Uniquely Thin Wooden Bowls By Robert Bader

By Lloyd Kahn on April 19, 2015

These were in the window of a shop in Hanapepe on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. They were very thin, and exquisite.They were apparently turned on a lathe, but I can’t imagine how.

About Lloyd Kahn

Lloyd Kahn started building his own home in the early '60s and went on to publish books showing homeowners how they could build their own homes with their own hands. He got his start in publishing by working as the shelter editor of the Whole Earth Catalog with Stewart Brand in the late '60s. He has since authored six highly-graphic books on homemade building, all of which are interrelated. The books, "The Shelter Library Of Building Books," include Shelter, Shelter II (1978), Home Work (2004), Builders of the Pacific Coast (2008), Tiny Homes (2012), and Tiny Homes on the Move (2014). Lloyd operates from Northern California studio built of recycled lumber, set in the midst of a vegetable garden, and hooked into the world via five Mac computers. You can check out videos (one with over 450,000 views) on Lloyd by doing a search on YouTube:
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5 Responses to Uniquely Thin Wooden Bowls By Robert Bader

  1. Hey Lloyd, did you happen to notice the price? Bet they were pricey.

    Years ago (thirty plus), I was an observer at a woodturning workshop in Saskatchewan. The Artist woodturner (lathe) (not sure I have terms correct but he did use a lathe)
    that led the workshop did astonishing work, turning very thin beautiful bowls too.

    I seem to recall, even back then they were hugely pricey (he mentioned what they went for in the art gallery). Amazing to watch him turn them on the lathe…Even more amazing he was able to get his knowledge across to the students (including one Nun), who didn't do too bad a job of "copying his techniques".

    Reply

  3. Any idea what kind of tropical Wood it is? My guess would be Monkey Pod or is it Monkey Puzzle. Dynomite stuff, would make a great lamp shade if thin enough for light to glow thru.
    Thanks!

    Reply

  4. If I had to mill such a thin bowl, I think I should do it as follws:
    1) mill the outside of the bowl, leaving the inside massive
    2) turn a support structure with the negative shape of the backside of the bowl
    3) "kit" the bowl in the support structure
    4) mill the inside of the bowl

    Just thinking…

    Reply

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