As a hand-tool woodworker and a carver, I read David Fisher’s article, “Carve a Greenwood Bowl” (FWW #263), with interest. For heavier cuts on a larger vessel I set the workpiece on the floor and went with a two-handed adze for the hollowing, instead of the one-handed version Fisher uses. With each swing, the adze’s cutting edge went hurtling toward some part of my body. So I came up with this jig for securing a big bowl blank and keeping my legs out of harm’s way. The jig is nothing more than two pipe clamps and two short, heavy timbers. You can stand on a timber at either end with your legs spread so the adze, if swung too far, would go between them. Your weight on the timber gives the jig plenty of inertia to cut against, making each blow very effective.

—Bill Pierce, Arlington, Wash.

Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking issue #276

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