Hewing
Contemporary Bowls
by Rip & Tanni Mann
Softcover
215 x 280mm
48pp
Published by Schiffer Publishing, West Chester, Pennsylvania USA
R.R.P.$25.90
ISBN 0-88740-710-2
As reviewed in The Australian Woodworker Issue 139
For most of us, a lot of the woodworking that we do is about using power tools and machines. If we're satisfied that we can obtain the same result in ten minutes with a power tool that we would in an hour with a hand tool, then our hand is halfway to the switch.
There are some, however, who reject this philosophy. They may argue that only by using hand tools can we really learn to read the wood - and only by learning to read the wood, can we achieve the results that we desire, confidently and repeatably.
Some who follow this course amass a formidable array of hand tools but there are others who can do what they want with an absolute minimum of tools. Rip and Tammi Mann fall into this latter category.
Their joy - and it's clear all the way through their book, Hewing Contemporary Bowls - that this is the way they see their work - is to hand-hew wooden bowls using little more than an adze, a scorp and maybe a small plane or 'shave.
Their project in this book is an octagonal bowl. They begin with a short log and cut a flitch from it with a chain saw (their one and only concession to the power of modern machines).
After the marking out, the cutting of the bowl outline, excavating the centre, forming the curved sides and finishing are all done by hand. Most of the waste is removed with an adze, but later a scorp is employed to create a smooth surface and make fine adjustments to the shape.
This is a book for those who appreciate a challenge. It is also a book for those who want to experience for themselves the enjoyment that comes from using simple tools and age-old techniques to wrest a thing of beauty from the heart of a tree.
About the Author: Rip and Tammi Mann spend most of their year on the road. They are in constant demand as demonstrators at some of the finest craft shows in the USA. They have taught at the John C. Campbell folk school and have been published in Country America, Early American Life, Back Home, and Country Folk Art magazines. They have also appeared on several national television shows.
Photos: Colour
Contents
Introduction
Hewing
the Bowl
- Storing an Unfinished Bowl
Finishing
the Bowl
- Preparation
- Seasoning
A Gallery of Hewn Bowls