Category Archives: patterns

Axe Sheath of Wood

Posted on July 19, 2019 by Dave Fisher

At last month’s Plymouth CRAFT Spoon Day, I saw Oliver Pratt’s cool wooden axe sheath.  It worked by pinning a wedge in place that secured the sheath.  Oliver had seen the concept somewhere and had created his sheath by chopping … Continue reading →

Posted in axe, green woodworking, layout, Lettering, patterns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Bright Shrink Pot

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Dave Fisher

Around me the trees stir in their leaves and call out, “Stay awhile.” The light flows from their branches. —Mary Oliver, from the poem “When I am Among the Trees” That poetry excerpt may look familiar.  I shared it last … Continue reading →

Posted in paint, patterns, quotes and excerpts, sharpening, shrink box, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Bitty Bowl

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Dave Fisher

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

Fluted Dragon

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Dave Fisher

Here’s the ale bowl from my recent post on orthodontics, now completed.  I carved flutes along the exterior of this one.  The gouge I use for fluting depends upon the effect I want and the curvature of the exterior itself.  … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, cherry, patterns, proportions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Dragon Orthodontics

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Dave Fisher

I roughed out this cherry ale bowl during the green stage months ago, and now I’ve gotten around to refining it in the dry stage, including carving a set of choppers, a point of pride for any dragon. After sketching … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, carving, cherry, patterns, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Re-Carving

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Dave Fisher

I’m more adept with light and shadow than with color.  I wonder, in fact, if I haven’t carved away more paint than I’ve put on.  But I can be stubborn perseverant. The top photo shows a bowl shortly after I … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, paint, patterns, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Noah’s Bowl

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Dave Fisher

After his first few days home from college for Christmas break, my son told me he wanted to carve a bowl.  Being in the workshop with him was nice and reminded me of many moments in the workshop when the … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, drying, patterns, teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 21 Comments

Feline Inspiration

Posted on December 28, 2018 by Dave Fisher

You can learn a lot by watching cats.  They are studies in elegant movement and sinuous lines. Our cat, Mavis (named after a Thomas-the-Train engine), is sixteen years old.  Quick sketches of him appear here and there through my sketchbooks.  … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, figure, patterns, proportions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

The Nimble Fishtail

Posted on November 24, 2018 by Dave Fisher

Having just finished carving “necklaces” on a couple bowls, I thought I’d explain a bit more about the tool I use for the carving of the large triangular recesses that make up the design.  In the FWW  article and video, … Continue reading →

Posted in Lettering, patterns, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged | 9 Comments

On Eating Spoons and Such

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Dave Fisher

I finished carving a few eating spoons and bowls recently.  There are many factors to consider when making objects such as these that will be held and used daily.  First among these is wood choice.  Relatively dense hardwoods with tight … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, cherry, patterns, spoons, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 2 Comments