Category Archives: tools

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 | 7 Comments

Carving American Chestnut 2: A Full Hollow

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Dave Fisher

Following up on this post about carving a bowl in American chestnut, I’ll share some photos and thoughts on the hollowing process. That cross grain trench in the photo above is something I’ve discussed in more detail before. It establishes … Continue reading →

Posted in adze, bowls, carving, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Gouge Versatility

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Dave Fisher

Early one April morning when we were twelve, my buddy, Scott, and I met on the bank of the Little Shenango River, excited to use our shiny new spinners on the first day of trout season. Our reels were full … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, holding, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Gouge Article and Thumbnail Cuts

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Dave Fisher

In the current issue of Fine Woodworking Magazine, #288 Mar/Apr 2021, is an article in which I suggest seven or eight gouges that form a solid kit for greenwood carving. One of them is a #8 10mm gouge that can … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, patterns, tools, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Curves and Chamfers

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Dave Fisher

When a bowl is almost finished, with over 99% of the wood to be removed already on the shop floor, I’m always amazed at what a difference those final few cuts can make. Most of those final cuts could be … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, tools, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Inshave

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Dave Fisher

Last weekend, I was hollowing a big deep bowl from a cherry log. After the adze work, I reached for a tool I use from time to time to fine tune the form of a large hollow. I’ve seen tools … Continue reading →

Posted in books, bowls, cherry, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Patience

Posted on November 6, 2020 by Dave Fisher

As I was using my adze to rough out some spoons this weekend, I was reminded by a few emails that folks are still having a tough time getting their hands on a good adze. This can be seen as … Continue reading →

Posted in adze, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged | 15 Comments

Adze Article

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Dave Fisher

Fine Woodworking Magazine gave me a chance to write about adzes and the article is in the current issue, just out, in case you’re interested. I focused on the concepts, as I understand them based on my experience, that allow … Continue reading →

Posted in adze, tools, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

A Burl and a Box

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Dave Fisher

I rarely work with burl, but when a piece from a Norway maple came my way , I decided to see what I could make from it. I ended up with this cup (4 1/2″ in diameter and 2 1/4″ … Continue reading →

Posted in burl, layout, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Carving Catalpa

Posted on September 6, 2020 by Dave Fisher

When a friend of mine sent me this big chunk of fresh catalpa wood, some memories came to mind. When I was a kid we had a big catalpa tree in the yard and I had fun playing with the … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, finding wood, layout, tools, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 6 Comments