Bowls, vases and hollow vessels
Four forms, all built the same way: boards cut into segments, glued up into a blank, then turned.
Unique and original wooden bowls, vases, and hollow vessels
Handcrafted designs in domestic and exotic woods, cut into segments and turned one at a time by David Kohler in Phoenix, Arizona.
SEGMENTED CONSTRUCTION
Boards cut into small pieces, then rearranged into a blank
SUSTAINABLY SOURCED
Woods from sustainable forests and managed plantations
ONE OF A KIND
Every vessel is turned once and never repeated.
My Art
Uniquely designed and turned wooden bowls, vases, pots, and other hollow vessels.
My focus is on creating pieces with form and color as the key design elements. Inspiration for these vessels comes from Native American, Greek, Aztec, and other cultures pottery.
The materials I use are a combination of domestic and exotic woods from around the world, selected for color, availability, and sustainability. The natural colors in these woods are what allow for the creation of unique patterns and designs.
2017
Turning since
A woodworker for many years first, until my grandson wanted to make pens and that led to making simple bowls.
3
Arizona shows in 2026
Litchfield Park in February, Fountain Hills in February, and High Street in Phoenix in March.
Straight from the workshop
Every bowl, vase and hollow vessel is designed, built and turned by David Kohler, then sold direct and shipped from Phoenix.
How a piece is made
Polychromatic woodturning, commonly known as segmented construction: boards become segments, segments become a blank, and the blank becomes the vessel.
STEP 01
Select the wood
Domestic and exotic woods chosen for colour, availability and sustainability, from local Phoenix suppliers and resellers of traditional American hardwoods.
STEP 02
Cut the segments
Boards are cut down into small pieces, sized and angled so that the rings will close cleanly when they are assembled.
STEP 03
Build the blank
The pieces are rearranged and glued ring by ring into a form that will serve as the blank canvas for the piece.
STEP 04
Turn the vessel
The blank goes on the lathe and the shape emerges from the raw form, then it is sanded and finished by hand.
Question? Answered
How the work is built, where the wood comes from, and how to buy a piece.
It is polychromatic woodturning, commonly known as segmented construction. It involves taking boards, cutting them into smaller pieces, and rearranging them into a form that will serve as my blank canvas. That blank then goes on the lathe, and the bowl or vessel is turned from it. It lets me form shapes and figures in a piece in ways that are not achievable with a solid block of wood.
Almost all of it is the wood itself. The materials are a combination of domestic and exotic woods from around the world, selected for colour, availability and sustainability, and the natural colours in those woods are what allow for the unique patterns and designs. New to the line are vessels that incorporate dyed birch veneers for dramatic and unique visuals.
Most of the exotics and imported woods are purchased from local suppliers in the Phoenix area. I use wood harvested from sustainable forests and managed plantations that use sound reforestation programs. Other sources are resellers of traditional American hardwoods, the same species our furniture and other goods have been crafted from for generations.
Yes. There is free domestic shipping on all orders over $350.
Yes, and it is the best way to see how the segments come together. The pieces are at three Arizona fine art festivals in 2026: the Wigwam Festival of Fine Art in Litchfield Park in February, the Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts in Fountain Hills in February, and the High Street Arts Festival in Phoenix in March.
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