Category Archives: bowls

New Bowl Horse Plans and Tutorial

Posted on February 16, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Over twenty years ago, I designed and built my first bowl horse and it has been an important carving partner for me ever since. I use it for every bowl, but also for shrink pots, spoon blanks, and all sorts … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, carving, events, holding, patterns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

Bowl from a Plank: Part 2

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Back to the “bowl from a plank” that I started in this post a couple weeks ago. After preparing the blank and laying out the hollow and rim, I began to hollow the bowl. Remember, this plank was completely dry. … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, finding wood, Lettering, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Bowl from a Plank

Posted on December 11, 2022 by Dave Fisher

Sourcing, storing, and/or processing green logs can be a challenge for some people based on location and other circumstances. There are ways around it. I’ve written a few posts that feature bowls carved from dry wood, or other creatively-sourced blanks. … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, finding wood, layout, patterns, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Asymmetrical Cherry Crook Bowl

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Dave Fisher

The treetops had been on the ground since the logging crew left the woodlot over a year ago. I climbed over brush and through the jaggerbushes that had sprung to life in the new abundance of sunlight. It was slim … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, cherry, finding wood, layout, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Merging Cuts in the Hollow

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Dave Fisher

Earlier this month, I wrote a post about two walnut bowls, and there was a question in the comments about dealing with the tricky area where the grain direction merges across the middle of the hollow. I wanted to expand … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, carving, sharpening, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Arch Top and Flat Top

Posted on August 6, 2022 by Dave Fisher

These two walnut bowls are very much alike in all aspects of their design except for the shape of the upper surface. I split both blanks from the same log. After hewing and planing both bottom surfaces flat, I gave … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, holding, layout, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Walnut Bowls and Hosta Flowers

Posted on July 17, 2022 by Dave Fisher

Earlier this week, I was preparing to take some photos in the shop of two recently-finished walnut bowls, but the light filtering into the shop wasn’t really bringing out the color variations in the wood. I looked into the back … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, nature, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Koa Bowl

Posted on July 2, 2022 by Dave Fisher

The wood for most of what I make comes from trees that grow within a few miles of my house, which is more than enough to make me happy. I’m fortunate to live in an area with so many diverse … Continue reading →

Posted in axe, bowls, carving, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged | 12 Comments

Perico the Bowlmaker

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Dave Fisher

I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. How could I know? I could die right now, or maybe I’ll die tomorrow. When will it be? In the meantime, I’ll keep making bowls for as long as I can. … Continue reading →

Posted in adze, axe, bowls, historical reference, Persons, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized, video | Tagged | 4 Comments

Bowl from Dry Walnut

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Dave Fisher

Wood is much easier to carve when it’s green, and you can get right to work with a large blank of fresh uncracked wood straight from the tree. Then you can let the bowl dry, stress and crack free, before … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, carving, holding, patterns, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments