Category Archives: Uncategorized

A Pair of Walnut Bowls (From a Plank)

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Dave Fisher

I carved these two walnut bowls from a radially-split piece of fresh black walnut, but the design is well suited to be carved from any 2″ thick plank of wood. Compared to my usual Bowl from a Plank, I guess … Continue reading →

Posted in finding wood, layout, patterns, plans, sketch, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Bowl from a Plank: Plans, Patterns & Procedures

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Dave Fisher

I started developing the design for what I call the “Bowl from a Plank” two and a half-years ago. I wrote about the beginning in a post in 2022. My goal was to design a beautiful bowl that could be … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, classes, patterns, plans, teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

A Poem

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Dave Fisher

My paternal grandmother kept for decades a tattered scrapbook of poems she had clipped from magazines as a girl in a little coal mining town. Later in life, she and my grandfather would visit nursing homes to offer some entertainment … Continue reading →

Posted in quotes and excerpts, sketch, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 13 Comments

Walnut Spoons

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Dave Fisher

Having some nice walnut around, I decided to make some spoons from it. I’ve got seven here for sale. The two longest ones, #3 and #5 were made with a pair of salad servers in mind, a pair of matching … Continue reading →

Posted in patterns, spoons, Uncategorized, walnut | 2 Comments

Two Duck Signs

Posted on March 31, 2025 by Dave Fisher

I had an unusual request recently to make a pair of signs, one for each side of a doorway between rooms in an old house. Apparently, the low height of the doorway has claimed the forehead of many a guest. … Continue reading →

Posted in books, holding, Lettering, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Getting Colorful at Pete’s

Posted on March 25, 2025 by Dave Fisher

I returned home a week ago from the most recent Bowl Exploration class at Peter Galbert Workshops. This was the third time I’ve taught this class and each iteration has seen a change or two. This time around, we carved … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, classes, finding wood, paint, patterns, teaching, Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Round Brown Bird Bowl

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Dave Fisher

One of the reasons I keep a notebook is to play with ideas and save them for future reference. When I revisit an old notebook, I sometimes wonder what I was thinking, but sometimes I realize the circumstances are right … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, events, holding, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Adze Geometry Addition

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Dave Fisher

In my “Bowl Adze Primer” article (Part of the Adze Owner’s Manual materials), I discuss adze bevel geometry. After receiving a good question via email yesterday, I’ve just added this illustration to clarify the geometry that has worked well for … Continue reading →

Posted in adze, sketch, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Just Do the Next Thing

Posted on February 21, 2025 by Dave Fisher

I just finished a hen bowl from black walnut. I’ve made a bunch of these hen/chicken/fowl-inspired bowls over the years. No two of them have been quite the same. Every time I start one I have some uncertainty about how … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, carving, layout, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , | 18 Comments

Mallets

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Dave Fisher

Mallets are indispensable, and are made principally from the wood of the apple tree, plum tree, beech, and elm. Paul N. Hasluck, Manual of Traditional Woodcarving (1911) If you’re going to carve, you should have a mullet mallet. Sometimes they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in photography, quotes and excerpts, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 29 Comments