Category Archives: Uncategorized

Slippery Elm Bowls

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Dave Fisher

There’s no better way to understand the working properties of a wood species than to carve a chunk of it.  Its character is revealed through experience with it,  including subtle nuances that are difficult to communicate.  Different trees within the … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, finding wood, paint, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Roughing Spoons from Straight Blanks

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Dave Fisher

Spoons are cranky.  Take a close look at just about any spoon, whatever the material, and you’ll find that the rim of the bowl of the spoon is not in the same plane as the handle.  The angle between them … Continue reading →

Posted in carving, layout, sketch, spoons, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Spoons for Wille and Bill

Posted on August 1, 2018 by Dave Fisher

  My central concern is encouragement — encouraging people to seek, to experiment, to design, to create, and to dream. –Bill Coperthwaite, A Handmade Life There are plenty of reasons to carve a spoon, and here’s a special one.  North … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Busting Out

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Dave Fisher

  I want to say there is nothing like the sudden opening of wood, but it is like so many other things — Billy Collins, Splitting Wood A few days ago I split a cherry log into rough blanks for … Continue reading →

Posted in cherry, finding wood, green woodworking, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 30 Comments

Bird Inspiration

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Dave Fisher

The birds are singing in the rain about the small pond in front, the inquisitive chickadee that has flown at once to the alders to reconnoitre us, the blackbirds, the song sparrow, telling of expanding buds. Henry David Thoreau, journal … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, cherry, finding wood, nature, photography, quotes and excerpts, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Greenwoodworking in White Oak

Posted on July 11, 2018 by Dave Fisher

“One word, no spaces,” specified Jennie Alexander when she requested this sign.  Not only was I not going to argue with the one who coined the term, I was thrilled for the opportunity to make something so meaningful for someone … Continue reading →

Posted in books, green woodworking, layout, sketch, teaching, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Dave Fisher

“Please, do not touch.”  There are certain posted signs that disappoint me, but perhaps none more than that.  I can deal with “Stay off the Grass.”  In fact, I may have had no desire to walk on the grass, at … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, figure, patterns, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 20 Comments

Raise Your Handles

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Dave Fisher

The handles on this just-finished walnut bowl really grab me.  They rise up from the edge of the hollow and extend broadly in a sweeping arc. Here’s a sketch to explain how I create a waist in the arched blank to … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, layout, sketch, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged | 6 Comments

Five Spoons

Posted on June 17, 2018 by Dave Fisher

I’ve finished five big spoons from big crooks, three in black cherry, two in hard (sugar) maple.  I’ll post them here below.  They’re all straight from the knife and treated with flaxseed (linseed) oil.  I had fun experimenting with some … Continue reading →

Posted in patterns, spoons, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Greenwood Fest 2018

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Dave Fisher

Carved utensils and other objects are a joy to use and to live with.  They are the lasting result of meaningful work.  Beyond this, carving is a way to have fun together…. I am optimistic that there is still a … Continue reading →

Posted in books, classes, events, teaching, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , , | 4 Comments