Bowl Carving with Peter Follansbee

ANNOUNCER: MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... [WIND BLOWING] [CAT MEOWS] [THUNDER] [CRASH] [HORN HONKING] WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS, STATE FARM HAS THE TOOLS TO GET YOU TO A BETTER STATE, PROUD SPONSOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

HEY, WELCOME BACK TO "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

I'M ROY UNDERHILL.

I AM SO GLAD YOU COULD BE WITH ME AGAIN TODAY BECAUSE WE ARE JOINED BY OUR FAVORITE MAN WITH THE HATCHET, MR. PETER FOLLANSBEE.

HELLO, ROY.

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

EXCELLENT TO SEE YOU AGA.

NOW, LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE, YOU WERE MAKING SPOONS.

THIS TIME... SOMETHING TO DIP OUR SPOONS INTO, SOME NICE BOWLS.

WONDERFUL BOWLS, HEWN BOWLS.

AND THESE, YOU SAY, ARE UPSIDE-DOWN BOWLS.

WELL, YOU MIGHT THINK OF THEM AS UPSIDE-DOWN, BUT, YEAH, THEY'RE DIFFERENT FROM A TYPICAL ORIENTATION.

YEAH.

WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, BECAUSE THEY COME...

HERE'S ONE HERE.

THAT'S TYPICAL ORIENTATION WE TALK ABOUT.

SO THIS IS MADE OUT OF ONE OF THESE HALF LOGS.

ALL RIGHT.

SO WE LOOK AT THIS HALF LOG HERE.

SO WHEN YOU SPLIT THE LOG IN HALF, YOU HAVE THAT BROAD FACE THAT BECOMES THE RIM OF A SO-CALLED TYPICAL BOWL.

SO THAT CAME OUT OF HERE LIKE THAT, AND WE'D HEW...

THE HOLLOWING WOULD BE HEWING A HOLLOW RIGHT HERE.

AND THAT GETS YOU THE MOST VOLUME IN YOUR BOWL.

I LEARNED TO DO THEM THIS WAY, UPSIDE-DOWN.

AH, OK.

SO THAT ONE SITS JUST LIKE THAT.

AND THIS ONE, SAME THING HERE.

THIS IS THE SAME THING.

SO HERE WE'VE STILL GOT THE ROUNDNESS OF THE... OF THE LOG ITSELF.

THE TREE IS STILL RIGHT THERE AND ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE SIDES, WHICH GIVES IT THAT SWEEP, THAT VIKING-SHIP LOOK.

YEAH.

GREAT STUFF.

IT LIMITS THE HOLLOW YOU GET, BUT IT GIVES YOU THESE EXCITING SHAPES THAT ARE REALLY FUN TO PLAY WITH.

AND THIS IS A SCANDINAVIAN THING?

IT IS.

I LEARNED IT FROM THE SAME GUYS I LEARNED ALL MY SPOON CARVING FROM.

SO IT'S RELATED TO THAT.

IT HAS A LOT OF THE SAME CONCEPTS IN IT.

THEY'VE GOT THE LONGEST WINTERS.

SO WE'D BETTER LISTEN TO THEM.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, YOU'VE GOT A LOG OVER HERE.

CAN WE GET STARTED ON ONE?

BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA SEE HOW TO DO THIS STRAIGHT FROM THE LOG.

AND WHAT HAVE WE GOT HERE?

THIS IS SOME OF THAT TULIP POPLAR THAT WE WERE WORKING THE OTHER DAY.

EXCELLENT.

AND SO WE'VE GOT A LENGTH ABOUT 18 INCHES LONG.

SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

A LITTLE BIT OF A CRACK IN IT, THOUGH, RIGHT AT THE TOP HERE.

I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA SPLIT IT THEN, BECAUSE THE CRACK BEGINS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOG.

SO WE WANT TO SPLIT IT THROUGH THERE, AND THEN WE'LL MAYBE GET ONE OR TWO BOWLS.

WE'LL GET ONE BOWL, MAYBE TWO.

SO A LONG WEDGE CALLED A FROE HE.

AND THIS IS JUST TO SCORE IT AND LAY OUT THE LINE.

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT.

AND NOW I'LL HOLD A WEDGE FOR YOU HERE.

ALL RIGHT.

LET ME GET ANOTHER ONE.

HERE'S SOME HERE.

OH, YOU'VE GOT SHARP WEDGES, TOO.

NOT THAT ONE.

NOT THAT ONE.

GOT A DULL-ENDED WEDGE THERE.

LET'S TRY OUT HERE.

SO THESE I LIKE TO SORT OF EASE OPEN.

IT MIGHT BE... YOU MIGHT THINK IT'S OVERKILL, BUT YOU DON'T WANT THE CRACK TO COME INTO YOUR BOWL.

YOU WANT TO FORCE IT TO GO STRAIGHT ACROSS THE WHOLE THING.

AND THEN ONCE THEY'RE STARTED, YOU CAN SORT OF GIVE IT A LITTLE EMPHASIS.

HA HA HA!

AND THAT WILL START TO OPEN UP.

OH.

ALL RIGHT.

HARD TO HEAR YOU OVER THE SPLITTING SOUND.

BUT IN OTHER WORDS, DO IT EVENLY, AND YOU'LL GET WHAT WE HAVE RIGHT HERE, WHICH IS THIS BEAUTIFUL OPEN GRAIN.

NOW, WHAT IF WE HAD AN ELM LOG?

UH...THAT WOULD BE TOO BAD.

ELM WON'T SPLIT.

SO YOU WANT...

THIS IS A FAIRLY SOFT HARDWOOD.

SO THIS WILL BE A NICE, UH... NICE WOOD FOR A BOWL.

AND YOU'VE WORKED WITH BIRCH, I KNOW, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO HERE, LET ME GIVE THAT TO YOU, I GUESS.

AND HERE YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER WOOD-- SYCAMORE IT LOOKS LIKE, FOR YOUR STUMP.

YEAH.

YEAH.

THE FIRST STEP, THEN, IS TO TAKE THAT... THAT SECTION IS CALLED THE PITH.

IT'S THE VERY CENTER OF THE TREE.

AND AS THIS BLANK DRIES, IT CAN CRACK IF IT DRIES TOO FAST, AND THOSE CRACKS EMANATE FROM THAT PITH.

SO WE'RE GONNA HEW THAT AWAY.

AND I'LL START... WITH THAT SCORING CUT, JUST SWINGING THE HATCHET STRAIGHT IN THERE.

SO THOSE ARE DEPTH CUTS.

AND THEN I'LL BREAK THEM OFF.

JUST KIND OF SHEARING DOWN THE GRAIN TO SPLIT OFF THE CUTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE BY THE EDGE OF THE... YEAH!

AND THAT WAY, IF I JUST THROW THAT HATCHET IN UP HERE, I MIGHT NOT HAVE CONTROL OVER WHERE THIS IS GONNA COME OFF.

SO THIS JUST HELPS.

SO THAT KIND OF HEDGES YOUR BETS, GIVES YOU MORE CONTROL.

THEY'RE DEPTH CUTS... YEAH.

INTO THE WOOD THERE.

AND YOU TALKED ABOUT, SAY, CRACKS EMANATING.

THAT'S A BIG PART OF THIS, BECAUSE THIS IS GREEN WOOD, FULL OF WATER, BUT EASY TO WORK RIGHT NOW.

THAT'S RIGHT, YEAH.

SO WE'LL TRY TO WORK THESE BOWLS... TO A POINT WHERE THEY'RE ABOUT 80% DONE AND THEN LET THE WOOD SLOWLY DRY AND THEN DO ALL THE FINISHING CUTS.

AND I THINK THE THEORY IS THERE, WHEN IT'S THINNER, IT DRIES MORE EVENLY.

IS THAT CORRECT?

YEAH.

EXACTLY RIGHT.

THE THICKER CHUNKS ARE PRONE TO CRACKING, AND THEN YOU LOSE...

LOSE SOME OF YOUR BOWL OR ALL OF YOUR BOWL.

THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT GOES INTO THIS.

PAY ATTENTION TO THAT SLOW DRYING.

GET IT AS THIN AS YOU CAN AS QUICK AS YOU CAN AND THEN LET IT DRY AS SLOW AS YOU CAN.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT'S ALL FLAT.

YEAH.

IT'S FLATTENED ENOUGH TO LAY ON THE BENCH, AND WE CAN START TO LAY OUT THE HOLLOW.

NOW, THIS IS AN INTERESTING BENCH HERE.

JUST A LITTLE HEWING BENCH.

BUT YOU'VE ADDED PEGS TO IT.

JUST BORE A FEW HOLES IN IT, AND 3 PEGS IS MOSTLY ALL YOU NEED.

SO TWO PEGS AT THE BACK AND ONE HERE AT THIS END, AND THIS GOES IN BWEEN.

THERE'S A WEDGE RIGHT ON THE FLOOR THERE... THAT MUST BE IT.

THAT WE CAN TAP IN THERE.

AND THAT LOCKS... THAT IS YOUR WORK BENCH.

THERE'S ANCIENT ROME HOLDING THAT BOWL DOWN FOR US.

NOW, DO YOU WANT THIS BARK OFF?

BECAUSE I BET I COULD... LET'S SEE IF WE CAN PEEL THAT BARK OFF.

OK. LET ME SEE IF I CAN... CAN YOU GET THAT END?

I'VE GOT MY FINGER... LET ME GET THE FROE.

MAYBE WE CAN GET THE FROE UNDER HERE.

AND I'M GONNA GET IT AT THE BACK END ACTUALLY HERE.

IN THE SPRINGTIME, THAT TULIP POPLAR BARK SHOULD PEEL RIGHT OFF OF THERE.

AH...WELL, THIS IS NOT QUITE THE SPRING.

BUT HERE IT'S COMING.

I'VE GOT IT UNDERNEATH THERE.

AND IF I CAN GET IT STARTED... ALL RIGHT.

THERE WE GO.

YEAH.

THAT'LL COME RIGHT OFF THERE.

SO THAT WAY, WE'RE NOT CHOPPING THROUGH ALL THE GRITHAT CAN GET EMBEDDED IN THAT BARK.

WE CAN ALSO...WE'LL BE ABLE TO SEE BETTER WHAT WE'RE DOING.

AND WE CAN USE THE BARK TO MAKE A ROOF FOR A HOUSE.

PEOPLE MAKE BOOTS OUT OF THESE THINGS.

I KNOW SHOES.

BARK IS A HUGE...

IT WAS USED FOR TANNING AS A CHEMICAL CONTENT.

CENTER PIECES WERE BENT UP AND LASHED INTO A BASKET.

THERE WE GO.

OK.

SO THAT'S IT.

OOP.

WE HAVEN'T BEEN BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE, HAVE WE?

NO, I DON'T THINK SO.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, ANYWAY, GREAT STUFF.

THERE WE GO.

AND LOOK AT THAT.

IT'S A CLEAN WHITE SLATE.

SO NOW YOU'VE GOT SOME VERY ELABORATE LAYOUT TO DO, I KNOW.

YEAH.

YOU KNOW ME AND ELABORATE LAYOUTS.

VERY TECHNICAL CUTTING HERE.

IT IS.

ALL RIGHT.

SO I'M SIGHTING RIGHT OVER THE TOP CENTER OF IT.

AND I DRAW A CENTER LINE.

AND THEN I WANT A RIM ON THOSE BOWLS.

SEE ON THIS ONE?

THAT HANDLE AT EACH END.

RIGHT.

STHAT'S DOWN...

SO I'M JUST GONNA... JUST GONNA ESTIMATE THE WIDTH OF THOSE.

THEY'RE A LITTLE EXTRA-LONG HANDLES RIGHT NOW.

AND I JUST USE THE SPAN OF MY FINGERS TO MARK THAT.

NOW YOU'VE GOT TO FIND THE CENTER.

HOW DO YOU DO THAT?

JUST LIKE THAT.

THERE'S THE CENTER.

AND NOW... ONE OF THE THINGS WITH ALL THIS LAYOUT... NOW I'M JUST SKETCHING WHAT WILL BE THE RIM OF IT TO GET A SHAPE THAT LOOKS LIKE WHAT I FEEL LIKE CUTTING RIGHT NOW.

THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GONNA HOLLOW.

ONE OF THE THINGS IS, WE'RE GONNA END UP RE-DRAWING THAT A NUMBER OF TIMES IN THE COURSE OF ALL THE HOLLOWING IN THE BOWL.

SO IT WILL BE AN EMERGENT PROCESS.

IT WILL BE A RULE-BASED EMERGENT PROCESS.

BUT LET'S HOPE NOT AN EMERGENCY PROCESS.

NOW, I SAW YOU DO THIS WITH A SAW.

DO YOU WANT TO DO THAT NOW?

YEAH, LET'S DO THAT.

AND IT'S JUST A WAY TO GET US SOME...

SOME RELIEF CUTS HERE, MUCH LIKE WE WERE DOING WITH THE HATCHET TO HELP IN STARTING THE HOLLOWING.

YOU CAN GO RIGHT TO HOLLOWING THAT ROUNDED SHAPE, BUT I'VE FOUND THIS...

IT'S AN EXTRA STEP THAT'S HELPFUL.

SURE.

LIKE THOSE CHOPS YOU DID ACROSS THE GRAIN.

THERE WE GO.

I'M THERE.

YEAH.

LET'S SAY I'M THERE.

OK. AND ABOUT AN INCH AND A HALF OVER.

OOP.

INCH AND A HALF OVER.

PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY AN INCH AND A HALF.

HA HA HA!

OH, MY.

NOW, THIS GREEN WOOD WILL BIND ON THE SAW.

BUT THIS SAW HAS A LOT OF SET, SO IT SEEMS TO BE CUTTING VERY CLEAR.

I'M GHT THERE.

ALL RIGHT.

AND ANOTHER ONE RIGHT THERE.

ALL RIGHT.

YEAH.

SO BY SET, OF COURSE, THE TEETH ARE BENT OUT.

I'M THERE.

I'M THERE.

SORRY.

I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING.

I WAS TALKING.

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN SAWING.

WELL, WHEN THE SAW IS RIGHT AND IT'S NOT PINCHING...

SO WE HAVE ONE SAW LIKE THIS SET FOR GREEN WOOD.

AND IT'S 1, 2, AND 3, AND 4.

THAT'S IT.

OK. ONE MORE?

UH-HUH.

AND THEN ANOTHER ONE THAT HAS A MUCH TIGHTER CUT, AND THAT WOULD WORK IN THINGS LIKE DRY DOGWOOD.

AND 1, 2, 3.

GOOD.

OK.

SO THAT'S IT FOR THAT.

SO NOW... ALL RIGHT.

HA HA!

WELL, THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL BOWL ALREADY, PETER.

HA HA HA!

SO... TRUST ME.

IT'S GONNA BE A BOWL.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR HATCHET, THOUGH, QUICKLY, BEFORE YOU START.

THIS IS THE HATCHET YOU'RE GONNA BE USING AND YOU'RE GONNA USE ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

DOUBLE-BEVELED.

SO IT'S NOT FLAT ON ONE SIDE.

IT'S GOT A BEVEL ON BOTH EDGES THERE.

YEAH.

AND I REALLY FAVOR THAT CURVED CUTTING EDGE.

SO IT'S GOT THAT LONG BELL SHAPE THERE.

AS YOU WERE SAYING RECENTLY, IT ENTERS INTO THE CUT JUST A LITTLE BIT AT A TIME.

YEAH.

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT.

SO JUST WATCH YOURSELF.

ALL RIGHT.

I'LL JUST HOLD THE BENCH TOP FROM WALKING AWAY.

YEAH.

THE HEAVIER YOU CAN MAKE THAT BENCH, FOR THIS WORK, THE BETTER.

SO WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO IS BREAK THOSE CHIPS OUT.

LOOK AT THAT.

WOW.

LIKE THAT.

THAT'S THE FUNCTION OF THAT SAW CUT.

A LITTLE BIT OF SAWING SAVED A WHOLE LOT OF HEWING.

YOU'RE RIGHT-HANDED.

YOU WANT TO COME THE OTHER WAY?

YEAH, I'LL DO THIS WAY.

AND, UH...THE, UH... SHOULD I START HERE OR BACK HERE?

UH...I USUALLY START TOWARDS THE BACK, BUT I BET YOU COULD DO THIS WAY, KEEP YOU FROM FLYING INTO WHAT I'VE JUST CUT.

RIGHT.

I SEE.

OK.

SO RIGHT ON DOWN.

AND THEN TRY AND GET AT THE ROOT OF THIS ONE TO TAKE OUT THE BIG CHUNK.

OK.

WHICH IS A LOT LIKE WHAT YOU DO IN LOG HEWING.

SURE.

YEAH.

YEAH.

MAKE THE... AND IT'S ALL A PRINCIPLE ALL THROUGH WOODWORKING-- THE STOPPING CUT AND THEN SPLIT OUT... AH, THERE WE ARE.

THAT'S THE ONE WE WANTED.

SPLIT OUT THE CHUNK DOWN TO THE MIDDLE.

ALL RIGHT.

SO A LITTLE BIT OF SAWING SAVED A LOT OF AX WORK.

A LITTLE BIT OF AX WORK SAVES A LOT OF THE NEXT TOOL YOU HAVE TOLD ME.

THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF WORK IN THESE BOWLS.

SO WE'LL... ALL RIGHT.

SO NOW LET'S LOOK AT THIS.

SO THAT'S THE SPECIALTY TOOL REALLY, ONLY FOR HOLLOWING.

THE AX, OF COURSE, IS A VERY VERSATILE ONE.

THIS DOES ONE THING.

IT CREATES HOLLOWS.

SO IT'S A BOWL ADZE, A HOLLOWING ADZE, A CURVED ADZE.

LIKE MANY TOOLS, IT HAS A LOT OF NAMES.

AND THIS IS A WONDERFUL ONE.

LET ME SEE YOU USE IT HERE, BECAUSE IT'S A BIG, HEAVY SWUNG GOUGE.

THE WAY--THAT'S ESSENTIALLY RIGHT.

AND I GRAB THE LITTLE BALL ON THAT HANDLE, AND I'LL OFTEN USE IT IN TWO HANDS.

SORT OF PINCH THE BENCH AND JUST SWING LIKE THAT.

AND CHOP INTO THAT.

SO I'M USING THAT CURVE OF THE HEAD TO FOLLOW IN THE CURVE OF THAT BOWL.

NOW, THIS ADZE IS...

I JUST FIND EXCEPTIONAL.

WHO MADE THIS ONE NOW?

THIS IS MADE BY A BLACKSMITH NAMED HANS KARLSSON UP IN SWEDEN, AND HIS SONS WORK WITH HIM NOW, AND HE MAKES SPECIALTY TOOLS FOR SPOON CARVING, BOWL CARVING, WHAT WE SOMETIMES CALL GREEN WOODWORKING TOOLS.

HERE I'M THROWING IT IN, AND IT STICKS, AND I JUST TWIST IT LIKE THAT, BECAUSE I'M JUST BREAKING UP THE FIBERS NOW, AND... DOWN THE END GRAIN.

TOWARDS THE MIDDLE OF THE BOWL.

UH-HUH.

AND NOW JUST BREAK IT OFF.

THEN I OFTEN DO ACROSS THE GRAIN.

AND THAT BREAKUP, THAT MAKES THIS ACROSS-THE-GRAIN WORK EASIER.

MAKES THOSE CHIPS COME OUT PRETTY WELL.

I SEE.

I WASN'T QUITE SURE WHY YOU WERE DOING THAT.

NOW I SEE.

BECAUSE YOU'RE WORKING ONE-HANDED AND MUCH MORE LIGHTLY THERE.

GEE WHIZ.

AND THERE'S LOTS OF THIS TO DO.

WELL, COULD I DO SOME?

YES.

IT'S WONDERFUL.

WE LIVE IN A WORLD NOW WHERE FOLKS ARE MAKING THESE WONDERFUL TOOLS AGAIN, AND I THINK THEY ARE BETTER THAN EVER.

YES, IN MANY-- IN MANY, MANY CASES, YEAH.

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, THIS IS GREAT.

AND I'M GONNA WORK ACROSS THE GRAIN FIRST.

AND LET'S SEE... YOU CAN REALLY CONTROL IT.

YEAH, IT...AND AGAIN, THE GREEN WOOD IS A HUGE HELP HERE BECAUSE THOSE FIBERS ALL SATURATED WITH WATER ARE MUCH EASIER TO CUT.

IN DRY WOOD, OUR CHIPS WOULD BE A GOOD DEAL SMALLER THAN THIS.

ALL RIGHT.

SO I'M WORKING MY WAY UP THE END GRAIN HERE.

I'M GONNA COME AROUND THIS WAY NOW.

DO YOU WANT TO FLIP THE BENCH AROUND?

NO.

I'M JUST GONNA FLIP MYSELF I THINK A LITTLE BIT RIGHT HERE.

UH...BECAUSE I'M HAVING SUCH A GOOD TIME.

I'LL TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, THIS IS...

WHEN THE TOOL IS NOT FATIGUING YOU, IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.

YEAH.

YEAH.

BECAUSE YOU CAN END UP WITH SOME REAL PAINFUL, UH...MUSCULAR INJURIES.

YEAH.

AND SOMETIMES THAT'S PART OF WHY I'M OFTEN USING TWO HANDS LIKE THAT.

LIKE THAT.

ALL RIGHT.

BUT THIS YOU CAN USE BOTH TWO-HANDED AND ONE-HANDED.

SOME PEOPLE PUT A SLIGHTLY LONGER HANDLE ON THEM AND DO THEM DOWN BETWEEN THEIR KNEES.

WELL, YOU CAN GET A...

I LIKE THIS BECAUSE I'M ABLE TO USE IT TWO-HANDED WITH THAT HOOK RIGHT THERE AT THE END AND WORK LIKE THAT, BUT ALSO GRAB IT UP HIGHER.

I DO WANT TO TURN IT THIS WAY A LITTLE BIT.

I'M SOMETIMES EVEN USING IT UP ON MY WORK BENCH, TOO.

REALLY?

ALL RIGHT.

WHICH YOU COULDN'T DO WITH A LONG-HANDLED ONE.

SO THE BEST WORLD IS TO HAVE TWO.

AH.

HA HA HA.

HA HA HA!

I WANT TO SAY IT'S ONLY HALF-ADZED RIGHT NOW, BUT, BOY, IT LOOKS FULLY...

ALMOST FULLY DONE.

I'M GONNA COME AROUND A LITTLE BIT MORE.

RIGHT THERE.

YEAH.

ULTIMATELY, WE'D HOLLOW THAT MIDDLE DOWN TO ABOUT AN INCH THICK FROM THE BOTTOM.

SO THERE'S STILL MORE WOOD TO COME OUT OVER TIME.

AND, UM...BUT THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT.

ALL RIGHT.

I'M GONNA DO A LITTLE BIT MORE, AND LET'S SAY WE CAN MOVE ON TO THAT NEXT STEP.

THE NEXT STEP WILL BE GOUGING, REFINING ALL THIS SHAPE WITH THE GOUGES AT THE BENCH.

SO WE MAY NOT BE AS DEEP AS WE WOULD ORDINARILY WANT TO GO, BUT WE'D BE TO THE FINISH THAT WE'D WANT TO GO, WHICH IS...

RIGHT.

YEAH.

SO YOU'D GET THE IDEA OF WHAT THE WORK-- BECAUSE A LOT OF IT, LIKE ANYTHING, IS A LOT OF REPETITION.

THIS IS SO DIFFERENT FROM THE FURNITURE WORK I DO IN THAT IT'S SUBTRACTIVE WOODWORKING.

HA HA!

IT SURE IS.

AND, UH...SO IT'S...

IT'S VERY SCULPTURAL IN THAT SENSE.

BUT LOOK AT THAT.

THAT'S NICELY HOLLOWED NOW, I'VE GOT TO SAY.

YEAH.

WE'VE GOT THE SHAPE WELL ESTABLISHED.

I CAN'T STOP.

I'M SORRY.

OK. ALL RIGHT.

BUT THAT'S ABOUT AS FAR AS YOU'D GO WITH THE ADZE, AND NOW IT'S TO THE GOUGE WORK.

LET'S SEE.

OH, SHOULD I TAP IT LOOSE?

OK. AND YOU CAN SEE IT THAT WAY.

LOOK AT THAT.

WELL, I THINK THAT'S A BOWL ALREADY.

THIS IS GREAT STUFF.

IT'S A LITTLE HEAVY FOR A BOWL RIGHT NOW.

SO WE COULD KEEP ON GOING.

OK.

SO THE NEXT STEP, THOUGH, TO THE... YOU'RE GONNA TAKE IT OVER TO THE BENCH.

LET'S GO OVER HERE.

AND... THAT'S GREAT.

AND POP IT ON THE... ON THE BENCH BETWEEN THE DOGS.

ALL RIGHT.

SO GET THAT... YEAH.

YEAH.

IT'S A LITTLE MORE CONGENIAL FOR THE GOUGE WORK NOW.

YES.

YES.

NOW THE WORK WILL EASE UP A LITTLE BIT, AND THEN IT'LL PICK UP SOME MORE.

WE'LL DO SOME MORE ADZE WORK.

SO ONE OF THE ONES I START WITH IS THIS, UM... A BENT GOUGE.

THIS IS--AND WHY IS IT CALLED A BENT?

WELL, ALL GOUGES HAVE THAT CURVE ON THE CUTTING EDGE, BUT THIS ONE IS BENT ALONG THE SHANK AS WELL.

ALONG ITS LENGTH.

AND THAT'S SO WE CAN GO INTO THE...

FOLLOW THE CURVE OF THE BOWL.

SO TO DO A BOWL-SHAPED BOWL, YOU NEED A BOWL-SHAPED TOOL TO FOLLOW, JUST LIKE THE ADZE.

ALL RIGHT.

AND THIS ONE IS THE ONE THAT YOU CAN EASILY BUY.

YEAH, THIS IS VERY COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE.

SO I USE IT...YOU CAN USE IT WITH A MALLET LIKE THIS.

AND IN FACT, I DO ON THAT END GRAIN.

UH-HUH.

BUT WHEN I'M FEELING THAT IT'S TIME FOR EXERCISE, I DO IT BY HAND PRESSURE HERE ON THE SIDE.

AND THIS IS, AS YOU WERE SAYING, THAT PARING CUT.

AND THE MOVEMENT IS IN MY KNEES LIKE THAT.

SO I COME UP... AND DROP.

SO LOCKING IT ON YOUR BODY.

HE'S LOCKING IT ON HIS BODY, BENDING HIS KNEES, AND DROPPING HIS WEIGHT DOWN.

AND THAT IS FOLLOWING THE CONTOUR.

SO YOU SEE HIM GOING UP AND DOWN... UP AND DOWN LIKE A POGO STICK OR SOMETHING.

DO THAT CARVING.

AND SO THERE I CAN STEEPEN THE INSIDE WALL OF THE BOWL, TAKE REALLY BIG...

I'M REMOVING STILL A GREAT DEAL OF WOOD.

YEAH.

WONDERFUL CHIPS THERE.

YEAH.

LOOK HOW SMOOTH IT'S GETTING DOWN IN THERE, TOO.

YOU CAN SEE HOW THE CONTOURS HAVE BECOME MUCH BROADER.

YOU'RE ABLE TO MORE DISCRETELY PLACE...

SO, YEAH, AND THIS IS ALL REFINEMENT STUFF.

SO THEN END GRAIN, TOO.

COULD I TRY THAT?

I'M GONNA TRY THAT WITH BOTH OF THESE TECHNIQUES HERE.

FIRST LET ME TRY THE MALLET, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE YOU STARTED.

SO LIKE THIS?

YEAH.

THE END GRAIN I'LL WORK THAT.

AND SO WE'RE GONNA MAKE ALL OF THESE... CLEAN-UP CUTS, SO THE SMALLER TOOLS, OF COURSE, FOLLOW THE HEAVIER TOOLS, SO...

I LIKE THIS.

THIS WORKS.

THIS COULD GET PRETTY TIGHT, TOO.

WE'VE GOT A GENTLE CURVE HERE, BUT I FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT JUST THE CURVE OF THE GOUGE, IT'S HAVING THE BEVEL ON THE END.

THAT LITTLE SHARPENING BEVEL IS ON THE OUTSIDE AS WELL.

SO YOU'VE GOT EVEN MORE CLEARANCE TO TURN.

IT HELPS YOU ROCK IN THAT CUT.

MM-HMM.

SO THAT...

GOING DOWN THE HILL.

YEAH.

SO AM I DOING IT RIGHT HERE?

YEAH.

YEAH.

SO ALL OF THIS ENDEAVOR IS TO...

THE GOAL IS TO REDUCE THIS BOWL TO GET IT AS THIN AS WE DARE AS... ASAPIDLY AS WE CAN WITHIN THE DAY OR SO, BECAUSE THE THICKER IT IS AS IT DRIES, THE GREATER CHANCE IT WILL CRACK.

SO WE WANT TO REALLY DO ALL THE ROUGH SHAPING, MAYBE 75%, 80% OF THE SHAPING IN THIS GREEN WOOD, LET IT DRY FOR A WEEK OR TWO, AND THEN PARE ALL THESE CUTS AGAIN WITH A VERY SHARP TOOL TO GET THE FINAL BURNHED SURFACES.

SO IF WE LEFT THIS THICK LIKE THAT, THERE'S A LOT OF MOISTURE TRAPPED IN THERE, BUT THE SURFACE WOULD STILL DRY, AND THAT FAT, SWOLLEN WOOD WITH THE MOISTURE IN IT...

I'D JUST KEEP IT WET WITH SWEAT PROBABLY.

I'LL SOMETIMES PUT THEM IN A PAPER BAG AS WELL TO SLOW DOWN THAT DRYING.

SO AS SLOW AS YOU CAN.

WHAT ABOUT THIS GOUGE HERE?

WELL, THIS I HAD TO BUY BECAUSE THE MAKER CALLS IT A SWAN-NECK GOUGE.

AND I'M A BIRDER, SO I HAD TO HAVE A SWAN-NECK GOUGE, AND THIS IS JUST A LOVELY BOWL-PARING TOOL MADE BY A MAN NAMED NICK WESTERMAN IN WALES.

GOOD WORK.

REALLY NICE.

ALL RIGHT.

NOT TO BE STRUCK.

AGAIN, JUST LIKE YOU'RE DOING, A PARING TOOL.

JUST ROCKING IT.

BEAUTIFULLY DONE.

WELL, LET'S TRY THE NEXT STEP HERE.

WE SEE HOW THIS COULD COME DOWN, UH...GET IT TO A SMOOTHER STAGE.

YOU'VE STILL GOT SOME AX WORK TO DO, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T LOOK QUITE LIKE THAT.

NO, IT DOESN'T.

SO NOW THE NEXT STEP IS TO BEGIN TO SHAPE THAT OUTSIDE TO MIMIC WHAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED ON THAT INSIDE.

ALL RIGHT.

SO NOW THIS IS BACK TO HATCHET WORK.

SO IF YOU'RE SAYING, "GOSH..." SO NOW WE'VE HAD A REST WITH THE GOUGE, AND WE CAN START TO... TO CHOP SOME MORE OFF.

ALL RIGHT.

SOME PEOPLE MIGHT WANT TO SPLIT THIS WHOLE SPINE RIGHT HERE, THE LITTLE WEDGE OFF OF THERE, BUT THEY'RE PRETTY BOLD, BECAUSE I'M AFRAID, IF THAT SPLIT RUNS OUT OF MY CONTROL, I'M GONNA LOSE THE WORK I'VE STARTED.

AND YOU'VE DONE PLENTY.

SO I CHICKEN OUT AND JUST HEW IT.

BUT JUST LIKE WHEN WE TOOK THE PITH OFF, I'M MAKING THOSE SCORING CUTS LIKE THIS... AND THEN BREAKING THOSE OFF.

SO THOSE ARE MY DEPTH CUTS.

AND HERE I'M PUTTING A PRETTY PRONOUNCED SWING INTO THE HATCHET, SO HOLDING IT WAY DOWN LOW ON THE HANDLE.

NO CHOKING UP ON THAT ONE.

NOT ON THIS ONE.

ON MUCH OF MY WORK I DO, BUT IN THIS CASE, YOU WANT TO REAR BACK.

SO YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOUR HATCHET HEAD IS TIGHT.

SOMETIMES I'LL BOP IT ON THE STUMP LIKE THAT JUST TO DOUBLE-CHECK.

AND JUST PROCEED.

SO NOW YOU CAN SEE I'M UNDERCUTTING THAT TO BEGIN TO ESTABLISH THAT PROFILE OF THE BOWL AND THE EDGE OF THAT HANDLE RIGHT IN THERE.

I THINK OF THEM ALL AS A WHOLE SERIES OF BEVELS THAT ARE ALL RELATED ONE WAY TO ANOTHER.

SO A SYSTEMATIC BUNCH OF PLANES THAT YOU'RE ESTABLISHING.

OR NOT PLANES, BUT CURVED SURFACES, YEAH.

YEAH, THEY'RE ALL CURVES, YEAH.

AND SO, AS YOU SEE, THEN IT'S MORE HEWING AS WE GO ALONG.

ULTIMATELY, I'VE GOT TO DO THESE TWO LONG SIDES.

NOW I CAN BREAK THAT PART IN THERE.

SO ACTUALLY IT'S JUST HEDGING YOUR BETS ON HOW MUCH YOU SPLIT ALL THE TIME.

AND... AND KEEPING YOUR RIGHT LEG WELL BACK.

WELL BEHIND YOU, YEAH.

I WANT TO TAKE IT HOME WITH ME, SO... YOU'VE GOT A BIG CHOPPING BLOCK THERE.

A NICE SURFACE TO...

EXCELLENT.

AND SO I WANT TO GET THOSE HERE.

YOU CAN FEEL THAT THAT'S CRAZY THICK RIGHT NOW.

YEAH.

WHEN IT'S DONE, WE'RE GONNA BE DOWN AROUND 3/8" THICK.

SO I'LL TAKE IT-- THIS IS STILL WAY ROUGH.

SURE.

THIS ONE IS, TOO.

SO I'LL TAKE IT TO MAYBE 3/4" WITH THE HATCHET, AND THEN WITH GOUGES AND SPOKESHAVES, DRESS THOSE FINER SHAPES.

AND THEN WHAT I END UP WITH... IS THIS BLOCKY END UNDER HERE.

UH-HUH.

AND THAT NEEDS TO BE HEWN AWAY AS WELL.

SO HERE YOU CAN SEE SOME OF MY HATCHET WORK.

CAN YOU DO SOME ON THIS?

IT'S STILL MOIST HERE.

THIS ONE IS GETTING US CLOSE TO THE FINISH OF THE HATCHET WORK.

AND THEN DO I UNDERSTAND?

THE SAME AS YOU DID ON THE INSIDE, YOU'RE GONNA TAKE THIS AND DO GOUGE WORK ON THE OUTSIDE?

EXACTLY RIGHT, YEAH.

SO LET ME SEE IF I HAVE...

I HAVE A COUPLE HERE.

LOOK AT THIS BIG ONE.

I LOVE THIS.

YEAH.

THAT WAS A LARGE, LARGE BIRCH TREE.

HA HA HA!

AND THERE YOU SEE THOSE FACETS.

THESE ARE THE FINISHING CUTS.

THAT'S IT.

SO YOU DO THAT.

SO THIS IS ALL GOUGE WORK ON THE OUTSIDE.

BUT THIS IS THIN HERE ON THE SIDES.

YOU LEFT THIS RIM QUITE THICK.

AND ODD--WHAT'S VERY ODD ABOUT THIS BOWL IS THAT YOU'VE LEFT IT UNDECORATED!

I KNOW, AND IT'S MINE.

SO IT NEEDS TO BE CARVED.

SO ONCE THESE ARE CARVED DOWN ON THE OUTSIDE AND READY, YOU PUT SOME KIND OF OIL ON THEM.

I KNOW YOU SAID FLAX OIL.

I USE FLAX OIL.

YOU CAN USE WALNUT OIL.

ALL KINDS OF EDIBLE OILS AND STUFF, BUT... AND HERE YOU'VE DONE A GOUGED RIM?

WELL, I DON'T WANT ANY BLANK SPACE.

SO I TRY TO CARVE THOSE RIMS.

I ALWAYS SAY THESE ARE THE FINISHING TOUCHES, AND I LEAVE THOSE FOR LAST.

HA HA HA!

VERY WISE.

SO THIS ONE IS CHIP CARVED.

THE PREVIOUS ONE IS CUT WITH A CARVING GOUGE.

AND THIS IS SPECIAL BECAUSE IT REALLY SHOWS THAT CURVE OF THE TREE IS STILL IN IT.

THE TREE HAS BEEN A PARTNER WITH YOU, PETER FOLLANSBEE, IN MAKING THIS, AND I THANK YOU FOR BEING A PARTNER WITH US AND SHOWING US HOW.

MY PLEASURE.

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

THAT'S GREAT STUFF.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL...WONDERFUL.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

THIS HAS BEEN ROY UNDERHILL HERE WITH PETER FOLLANSBEE IN "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

MAY THE GRAIN BE WITH YOU ALWAYS.

SO LONG.

AH, WONDERL.

ANNOUNCER: LEARN MORE ABOUT "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" AND TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING ON OUR WEBSITE.

YOU CAN FIND US ONLINE AT pbs.org.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... [WIND BLOWING] [CAT MEOWS] [THUNDER] [CRASH] [HORN HONKING] WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS, STATE FARM HAS THE TOOLS TO GET YOU TO A BETTER STATE, PROUD SPONSOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

ROY UNDERHILL IS THE AUTHOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S GUIDE: WORKING WOOD WITH WEDGE AND EDGE," AS WELL AS OTHER BOOKS ON TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING, ALL PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS AND AVAILABLE AT BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES.