Category Archives: finding wood

Putting the Wood in the Driver’s Seat

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Dave Fisher

One of the things I enjoy most about greenwood carving is the challenge of making the most out of the wood that becomes available.  The individual characteristics of the log or branch drive the design, while I navigate among the … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, carving, drying, finding wood, Lettering, spoons, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

True Hope is Swift

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Dave Fisher

True hope is swift, and flies with swallow’s wings. Kings it makes gods, and meaner creatures kings.           — William Shakespeare, Richard III, Act V, Scene ii I knew I had to carve that first line … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, carving, cherry, finding wood, green woodworking, Lettering, quotes and excerpts, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments

Bent Bowl

Posted on November 18, 2017 by Dave Fisher

I’m the guy that orders vanilla ice cream at Baskin Robbins, so you can imagine how wild I felt carving this asymmetrical bowl.  The silver maple log flared out wider at one end and also had a slight twist.  Going with … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, finding wood, layout, Lettering, sketch, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

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

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

Boxwood Blunder

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Dave Fisher

This is the closest I’ve come to working in clay.  Over the winter, I was asked to design and carve a pottery chop, a.k.a. pottery stamp, featuring the ABS initials of the ceramic artist.  I had even been supplied with … Continue reading →

Posted in finding wood, Lettering, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Making Things from Trees

Posted on April 21, 2017 by Dave Fisher

  Not long ago, this book arrived in the mail, an unexpected and thoughtful gift from a friend.  In it, Robert Penn writes of his experience of felling one ash tree in Herefordshire and having as many things made from … Continue reading →

Posted in books, finding wood, green woodworking, nature, quotes and excerpts, trees, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged | 1 Comment

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

Serving Board

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Dave Fisher

Look at all of that flat surface, 8 x 20 inches of it!  Not a hollow in sight.  So when I made this walnut serving board recently, I just had to sculpt the bottom. If you’re short on green wood, … Continue reading →

Posted in finding wood, patterns, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , | 10 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