Rooftop Bird with 12/12 pitch

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Dave Fisher

IMG_8919

It’s been a couple years since I wrote this post about a bowl orientation I call a rooftop bowl.  In it, I discussed working with this type of blank and suggested experimenting with quarter-log splits and other angles.  Of course, the acuteness of angle will affect the overall design, but there are no magic numbers.  All else being equal, a more obtuse angle will result in a bowl with higher and wider outer edges, while a bowl cut from a more acute angle will have a more dramatic sweep along the rim when viewed at eye level.  This is comparable to the differences resulting from varying the radii of archtop bowls.

IMG_8913

This view may make the roof-top angle more clear.

A friend has been spurring me on to experiment more with the rooftop orientation.  In the case of this hen bowl, the angle is 90°, so 1/4 of a walnut log.  In roofing terms, that would be a 12/12 pitch since there’s 45° to both sides of vertical.  The 1/3 log (120° overall) would be about a 7/12 pitch, in the spirit of the “rooftop” terminology.  Here’s the blank after some rough hollowing with the adze.

IMG_8857

Notice that I’d already chunked away some material under the tail.  Normally I wouldn’t bother with that before hollowing, but removing that bit of wood actually preceded the layout.  As I was shaving the underside of the blank a couple dark pin knots appeared.

IMG_8910

A couple more strokes and a nicked drawknife later, I realized what they really were:

IMG_8909

I was able to saw beyond them then split the chunks away.  You’ve often got to be flexible with your designs, working with what the piece of tree brings to you.  I love that aspect.  Thus, I diverted from my first thoughts of a non-bird bowl toward the design of this hen with the tail lifted above where the nails had been.

IMG_8871

The bowl after some rough hewing of the exterior with an axe.

There were a number of new elements to this piece, including the shape of the tail and its hollowed underside.  In the photo below, things are starting to take shape.

IMG_8876

This shot was taken after some more carving.  One angle of the top rests on the bench, while the other will butt up against the clamped block as the piece is pushed forward between it and the wood peg.  There’s always a way.

IMG_8907

The bowl is 18 inches long, 9 1/2 wide, and 6 3/4 inches high.  I’m going to hold on to this one for a bit while I do some exploring with related designs.  Here are a few more photos taken after some oil:

IMG_8977

IMG_8979

IMG_8949

IMG_8990

Happy carving!

 

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, finding wood, holding, layout, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

Tampa BowlMates

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Dave Fisher
SAM_4322

Charlie pares the hollow of his bowl.

Last weekend’s Fine Woodworking Hands-On event in Tampa was a rich experience.  Never having been to Florida, it was a bit surreal for me; temperatures in the upper 70s in February, palm trees, a manatee…like another world.

Kate Swann, Carl Johnson, and the rest of the crew at the Florida School of Woodwork did an outstanding job hosting the event and getting materials and equipment ready for us, including these adaptations of Robin Wood’s BowlMate.  Not having much access to appropriate logs, Carl designed and built these from  tulip poplar timber — with removable legs for storage.  They worked great, as do many other options.

There are lots of methods for holding a chunk of wood or a bowl in place.  The best one depends upon the situation, including the resources available.  For more ideas, check out the “holding” topic from the pulldown menu on the right.  The BowlMate relies on an old idea of wedging the workpiece between two stops.  Opposing wedges with a slim taper can hold with a rock-solid grip.  The notch at the end can be used in creative ways, including holding a bowl between it and the carver’s body.

I wish I had thought to take more photos of the event overall, but I was able to snap some photos of the students at work on their bowlmates.  Here’s the slideshow:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

There’s a couple people missing from the photo, but here’s most of the crew with their bowls in progress.  The bowls will be nice reminders of our time working, learning and laughing together.

SAM_4369

0203191634

They’ve got strange pointy trees down there.

 

Posted in classes, events, holding, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Travels

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Dave Fisher

travelers painting cma

Travelers in Hilly Countryside (c. 1650), Aelbert Cuyp  Image courtesy of Cleveland Museum of Art

Later this week, I’ll be leading my donkey to Tampa for Fine Woodworking Magazine’s Hands On event.  Kate Swann and her crew down at the Florida School of Woodwork have been hard at work getting things ready for classes for eight instructors.  Carl Johnson posted a short video of the tree we’ll turn into bowls:

In June, Plymouth CRAFT is letting me return for a special five days of carving along with JoJo Wood.  JoJo will be teaching spoon carving and I’ll be teaching bowl carving.  Each of us will be teaching two classes June 7-8, and June 10-11 with a spooncarving “melee” in between on the 9th.

sam_4026

This one will be in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.  We’ll have a great time.  Registration opens this Saturday, February 2.  Check out the details at this link.

sam_4012

By the way, the image at the top of this post is thanks to the Cleveland Museum of Art joining a growing number of museums digitizing their collections and making them accessible to the public, in many cases free of any restrictions.  CMAs mission is to “create transformative experiences through art, for the benefit of all the people forever,” and this move is meant to foster that.  Read more about it here, including a link to search the collection.  And if you ever have a chance to travel to Cleveland, be sure to check out the museum in person.  I had the museum guards following me around there one time.  I must have been  looking so hard at stuff that I raised their suspicions.  Or maybe it was the glass cutter.

Posted in classes, events, finding wood, green woodworking, teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Cherry Bird

Posted on January 26, 2019 by Dave Fisher

img_8834

I’ve made many bird bowls, but there always seems to be another design twist to play with.  In the case of this latest one from a large cherry crook, I carved a single flute that runs the length of the piece along both sides.  That flute is sort of divided into narrower flutes.

img_8815

The body and wings have a smooth surface that contrasts with the toolmarks of the hollow and the flute.  Thankfully, the card scraper left just a little smoothing to be done with very fine sandpaper.

img_880117″ long, 5″ wide, 5 3/4″ high.

img_8804

img_8787

And I’ll end with some real birds.  After the heavy snow last weekend, we were treated to robins feasting on the overripe little fruits of our flowering pear trees.  Always nice to see them.

img_8865

img_8868

 

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

First Snow

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Dave Fisher

sam_4309

This weekend brought us our first significant snowfall of the winter, about a foot waiting for my snowshoes.  Here are a few photos from yesterday’s walk, along with an excerpt from the poem First Snow by Mary Oliver who passed away last week.

sam_4302

Trees

glitter like castles

sam_4296

of ribbons, the broad fields

smolder with light, a passing

creekbed lies

heaped with shining hills;

 

sam_4307

and though the questions

that have assailed us all day

remain — not a single

answer has been found —

walking out now into the silence and the light

under the trees

sam_4297

and through the fields,

feels like one.

sam_4311

— from First Snow by Mary Oliver
Posted in nature, photography, quotes and excerpts, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Coffee Pot

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Dave Fisher

img_8777 img_8776

For many folks, the morning cup of coffee is one of life’s great joys, a sacred ritual and/or an absolute necessity.  I’m happy that this big shrink pot will become a part of the morning routine for one coffee lover.

img_8768

For a larger pot like this in cherry (6″ diamer a the base and 7″ high, excluding the finial), I hollow the interior with a gouge and mallet after boring a 2″ hole through with a T-handle auger.  Should hold a lot of ground or whole coffee beans for her.

img_8752

A good lid will keep that coffee fresh.  Making it can take as long as making the pot.  I made this lid from a radially-split billet of dry cherry.  The “quarter-sawn” grain orientation should keep seasonal movement to a minimum.

img_8751

I carved a rabbet into the underside of the lid.  The wall of the rabbet is tapered to match the taper carved inside the rim of the pot.  This allows the lid to settle in with no wiggle room as the heavy lid seats.  The finial was carved from cherry burl and through-tenoned into the lid.  The interior was left unfinished.

img_8761

img_8750

I couldn’t resist a little carved sketch on the basswood bottom.  I’ve written several posts on shrink pots.  Check out the “shrink box” category from the pull-down menu to the right, and have some fun making a new partner for your morning ritual.

Posted in burl, Lettering, shrink box, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

Travisher

Posted on January 12, 2019 by Dave Fisher

img_0732-001

I’ve briefly mentioned the idea of using a travisher on bowls, in this post for example.  The travisher in that post was one I had made years before using a blade that I purchased from Country workshops. I used it for the occasional chair seat and for other tasks.  It’s the one at the top of the photo below:

img_7748-001.jpg

The travisher below it in the photo is one that I purchased from James Mursell’s website.  I found that it had some great features.  Two deeply recessed set-screws hold the blade firmly in position.  The shavings exit the top rather than the back, allowing for thumbs to be placed on the solid wood behind the blade, great for control and comfort.   The tighter radius (about a 4 1/2″ radius) made it more versatile than my other travisher.

Still, there were some aspects of the design that made it difficult to use for bowls — which is no surprise, since it wasn’t designed for that use.  I experimented and made some important modifications to the body that made it more ideal for bowl shaving.  I’ll show you what I did below.  Pretty simple, really.  By the way, I have absolutely no connection with James Mursell.

Notice the red line I drew on the travisher in the photo above.  Trim the sole back to the red line, leaving about 1/2″ of sole in front of the blade.  The set screws are recessed deeply enough that they’re not affected at all.  In the photo below, that has been done.

img_7751-001

Above and below are two different views of the handles after I shaved recesses to either side of the blade.  This allowed my ring and pinky fingertips to fit under the handles which also helps with control.

img_7753-001

The last step is to round the sole in front of the blade down to a line about 1/8″ or so above the existing toe (see the pencil line in the photo below).

img_7754-001.jpg

You want a gentle arc from the existing wood right in front of the blade down to the pencil line.

img_7755.jpg

I used a finely set spokeshave, but a rasp or block plane would work as well.

img_7756-001

Here’s how I hold it in general.  My thumbs are pressing on the wood behind the blade.

img_0731-001

You certainly don’t need a travisher for carving bowls, and it’s really off limits for some bowl designs and sizes, but for general medium to large bowls it can be useful for fairing the hollow.  The compact size makes it pretty nimble and versatile.  I’ve used it occasionally as an intermediate step, but I suppose one could choose to leave the surface directly from the travisher.

Here’s one final shot with a ruler for reference.

img_0735-001

 

 

Posted in green woodworking, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Noah’s Bowl

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Dave Fisher

IMG_8537

After his first few days home from college for Christmas break, my son told me he wanted to carve a bowl.  Being in the workshop with him was nice and reminded me of many moments in the workshop when the kids were growing up.  Usually, the projects were spur-of-the-moment ideas that struck them; bows and arrows, boats, wooden swords, miniature stages for little ponies and the like.

Noah getting to know the spokeshave.
Noah getting to know the spokeshave.
Emma helping to weave a hickory bark stool seat.
Emma helping to weave a hickory bark stool seat.

And every so often, they’d pop in and help me with a project I was working on.  Attention spans tend to be short at that age — there are so many things to explore — so I never made the shop into a detention center.  Over the years, they’ve continued to investigate and discover their own interests and talents, from drawing to guitar playing.  Once in awhile they pop back in to the workshop as Noah did to really carve his first bowl, a gift for his mother.

IMG_8533

We worked with green tulip poplar, one good option for a first bowl.  We stuck to a form that allowed him to get used to the feel of the tools and the response of the material rather than become overwhelmed with a really complex design.  Still, the bowl has a nicely arched top and some undercutting beneath the handles.  He enjoyed it and made a lovely bowl that will see lots of use in our house over the years.  This tulip poplar log had a cool purple streak running through it that was a nice bonus.  The bowl is 16 inches long, 7 inches wide, and 3 inches high.

IMG_8725IMG_8726

IMG_8732The photos were taken after the bowl had dried in the open for over a week and had lost nearly half of its weight through water loss.  Now Noah will have to decide if he wants to go over all of the surfaces again with fresh cuts to refine the form and leave a more burnished surface, as I do. But he really took the time to leave nice cuts during the green stage and there was really no discoloration or anything during drying, so maybe he’ll just flatten the bottom with a hand plane and oil it.  IMG_8736

IMG_8542Wishing you all a 2019 filled with memorable moments in and out of the workshop.

Posted in bowls, drying, patterns, teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 21 Comments

Feline Inspiration

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Dave Fisher

IMG_8636

You can learn a lot by watching cats.  They are studies in elegant movement and sinuous lines.

Our cat, Mavis (named after a Thomas-the-Train engine), is sixteen years old.  Quick sketches of him appear here and there through my sketchbooks.  He always seems to be in a good pose that creates a miniature landscape of curves.  I suppose their natural fascination as subjects is one of the reasons cats appear in the art of many cultures going back to the earliest civilizations and that they continue to be popular models.

IMG_2735

Mavis doing his best “Sphinx” pose.

 

IMG_8626

Buttternut cat viewed from above.

As a gift for my daughter, I carved a small representation of Mavis (or any cat) curled up sleeping.  I tried to simplify the form and translate it into a combination of curving lines and surfaces — a sculptural form much like a carved bowl or spoon.

At four inches long, this piece was sized well for holding in a hand while carving.  I used many of the same knife grasps that I use for spoon carving.  Most of the carving of this piece of butternut was done with a sloyd knife and pocket knife, and the surface is left directly from the knife cuts.  No oil had been applied yet when the photos were taken.

Just as with a spoon or a bowl, distinct facets catch the light or hold shadows.  And the effect changes when the piece is seen from different viewpoints.

IMG_8664

It seems to me that automobile designers consider these same things, putting a lot of thought into the lines formed where two surfaces meet and the effect of light.  Engines and horsepower aren’t really my thing, but I’ve always loved the image of the designer scraping away the clay from the car model, checking the surface with hand and eye.  A process that continues today as you can see in this short video.

I find it interesting how the tapeline is established on one surface as the important junction, then the adjoining surface is faired by judgement to the line.  I suspect that Charles Douglas carves spoons and bowls.

Anyway, this little diversion got me thinking, and, like every project, taught me a thing or two.  Mavis, by the way, couldn’t care less.

IMG_8558

Posted in carving, figure, patterns, proportions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Norman Stevens

Posted on December 16, 2018 by Dave Fisher

Norman Stevens

I received word last night that Norman Stevens died yesterday after a short bout with pneumonia.  Norman’s love and support for carved spoons began decades ago and continued right on through the current surge of interest in spoon carving.

Norman's Big Spoon

Norman Stevens.  Thanks to Norm Sartorius for both photos.

Norman joined us at Greenwood Fest 2017 to share some of the spoons from his collection, a collection that he continued to build upon, reaching his goal of 400 spoons not even a month ago.  Norman meticulously catalogued each spoon in his collection and valued the craftsmanship of each of the carvers to whom he reached out over many years.

In this post from 2016, I wrote about how Norman’s affection for wooden spoons began and how he had made arrangements to bequeath his collection to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Norman continued to quietly support and encourage handcrafts in many ways, including his recent donation of many personal treasures to the September 2018 fundraising auction organized by North House Folk School to benefit the Wille Sundqvist and Bill Coperthwaite Slöjd Fellowship Fund.  Norm went on to work with North House this fall in order to make copies of Dan Dustin’s book Spoon Tales available.

So, here’s to a man whose passion and kindness touched so many others.  I and many others are grateful.

Posted in Persons, spoons, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 5 Comments