f you live in the middle of nowhere, like I do in Vermont, where else do you go to find out about carving bowls out of wood, but on-line? One of the first sites I came across was Drew Langsner and his Country Workshop site. Although Drew has retired the Country Workshop, he does have a link to the Archives. It was this site that really got me hooked, not only on carving bowls, but to go with the traditional methods and use only hand tools. Drew’s site is still a wealth of information and will expose you to Drew Langsner’s current creations. Definitely worth checking out.
Through the Country Workshop archives, you can still have access to the process and tools, that I am sure Drew continues to abide by today. It’s extremely informative and even though it does not have a video of the process, I’m sure you will find it fascinating as well as educational…at least I did.
Once you begin to search out information on carving wood bowls or spoons, you will most certainly come across Wille and Jogge Sundqvist, father and son woodcarvers from Sweden. Wille Sundqvists book, “Swedish Carving Techniques” available on Amazon, this is a great resource for technique as well as design for carving wood bowls and spoons. From selection and care of tools to producing the finished product, this book covers it all in detail and pictures. I also purchased Jogge’s video, “Carving Swedish Woodenware”, also available on Amazon. I found this instructional video to be invaluable in understanding the process of turning a log into a bowl! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched this video before I ever put an adze to a log.
It was only a matter of time that I came across David Fisher. It quickly became obvious that David was taking the craft of carving wood bowls, to another level. Check out his Gallery and I’m sure you will agree that David’s sense of style and skill stands out among the rest. However, his real talent, in my opinion, is his teaching abilities. After reviewing his Instructional Videos, I was hooked…in my mind, the bar was set! I’ve been lucky enough to take several classes with David through Plymouth Craft and the Greenwood Fest. Both the Plymouth Craft organization and the Greenwood Fest are, as stated in their mission statement, “people passionate about improving their handskills and deepening their understanding of traditional craft”.
I’m sure you will find, as I did, that the more you peruse the internet and discover various carvers doing their thing, you will pick up valuable tips and techniques that will help with your craft of wood carving. Besides the sites I’ve linked above, here are several others. I’ve tried focus on those workers that use ONLY traditional hand tools.