Author Archives: Dave Fisher

Breakfast for Five

About two years ago, I wrote a post about busting up a big cherry log into various bowl blanks.  This experimental piece came from either the billet labeled A or B, so it has vertical grain (had I sawn it … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, cherry, layout, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Live with Mary this Thursday

I’ve had the good fortune of hanging out with Mary May at a couple Fine Woodworking events.  Not only is she an incredibly talented and accomplished carver, she’s a wonderful person too.  This Thursday, July 23rd, at 1:00 pm (Eastern … Continue reading

Posted in events, teaching, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Take a Whiff

Yesterday, I was carving the flutes in a walnut bowl and I started thinking about what a big role smell plays among the pleasures of working with wood.  As I savored the rich aroma of the walnut, I thought of … Continue reading

Posted in green woodworking, sketch, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

An Egg Today

“Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow.”  –traditional proverb Each piece of tree comes with it’s own history and quirks.  I look closely and start thinking about possibilities.  Usually this will result in a variation on some design I’ve … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, cherry, patterns, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Letter Carving Close-Ups

When I was carving the lettering on a recent spoon, I paused to set up the camera behind my shoulder.  I used the timer to take a few photos as I worked a section, and they show some of my … Continue reading

Posted in Lettering, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Some Spoons

The spoons are spoken for now, but I’ll keep the photos and information up for reference: #1: Cherry.  13 1/4″ x 3 1/4″.  This is the one in the top photo and the next two photos below.  This is a … Continue reading

Posted in spoons, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Late June

“If man is ever going to admit that he belongs to the earth, not the other way round, it probably will be in late June. Then it is that life surpasses man’s affairs with incredible urgency and outreaches him in … Continue reading

Posted in nature, quotes and excerpts, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Spoon Stages

I’ve been finishing up several spoons that have been sitting around, partially carved, for months.  For me, spoon carving breaks down into these stages:  Finding and collecting the crook  Splitting  Axe and adze work  Green knife work  Dry knife work … Continue reading

Posted in finding wood, green woodworking, spoons, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 24 Comments

Literate Bugs

I’ve had this welcome sign hanging outside on the house for a little over a year now.  Lately it seems to be attracting some interesting little creatures.  I tried for a little while to identify them, but it proved to … Continue reading

Posted in Lettering, nature, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Little Hens

The walnut rooftop chickens I roughed out back in the spring are waiting for me.  Meanwhile, a friend took down a cherry tree in his yard and I used a piece to make a pair of mini versions.  It gave … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, cherry, green woodworking, holding, layout, patterns, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 19 Comments