Category Archives: patterns

Roving, Designing and Sketching

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Dave Fisher

We carvers are fortunate to have the opportunity to both conceive a design and execute it with nothing more than a chunk of wood and a few sharp tools, and it’s a thrill  when the idea becomes a reality before … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, books, bowls, patterns, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Launch of the Dragon Ale-Bowl

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Dave Fisher

…but Sigurd himself steered the dragon-keel which was the greatest and noblest; richly wrought were the sails, and glorious to look on. — The Story of Sigurd from The Völsunga saga, 13th century Ok, so that’s obviously not a photo of Sigurd’s ship … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, bowls, cherry, green woodworking, patterns, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Evening Trees Shrink Pot

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Dave Fisher

A longing to wander tears my heart when I hear trees rustling in the wind at evening… Trees have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours.  They are wiser than we are, as long … Continue reading →

Posted in patterns, quotes and excerpts, shrink box, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

If Yinz* are Ever in Pittsburgh

Posted on September 17, 2016 by Dave Fisher

Earlier this week, I found myself with a few hours to walk around the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh.  There was no chance of getting lost; all I had to do to orient myself was look for the centerpiece of the … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, historical reference, patterns, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Aspen/Poplar/Popple Ale Bowl

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Dave Fisher

I’m settling back in after teaching a bowl carving class (not ale bowls) in the Plymouth, Mass. area with Plymouth CRAFT.  More about that great experience in another post before long. Meanwhile, one of the tasks on my list today is … Continue reading →

Posted in ale bowls, bowls, paint, patterns, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Bowl for Beginners and Beyond

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Dave Fisher

I had been thinking about an ideal bowl design for the Plymouth CRAFT class, now only a month away.  This sample bowl is the result of those thoughts.  In addition to providing challenges for development of various skills, I wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, classes, drying, finding wood, layout, patterns, proportions, teaching, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Necklace for a Bowl

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Dave Fisher

At least that’s the way I see a design like this — draping like a necklace around the rim.  l like how the facets of the recesses catch the light and shadows in different ways.  I’ve done several versions; one … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, layout, patterns, tools, Uncategorized, walnut | 5 Comments

Beautiful Weather for Carving

Posted on May 15, 2016 by Dave Fisher

Well, for carving inside anyway.  Temperatures in the low 40s, rain, and even snow this morning!  More encouragement to stay in the shop and continue work on some of the things I want to take as examples to Greenwood Fest in … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, carving, patterns, Uncategorized | Tagged | 2 Comments

Chip Carving for Warlike Men and School Girls

Posted on April 13, 2016 by Dave Fisher

It is difficult to conceive the contradictory fact that this apparently simple form of art [chip carving] was once the exponent of a struggling desire for refinement on the part of fierce and warlike men, and that it should, under … Continue reading →

Posted in books, carving, historical reference, patterns, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Magic of a Shrink Box

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Dave Fisher

There may be no project in green woodworking as magical as the making of a shrink box.  The magic happens slowly, but you still want to find somebody to ask, “Did you see that?!”  Maybe that’s why I can’t resist … Continue reading →

Posted in books, carving, green woodworking, patterns, shrink box, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 30 Comments