Curly Koa Bowl

[Kenny Jacobson]

Last year, a lady bought a curly koa pen from me for her husband as a Christmas gift. Apparently he loves it, so she came back to me to commission a piece for their 20th anniversary. I warned her that a large chunk of curly koa was going to be a little pricey, but it was still within her price range.

The gorgeous block of wood sat and stared at me for over a month because I was too afraid to touch it. But I finally got up the nerve, and here is the result.


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This pic (below) was snapped in direct (setting) sunlight before I could set up the background. It's my understanding the direct sunlight is usually a no-no, but I really like how the sunlight brought out the rich colors in the piece.

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9.5" x 2"

[Rick Markham]

That's gorgeous Kenny! You definitely did the Koa justice! Can we get a profile shot too :) It looks like a lovely form!

[Kenny Jacobson]

That's gorgeous Kenny! You definitely did the Koa justice! Can we get a profile shot too :) It looks like a lovely form!
Thanks, Rick! As I was posting this picture (and after I'd already taken down all my photo stuff), I realized I should have taken a profile shot. I'll do that this weekend and post it. :)

[Kathy Marshall]

That's a gorgeous bowl Kenny! The wood is awesome, and your form shows the wood to great advantage. I'm sure your customer is going to be very happy with it!

[Michelle Rich]

a gorgeous piece of wood! super job. Yes, do keep the bowl out of direct sun & tell your customer that too.

[Deane Allinson]

Beautiful piece. Beautiful wood. I have priced or watched pieces of Curly Koa on the auctions sites, they always end up soaring 5x's over any of my limits. I would be a little afraid of it too. Again, great piece.
Deane

[Steve Schlumpf]

Beautiful bowl Kenny! Amazing how much more color and curl popped out with the sunlight! Your customer is going to love this! Very nice work!

[Tim Rinehart]

Beautiful bowl Kenny. I think we all have had chunks of wood that sat for a while for similar concerns. You really did this piece well to show off that Koa curl. I suspect the couple will really love it!

[Barry Elder]

Fiddleback Koa commands very hefty prices and now everyone can see why not much reaches the mainland. A truly outstanding turning of an amazing piece of Koa! You should be very proud, up to the point where your hat no longer fits!!!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Beautiful bowl and wood Kenny. You definitely did that piece justice.

[Kenny Jacobson]

Thank you everyone for your kind comments! That made my day.

Deane, I picked up the block on ebay and the starting price was already really high and then someone someone else bid on it! At first I was nervous that I was paying too much, then I was afraid I wouldn't get it at all.

Here are some more pics, including some profile shots. The rim was inspired by a bowl I saw by Frank Clarke (500 Wood Bowls, p. 348). It looks traditional to me, and yet I don't seem to see it that often on turned bowls. So I've been doing that to a lot of my bowls lately.

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[Bill Wyko]

Exquisite bowl Kenny. I have some veneer that matches that. It's rare to find wood so beautiful that didn't end up veneer. Well done.

[Roger Chandler]

Beautiful wood.....love the curl in the grain..........excellent form Kenny..........nice work!

[Rick Markham]

Kenny, super nice my friend! Thank you for the profile shots. Koa is a special thing, you can certainly see why it was ALWAYS reserved for Hawaiian royalty!

[Thomas Canfield]

Nice job on a beautiful piece of wood. You did not mention your finish but it looks like some oil was used to bring out the grain. I really like Koa and have brought some back from HI on visits, but most are still waiting for me to be qualified to touch. The Big Island Woodturners have a show usually in March and they have a lot of this incredible wood pieces, and this piece would fit in well.

[David DeCristoforo]

Awesome curly koa! Great job on the bowl.

[Billy Tallant]

Beautiful bowl Kenny! That grain pattern is something else. When I looked at your 1st picture, I felt like I was looking at a lake with the sun setting & it was causing the trees to cast shadows upon the lake water.

[Jim Burr]

Glad you added the extra pic's Kenny...you really rocked that bowl!