Wavy Plywood Bowl

[John Beaver]

This is my "beauty" entry for the "Beauty and the Beast" contest.

5.5" x 7.5" Baltic Birch Plywood with Segmented Purpleheart rim.
Finished with spray lacquer, hand sanded and buffed

Chosen for the contest because it starts out as a "beast" and becomes a "beauty".

[Greg Just]

Very pretty bowl. How did you get the "wave"?

[Dick Wilson]

;)
Very pretty bowl. How did you get the "wave"?

That is my question Greg. John, have you ever done a tutorial on your bowls.........or should I just mind my own business;);):D:(

[Toney Robertson]

Cool idea, wonderfully done.

[Jamie Donaldson]

OK, this scores way up on the "howdhedodat" scale!

[charlie knighton]

very nice, John

[Bernie Weishapl]

That is really a nice piece John. That is a beauty for sure.

[John Keeton]

John, this is a little different form for you, from what I recall. The plywood really accentuates your wave effect and I love the segmented rim! Beautiful work - as always!
;)

That is my question Greg. John, have you ever done a tutorial on your bowls.........or should I just mind my own business;);):D:(


OK, this scores way up on the "howdhedodat" scale!For those that may not know, John has been recognized nationally for his unique style of turning, is represented in some of the top galleries in the nation, and has received commissions from well known collectors. He does do demos. If you care to see some of his other works, and more information about his demo schedule, check out his website. (http://www.johnbeaver.net/)

[Donny Lawson]

That is a very neat looking bowl. I really like the wave going for it.

[Bill Bolen]

What a cool bowl. Good luck with the B & B.

[Kathy Marshall]

Fabulous bowl John! Go luck in the contest!

[Jim Burr]

For a chunk of plywood...well...holy cow!!! Super cool John! For my .02 worth...I think your older stuff is fantastic!!

[Baxter Smith]

Great job John. Very attractive piece!

[Steve Schlumpf]

Another one of your 'how'd he do dat' bowls! Love the colors, the sense of motion and the finish! Excellent work as always John!

[Michelle Rich]

worth 2 comments from me..again divine

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Beautiful, John,
Who would imagine plywood could look so artsy. I hope you post your technique for making the wave. I am assuming you glued up bending ply with a form and press. Anyway, the shape and the look are outstanding. I've always admired your posts and check your web sit for new creations. Good luck in the contest.
faust

[John Beaver]

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Posting here is sure good for ones ego.
John

[Cathy Schaewe]

That is really cool -

[Todd Bin]

I am also curious how he got the waves in the bowl but I have a theory on how to do this. I am curious if you guys think this would work.
Steps.
1. Stack and Laminate several pieces of plywood together into a cube
2. Saw or plane off one of the edges (or maybe corners) to make a flat spot to mount the face plate
3. Turn the bowl like normal

I think this would make the curves but still having a little difficulty visualizing it.

~Todd

[Dan Hintz]

Rank amateur...
















At least that's what I'd have to call myself after seeing such a simple substrate turned into such a beautiful piece of art :D

[Peter Elliott]

well, ground hog day has gone, but will Mr. Beaver teach us or go back in the dark for another 6 weeks?

If your going to show, you got to tell...

[Brian Vaughn]

From an engineering perspective, it looks like, in order to make the wave, that the plywood layers were simply bent laminated. So if each plywood layer were a disc, support the disc at two point 180 degrees from each other and push down in the middle using a bar oriented 90 degrees from the supports. So if you support the disc at the north and south edges, then push down with a bar going from east to west. Steam it, bend it, dry it, glue it, turn it, voila! Now you just need a laminated stack of those, about 10 inches thick, and you turn a bowl out of it...Now if it were just that easy in real life....