Bob Easton

Chocolate powered woodworking

Custom Carving Axe

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My refurbished “Boy Scout” axe has been doing a fine job, but as I learned more about bowl carving I wanted something better for actual carving.  First, I wanted a larger cutting area, similar to the Swedish style.  Second, I wanted a special grind, flat on one side and tapered on the other … for right handed carving.

Sergey Fadir at FadirTools in Ukraine quickly agreed to the requested grind, and actually did a special forging that echos the grind.  This asymmetric axe does exactly what I expected, easier carving with fewer glancing blows.  THANKS Sergey!

…and a short video…

Slight correction to the voice in the video. I have since learned that the bowl in the video is not oak, but ambrosia maple. … maybe a bit harder than oak.

Name that tree … please

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My tree identification capabilities are woeful.  I can manage a few when I can see their leaves, but in winter, without leaves, nada.  I live near a forested public park.  A few months ago, a crew removed a number of trees that were crowding one of the roadways.  I stopped to pick up a couple of logs.  My first impression was oak, but after doing a lot of tree bark images searches I now doubt that it is oak.  …and I haven’t yet found a good, comprehensive, guide to identifying by bark.

FWIW, it looks like the staining is associated with beetle holes.  Whether useful for anything else, the longer one makes a good chopping block.

Can anyone name that tree?     [Leave a comment.]
(Click an image to access a slideshow that offers a “View full size” link. Then, click again.)

Thanks!

Bowl #3

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Silver Maple. Length: about 9″  Width: about 3 1/2″  Height: about 3″  Finish: food safe flaxseed oil

My inspiration for starting bowl carving was David Fisher’s “bitty bowl.”  I’ve followed David for a long while and admire all of his bowls. This one moved me to action, wanting to learn bowl carving and to mimic the sweet little “bitty bowl.”  The rest is a series of learning exercises, bowl #1 and bowl #2.

This bowl is from the same silver maple tree as the earlier bowls, and is much smaller due to an onerous knot in the log, and the desire to make a “bitty bowl.”  I completed the bowl in late November 2019, passed it along to a recipient about a month later and have been remiss in documenting the result.  (Hence, the approximate measures, didn’t write down precise measurements.)

My proportions are a bit different than Fisher’s, but instructive in learning how to design bowls.