Category Archives: historical reference

Lettering Inspiration From Long Ago

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Dave Fisher

I’ve been designing some new lettering projects, for myself to carve, but also with the idea of offering some lettering patterns for sale. As I sat drawing, my mind went back to a trip to Cleveland last month and the … Continue reading →

Posted in historical reference, Lettering, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Perico the Bowlmaker

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Dave Fisher

I don’t know what’s going to happen to me. How could I know? I could die right now, or maybe I’ll die tomorrow. When will it be? In the meantime, I’ll keep making bowls for as long as I can. … Continue reading →

Posted in adze, axe, bowls, historical reference, Persons, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized, video | Tagged | 4 Comments

Moon Spoons?

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Dave Fisher

A fellow carver directed me toward this short film documenting the traditional making of spoons from boxwood in Spain. Filmed in 1994, it features a man named Pascual Mairal who had been practicing this craft since he was a child. … Continue reading →

Posted in finding wood, green woodworking, historical reference, holding, spoons, Uncategorized | 12 Comments

Carving American Chestnut

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Dave Fisher

The solstice may still be a couple weeks away, but the first day of summer for me was yesterday. I celebrated by digging in to a special log. American chestnut. Big, green, American chestnut. I carved some chestnut a few … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, finding wood, historical reference, layout, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

Pennsylvania Birds

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Dave Fisher

Birds are a frequent subject in just about every folk art tradition in the world. I’m interested in the common threads that weave through the work of different cultures. A couple books I picked up, used, have inspired me to … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, books, historical reference, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments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Posted in drying, figure, green woodworking, historical reference, Lettering, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Silver Maple Bowl

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Dave Fisher

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

Intriguing Old Spoon

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Dave Fisher

My friend, Scott, sent me this old spoon to check out.  An antique dealer in Pittsburgh told him that he comes across a lot of these spoons in the area.  He knew nothing beyond that.  Could it be a form … Continue reading →

Posted in historical reference, spoons, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 25 Comments

Hungarian Super Bowl

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Dave Fisher

Now that the Super Bowl of American football is over, feast your eyes on some amazing feats of coordination and teamwork in Hungary.  I believe the narration is in Hungarian, but the video is multi-lingual.  Huge bowls like this seem … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, historical reference, holding, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , | 28 Comments

8th Grade Sloyd

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Dave Fisher

As I cut the letters into this small panel earlier this month, I was thinking back to Mr. Howard Sokoloff, my 8th grade woodshop teacher.  Here was a man near retirement tasked with teaching every single thirteen-year-old in the school … Continue reading →

Posted in historical reference, Lettering, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 15 Comments