Category Archives: layout

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 , , | 7 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 , , , , , , | 11 Comments

The Beginnings of a Rooftop Hen

There’s a hen bowl in that big chunk of butternut. I’ve made some of these bowls (call them hens, roosters, fowl…) using various log orientations, but the most common have been what I call rooftop bowls. The drawing below accompanied … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, layout, patterns, proportions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Simple Drawing Bow

When I lay out the “rectoval” bowls like the walnut bowls featured in my most recent post, I usually simply sketch in the long side curves by hand. On those two bowls, I experimented with a technique using an improvised … Continue reading

Posted in layout, proportions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 6 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

Summer’s Calling

We just had our first full week of summer-like weather, and it had me outside working and preparing some material for some of the projects I’m looking forward to. Some of them are in that willow basket waiting for the … Continue reading

Posted in bird bowls, finding wood, layout, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Chip Layout

I was finishing up a small walnut bowl and decided to define the narrow side-panel with a graduated row of chip cuts. I have a slide show and description of the cutting of these on a similar bowl in this … Continue reading

Posted in carving, layout, patterns, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 8 Comments

New Walnut Bowl

This bowl started with a black walnut log about 13″ in diameter but only 13″ long. I split it into quarters and was able to get this bowl out of one of those sections. Bark up orientation, so the flow … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, carving, layout, patterns, proportions, sketch, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged | 21 Comments

Maple Branch to Maple Bird

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

Round Walnut Bowl Underway

The plan is to carve a deep round bowl from black walnut with a wide surface below the rim for a lettered inscription. Here, I’m refining the hollow with a crooked knife after having done the rest of the hollowing … Continue reading

Posted in bowls, drying, layout, proportions, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , | 8 Comments