Category Archives: sketch

Bird in the Crotch

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Dave Fisher

A couple years ago, I experimented for the first time with carving a bird from the crotch of a tree. I carved a little bird and it worked out, even though the grain was a bear to deal with and there … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, cherry, finding wood, green woodworking, holding, sketch, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

September Trees and Flowers

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Everybody should own a tree at this time of year. Or a valley full of trees, or a whole hillside. Not legally, in the formal way of “Know all men . . .” and “heirs and assigns” written on a … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, sketch, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Drawknife Fun With a New Bowl

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Dave Fisher

I began sketching an idea on this page of my notebook last September, then added a bit here and there since then. Nothing revolutionary, just some thoughts on a design with rising ends and an underside that goes from convex … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Q-R-S-Tree-U-V

Posted on October 9, 2022 by Dave Fisher

I had wanted to carve an alphabet board for a long time, and I finally got around to it. The process began long before I took a knife to the basswood board above. I first put my thoughts onto paper … Continue reading →

Posted in Lettering, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 17 Comments

Chip Layout

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Dave Fisher

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

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Dave Fisher

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

Winter Whittled Bird

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Dave Fisher

On a “cold, cold, wet day” this past weekend, I sat warm and dry in the shop by the window and whittled a little bird from a pine branch. Winter birds bring a special joy. It’s magical to be in … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, carving, finding wood, nature, patterns, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments

Since You Gotta Brush Your Teeth Anyway

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Dave Fisher

All of the used toothbrushes in the house make their way to the workshop where I use them for all sorts of odd jobs from cleaning, to gluing, to finishing. The one above, made by Mable, was handed down to … Continue reading →

Posted in sharpening, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Bird Bowl from Straight Grain

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Dave Fisher

Most of the bird bowls I make come from crooks, with the form following the flow of the fibers. In designing and making this bowl, I tried to achieve similar lines and a sense of movement within the constraints of … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, figure, finding wood, layout, patterns, quotes and excerpts, sketch, tools, trees, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Small Side Panel Cherry Bowl

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Dave Fisher

A few days ago I finished this cherry bowl for a local fundraiser. It features a relatively narrow side panel below the edge of the rim that makes an ideal spot for some chip carving. I took a few shots … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, carving, cherry, finding wood, holding, layout, patterns, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 26 Comments