Category Archives: bowls

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Posted in ale bowls, bowls, cherry, historical reference, patterns, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Black Walnut Bowl

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Dave Fisher

While not as big as Der Mollenhauer’s bowl, this large bowl will still hold a lot of fruit or bread.  It’s 20 3/4″ long, 12 1/4″ wide, and 4 1/4″ high and carved from a lovely black walnut log. I … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, patterns, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Der Mollenhauer

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Dave Fisher

I should have paid more attention in my high school German classes.  I do remember singing a song in German about a three-cornered hat or something — and I can still count.  It would be nice to sit and watch … Continue reading →

Posted in axe, bowls, finding wood, historical reference, tools, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , , | 26 Comments

Lowrider

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Dave Fisher

I get a fair amount of questions about my bowl horse, but this low bench has been at the center of my workshop even longer.  I built it thirteen years ago, thinking something like this could serve as a multi-purpose … Continue reading →

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

A Bowl for Enkidu

Posted on December 4, 2016 by Dave Fisher

It seems that our problem with portion control goes back at least 4700 years.  In the Epic of Gilgamesh, probably the oldest recorded story in human history, Shamhat is tasked with civilizing the wild beastly man Enkidu.  To lure him … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, bowls, historical reference, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

Roof Top Bowl

Posted on November 25, 2016 by Dave Fisher

Most of us are familiar with the two usual orientations for bowl carving: working “upside down” into the bark side of the bowl (an innovation that Bengt Lidström was known for), and working into the flat split surface of the half log. … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, layout, patterns, proportions, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Cold November Rain

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Dave Fisher

As I happily remain in the shop this morning, in my head I hear Axl Rose’s refrain. I’m carving flutes along the outer surface of this little “wine bowl.” This is quiet, contemplative work that seems to fit a rainy morning. … Continue reading →

Posted in adze, ale bowls, bowls, carving, cherry, finding wood, green woodworking, holding, quotes and excerpts, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Roving, Designing and Sketching

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Dave Fisher

We carvers are fortunate to have the opportunity to both conceive a design and execute it with nothing more than a chunk of wood and a few sharp tools, and it’s a thrill  when the idea becomes a reality before … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, books, bowls, patterns, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Launch of the Dragon Ale-Bowl

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Dave Fisher

…but Sigurd himself steered the dragon-keel which was the greatest and noblest; richly wrought were the sails, and glorious to look on. — The Story of Sigurd from The Völsunga saga, 13th century Ok, so that’s obviously not a photo of Sigurd’s ship … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, bowls, cherry, green woodworking, patterns, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Sighting the Lines

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Dave Fisher

We’re all familiar with the idea of sighting down the length of a board to check for straightness of line.  It is amazing how well our eyes can pick up even slight deviations in the flow of a line when … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, layout, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 3 Comments