Category Archives: finding wood

Love and Coffee

I’ve missed out on a love affair with coffee.  Seems like just about everyone else has had one and most of them last a lifetime.  Long before iced-coffees became chic, my grandfather loved cold black coffee.  He kept it in … Continue reading

Posted in carving, finding wood, layout, Lettering, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments

Spoon Stages

I’ve been finishing up several spoons that have been sitting around, partially carved, for months.  For me, spoon carving breaks down into these stages:  Finding and collecting the crook  Splitting  Axe and adze work  Green knife work  Dry knife work … Continue reading

Posted in finding wood, green woodworking, spoons, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 24 Comments

Daily Bowl Article

There’s a new issue of Fine Woodworking Magazine just out (August 2020, Issue #283) with a slew of good articles.  I’ve also got an article in there on carving an eating bowl like the one above.  With just a few … Continue reading

Posted in finding wood, green woodworking, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Making the Best of It

Limits encourage creativity.  This is evident in many aspects of life, such as when a resourceful home cook manages to create a splendid meal from the few things left in the cupboard.  Or when an aging athlete expertly adapts his … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, carving, finding wood, layout, Lettering, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged | 26 Comments

Silver Maple Bowl

Now that I’ve made several pieces from silver maple, I feel like I’m starting to understand its character.  I compare it to a no-nonsense laborer who wears flashy underpants beneath his overalls.  You know. Based on what I’ve read recently, … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, finding wood, green woodworking, historical reference, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 13 Comments

Liking Lichens

What is produced by a free stroke charms us, like the forms of lichens and leaves. There is a certain perfection in accidents which we never consciously attain. — Henry David Thoreau, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers … Continue reading

Posted in finding wood, green woodworking, nature, quotes and excerpts, spoons, trees, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Mulberry Rooster Bowl

In summer, the birds and I eat the mulberries from my neighbor’s tree.  We have a deal; the birds get the high ones and I get the low ones.  The other way around proved to be far too dangerous. A … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, finding wood, tools, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Branches, Barn’s Book, and Bowls

The gnarled rhododendron branches you see above are what I call neighborwood.  On my walks around my neighborhood I often find piles of pruned branches or, in this case, the remnants of a large rhododendron that had been cut down.  … Continue reading

Posted in books, bowls, finding wood, Uncategorized | Tagged | 5 Comments

Playing With Cool Sticks

Green woodworking can imply more than just the general notion of working wood that is still relatively fresh with a high moisture content.  Among other things, the term connotes the idea of working with nature, sensitively considering the unique attributes … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, cherry, figure, finding wood, green woodworking, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Bitty Bowl

That’s either a mutant lemon or a really small bowl.  As you probably guessed, it’s a small bowl — less than nine inches long (8 7/8″ x 3 3/4″ x 2 1/4″ high).  It came from this 5″ diameter branch … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, finding wood, patterns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 18 Comments