Centuries ago, the process of manufacturing wood objects such as bowls, utensils, and even toys involved foot-powered lathes that were powerful enough to dwindle rough chunks of freshly-cut wood into the usable items.
While we’ve since replaced the need for foot power with electricity, the process of getting from wood block to finished object hasn’t changed much. Thankfully, a group of six elderly men from the Shawo Village in a small province of China are keeping the centuries-old technique alive with the traditional machine.
Here, 84-year old craftsman Cheng Jinqing demonstrates the process of turning one of these traditional Shawo wooden bowls form a carefully selected willow tree along with his younger apprentice Li Xuemin:
