I don't own such a sink, but I think it could work if it won't see heavy use or be installed where it gets a lot of direct sunlight.

This is not the sort of thing I'd turn over to a friend with marginal woodworking experience. You haven't said where he "took woodworking," but they don't teach you how to make something like that in a typical vocational program. The shape is simple, but the wood is not available at your neighborhood big-box store and the manufacturing process would be surprisingly finicky.

I am a woodworker and cannot come up with a home shop method of making that piece. Separate pieces of wood have to be glued together to make the blank---that is the easy part. But, those pieces are large (thick) enough to need tools bigger than the average home shop has. For instance, the jointer necessary to mill a 12" wide piece of wood flat(for gluing) would have to be at least 12" wide---and 14"-16" would be better. That tool alone would weigh over a thousand pounds and cost several thousand dollars. Then there is the cactual gluing---very large clamps or a press are needed.

So, that was the easy part---and machining the bowl is next. But, by now you have an idea.

Even if you could figure out a way to machine it, it would not pass if you have to get a plumbing inspection. The codes expressly state that we may not use any fixture that does not have a ASTM(American Society of Testing & Materials) approval label.