Author Archives: Dave Fisher

It Took a Crook

An oak crook, more specifically, was the origin of this rooster-inspired bowl that I’ve just finished.  The flow of the grain is evident in the top photo in the line between the light sapwood and the darker heartwood.  I first … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, cherry, finding wood, green woodworking, paint, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

Emil Milan

The decade-long efforts of wood artists Norm Sartorius, Phil Jurus, Barry Gordon, and Craig Edelbrock to tell the story of Emil Milan have come to fruition with this Kickstarter campaign that just kicked off today.  Regrettably, I know very little … Continue reading

Posted in books, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

A Bird in the Hand

I’ll be thrilled one day if I ever convince a chickadee to eat from my hand.  Until then, this little guy will have to do.  I carved him from a small maple crook, and learned the difficulties of carving small.  … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, cherry, nature, proportions, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 26 Comments

Savor

I thought long and hard about what to carve on the handle of this boxelder (acer negundo) ladle.  Crooks with a bend like this one don’t come along every day.  I decided that “savor” was a good word for a … Continue reading

Posted in Lettering, paint, spoons, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Quiet Hen

Noise proves nothing.  Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she had laid an asteroid. Mark Twain, Following the Equator (1897) No asteroid under this chicken.  Since my last post, I finished her with oil … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, paint, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Sam Understands V-tools

As I was watching my buddy, Sam, poke his head into the kitchen through the cat door as he often does, I got to thinking about v-tools.  Sam’s problem is also the problem of many v-tools: his bottom is too … Continue reading

Posted in books, bowls, sharpening, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 14 Comments

On the Horizon

I don’t think Peter Follansbee is getting lonely, but he’s already talking about Greenwood Fest 2018.  That reminded me that I had neglected to mention this blog post about Greenwood Fest that I wrote several weeks back for the Fine … Continue reading

Posted in classes, green woodworking, Lettering, sketch, Uncategorized, video, writing | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Flute Playing

I really admire people that can play musical instruments, all the more since I’ve tried to do so myself — with poor results.  For the past couple months, I’ve been playing around with a penny whistle, and you should hear … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, cherry, holding, layout, patterns, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Send Off Shaving Bowl

Next week, my son will be going off to college for the first time, so I’ve made him a practical gift as he heads to the dorm.  In his brief shaving career, he has become accustomed to lathering his face … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, carving, cherry, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

There’s No Blemish

In nature there’s no blemish but the mind, None can be called deformed but the unkind. — William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act III, scene iv As I was cutting and collecting this storm-fallen silver maple, I noticed in the end-grain … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, finding wood, Lettering, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments