Category Archives: bowls

Bright Bowl

Saw a king fisher on a tree over the water. Does not its arrival mark some new movement in its finny prey? He the bright buoy that betrays it! Henry David Thoreau, Journal Entry, April 11, 1856 As I was … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, nature, paint, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Drawknife Fun With a New Bowl

I began sketching an idea on this page of my notebook last September, then added a bit here and there since then. Nothing revolutionary, just some thoughts on a design with rising ends and an underside that goes from convex … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 10 Comments

New Bowl Horse Plans and Tutorial

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 , , , , | 22 Comments

Bowl from a Plank: Part 2

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 , , , , | 17 Comments

Bowl from a Plank

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 , , | 15 Comments

Asymmetrical Cherry Crook Bowl

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 , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Merging Cuts in the Hollow

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

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

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

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