Category Archives: tools

Cherry Bowl Finished

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Dave Fisher

I’ve finished the cherry bowl that I mentioned in my recent Drying Revisited post. The oil has cured and it’s ready to serve. I’ll share a few more shots of the finished bowl below, but first some photos of some … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, cherry, holding, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 15 Comments

Joel and the Barrel Knife

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Dave Fisher

We were wrapping things up at the end of the bowl carving class. Joel Paul and I were talking about bowls and tools when he handed me this: I had no idea what it was. Heavy. A fancy plumb bob? … Continue reading →

Posted in tools, Uncategorized | Tagged | 5 Comments

“Beddar Wood” is Basswood

Posted on September 4, 2023 by Dave Fisher

As soon as I opened the pack of shims, I recognized the particular scent. I took a closer look at the package and noted that the manufacturer celebrated this wood as superior to the spruce, pine, cedar, or plastic used … Continue reading →

Posted in finding wood, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

I Remembered How!

Posted on July 25, 2023 by Dave Fisher

It had been several months since I had roughed out a bowl from a log, the longest period of time in the last 25 years or so. There’s still plenty of settling-in to do here, but I was able to … Continue reading →

Posted in adze, bowls, cherry, holding, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Dog Holes and Vise Jaws

Posted on July 9, 2023 by Dave Fisher

I like holes in my benchtop. I use them for holdfasts, bench dogs, pegs of one sort or another, and for securing a carving vise. I’ve written many posts over the years that show me using these techniques in one … Continue reading →

Posted in holding, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

My (New?) Workbench

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Dave Fisher

What you see above is the face frame/apron from my old workbench. Southern yellow pine 2x6s joined with mortises and tenons, with a sliding deadman in the middle. I had made this as an addition to my old bench several … Continue reading →

Posted in holding, nature, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 24 Comments

Transitions

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been getting a few jobs done at the new place as part of the settling-in process. One of them was the fencing-in of a small area in the back to allow our dog, … Continue reading →

Posted in nature, tools, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

Riving a Cherry Crook

Posted on April 29, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Some cherry branches with nice crooks fell during some recent windstorms. I snapped a few photos while splitting them into spoon blanks to show how I typically go about it. They can be split with an axe or wedge, but … Continue reading →

Posted in cherry, finding wood, spoons, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 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

Carving the Leaves

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Dave Fisher

Following a couple recent posts on carving a sign in white oak, here and here, there were some questions about how I carved the leaves. Below are two photos of the leaves before and after painting. I’ll expand on my … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, sharpening, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments