections. Bark up orientation, so the flow … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, carving, layout, patterns, proportions, sketch, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged | 21 Comments

Winter Whittled Bird

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Dave Fisher

On a “cold, cold, wet day” this past weekend, I sat warm and dry in the shop by the window and whittled a little bird from a pine branch. Winter birds bring a special joy. It’s magical to be in … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, carving, finding wood, nature, patterns, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

The Saw Wright Sign

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Dave Fisher

In the last month or so, I tried to knock a little bit of the rust off of my letter carving. I warmed up by completing a couple smaller projects, then tackled this long sign for Matt Cianci, a guy … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, holding, Lettering, paint, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Phil’s Julfågel

Posted on December 4, 2021 by Dave Fisher

Last Christmas, Phil Teeter sent me some cheer in the form of these delightful carvings. Phil explained that they are Julfågel (Swedish for Christmas Bird), “very rare and shy — they appear at Christmas and bring good fortune.” Phil has … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, green woodworking, paint, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Saturday Night Spoons

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Dave Fisher

I’ve managed to fit in a few spoons from crooks that I found and couldn’t resist. I’ll post them below for sale, starting with the long cherry one on the bottom left and finishing with the little cherry one on … Continue reading →

Posted in spoons, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Norm Sartorius: Spoons to Stir the Soul

Posted on November 27, 2021 by Dave Fisher

Norm Sartorius has been making wooden spoons since the 1970s, and he decided early on to dedicate himself to exploring the sculptural possibilities in these small wood pieces. Norm’s spoons reflect his sensitivity to each piece of tree that comes … Continue reading →

Posted in Persons, Uncategorized | Tagged | 7 Comments

Mr. McInturf and the Card Scraper

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Dave Fisher

As I relentlessly bore down on the vibrating sander, I peered through the cloud of dust and saw Mr. McInturf motioning me toward him. As I turned off the machine and maneuvered between my high school Wood Shop classmates, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Persons, sharpening, teaching, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Maple Branch to Maple Bird

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Dave Fisher

A blank canvas can be daunting. I like how the peculiarities in a piece of tree focus the possibilities for me. I just finished this bird bowl from a twisted maple branch and I thought I’d share some photos I … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, figure, layout, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged | 12 Comments