Category Archives: ale bowls

Duckling Revisited

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Dave Fisher

The ducklings liked the new island so much that they decided to live there. All day long they follow the swan boats and eat peanuts. Robert McCloskey, Make Way for Ducklings (1941) As I finished this latest little duck bowl, … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, bird bowls, cherry, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Nine, Ten, A …

Posted on September 20, 2022 by Dave Fisher

I’ve made a number of these hen bowls now since the first one six years ago. Different wood species, some painted, some natural. It’s been interesting to take the same design concept and push, pull, and stretch it in different … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, bird bowls, proportions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Fluted Dragon

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Dave Fisher

Here’s the ale bowl from my recent post on orthodontics, now completed.  I carved flutes along the exterior of this one.  The gouge I use for fluting depends upon the effect I want and the curvature of the exterior itself.  … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, cherry, patterns, proportions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Dragon Orthodontics

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Dave Fisher

I roughed out this cherry ale bowl during the green stage months ago, and now I’ve gotten around to refining it in the dry stage, including carving a set of choppers, a point of pride for any dragon. After sketching … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, carving, cherry, patterns, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Maple Hen

Posted on October 20, 2018 by Dave Fisher

I just finished a hen bowl in maple and left it natural except for the bit of red paint on the comb.  Besides the lack of paint on the body, I made a couple other changes compared to those I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, bird bowls, bowls, layout, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Before-and-After Dragon

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Dave Fisher

I’ve completed the carving on one of the cherry dragon ale bowls I roughed out a month ago, and thought I’d share a few photos to contrast the piece after the final carving with its unfinished twin.  The same ideas … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, cherry, drying, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 23 Comments

Three in the Rough

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Dave Fisher

I’ve had some ale bowl requests on the backburner for far too long now, so while I had some cooperative cherry around I decided to rough out three at once.  That makes it sound much more straightforward than it is.  … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, cherry, holding, layout, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 15 Comments

Revisiting the Ale Duck

Posted on February 14, 2018 by Dave Fisher

It had been a while since I carved an ale bowl, so it was fun to make another recently, in this case an ale duck.  I’ve written several posts about ale bowls, including some that go into my carving process, but  … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, bird bowls, carving, cherry, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Learning from Fred Astaire

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Dave Fisher

Seeing this ale bowl basking in the sun, my wife asked my daughter what she thought of the new dragon bowl.  Emma replied, “What dragon bowl?”  Wonderful. What Emma noticed were the flowing lines and the form, and only after … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, bowls, cherry, patterns, proportions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Workhorses

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Dave Fisher

I’ve carved several of these horse-head ale bowls now, and each one seems to end up with it’s own personality.  Much of that, thankfully, happens in spite of me.  Each log is different, imparting it’s character on the finished piece.  … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, bowls, cherry, historical reference, patterns, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments