Category Archives: figure

Three Shrinkpots and a Bowl

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Dave Fisher

These three shrink pots and a bowl were all made from trees/branches that fell in the woods around the house. 1: 6″ high x 3 3/8″. Cherry with subtly faceted surface. The rabbeted lid is from a chunk of oak … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, figure, shrink box, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Leaves of Grass Shrink Book Box

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Dave Fisher

You might recognize this book box from my most recent post. When I started roughing this book form from a green log, I had no final design in mind at all. But that wonderful “blemish” that was revealed on the … Continue reading →

Posted in books, carving, figure, green woodworking, Lettering, shrink box, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Ambrosia Maple Bowl — Butterflies Included

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Dave Fisher

I should take my own advice. I tell people to be careful to look for the tiniest checks in the end grain of a log because they will open up as the bowl dries. If a log section has been … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, figure, finding wood, patterns, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

A Silver Maple Bowl and My New Old Drawknife

Posted on September 21, 2024 by Dave Fisher

I like this silver maple bowl that I just finished, and I liked making it even more. Part of the reason is that it gave me an opportunity to use a curved (cooper’s hollowing) drawknife that I had picked it … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, figure, holding, tools, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Venus-and-the-Moon Bowl

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Dave Fisher

A friend alerted me to an old fruit-bearing pear tree that had fallen in a windstorm, just a couple minutes down the road. When I went to check it out, I wasn’t optimistic about its prospects. Most of the tree … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, figure, finding wood, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Goose-Inspired Sugar Maple Bowl

Posted on May 7, 2022 by Dave Fisher

What a dull world if we knew all about geese! Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac (1949) Geese still hold plenty of mystery for me. In this part of the world, they are Canada geese. Their abundance makes them easy … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, figure, finding wood, nature, quotes and excerpts, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 28 Comments

Maple Branch to Maple Bird

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Dave Fisher

A blank canvas can be daunting. I like how the peculiarities in a piece of tree focus the possibilities for me. I just finished this bird bowl from a twisted maple branch and I thought I’d share some photos I … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, figure, layout, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged | 12 Comments

Bird Bowl from Straight Grain

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Dave Fisher

Most of the bird bowls I make come from crooks, with the form following the flow of the fibers. In designing and making this bowl, I tried to achieve similar lines and a sense of movement within the constraints of … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, figure, finding wood, layout, patterns, quotes and excerpts, sketch, tools, trees, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Dealing with Interlocked Grain

Posted on August 18, 2020 by Dave Fisher

Trees do funny things.  This cherry was taken down a few months ago in a friend’s yard.  This section has a 4 1/2″ radius and 55 growth rings.  We tend to think of the fibers going straight up the trunk … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, cherry, figure, finding wood, green woodworking, holding, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

Revisiting Thoreau’s Tray

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Dave Fisher

Our life is frittered away by detail . . . I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on … Continue reading →

Posted in drying, figure, green woodworking, historical reference, Lettering, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments