Category Archives: bowls

It Took a Crook

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Dave Fisher

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

A Bird in the Hand

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Dave Fisher

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

Quiet Hen

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Dave Fisher

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

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Dave Fisher

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

Flute Playing

Posted on August 22, 2017 by Dave Fisher

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

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Dave Fisher

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

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Dave Fisher

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

Fine Woodworking

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Dave Fisher

Like a lot of people, I have stacks of old Fine Woodworking Magazines in my house, and I owe a good deal of my woodworking education to them.  My copies, going back to the 90s, bring back a lot of … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, carving, patterns, teaching, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , | 23 Comments

The Return of the Swallows

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Dave Fisher

This little guy was in the pear tree yesterday morning.  I hadn’t made any in awhile, which is a shame because they are a lot of fun to make.  I based the design on the swallow and their graceful curves … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, carving, cherry, patterns, spoons, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 11 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