Tag Archives: bowl carving

Ambrosia Maple Bowl — Butterflies Included

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Dave Fisher

I should take my own advice. I tell people to be careful to look for the tiniest checks in the end grain of a log because they will open up as the bowl dries. If a log section has been … Continue reading →

Posted in bowls, figure, finding wood, patterns, trees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Carving the Hollow: A Trick and Some Video Clips

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Dave Fisher

Sometimes, after you’ve hogged away most of the wood and the hollow is nearing the final shape, your hands and eyes tell you that one end/side of the bowl has a steeper slope than the other. Your hands and eyes … Continue reading →

Posted in adze, carving, holding, layout, tools, Uncategorized, video | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Cherry Chicken

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Dave Fisher

It reminds me of that old joke- you know, a guy walks into a psychiatrist’s office and says, hey doc, my brother’s crazy! He thinks he’s a chicken. Then the doc says, why don’t you turn him in? Then the … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, books, cherry, holding, layout, quotes and excerpts, tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 14 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

The Beginnings of a Rooftop Hen

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Dave Fisher

There’s a hen bowl in that big chunk of butternut. I’ve made some of these bowls (call them hens, roosters, fowl…) using various log orientations, but the most common have been what I call rooftop bowls. The drawing below accompanied … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, layout, patterns, proportions, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 5 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

Measuring Up

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Dave Fisher

Other than the bottom, I normally don’t measure the thickness of bowls. I just feel with my hands until it’s “about right.” Understandably, beginners have good questions about how thick the sidewalls, endwalls, and bottom should be, so that they … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Another Bowl Beginning

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Dave Fisher

Why does this never get old? As I was roughing out this big cherry bowl, I thought about how I’ve gone through this process so many times over the years, and yet it remains completely engaging, even thrilling. I suppose … Continue reading →

Posted in adze, cherry, green woodworking, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 12 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 , , | 9 Comments

Back to the Hens

Posted on April 17, 2020 by Dave Fisher

I remember first seeing The Serenity Prayer on a trivet that hung on my grandmother’s kitchen wall: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know … Continue reading →

Posted in bird bowls, bowls, holding, layout, Uncategorized, walnut | Tagged , , | 14 Comments