Green Mountain Bowls are Eco-Friendly Bowls
Solid wood Colonial Bowls have been the only style of bowl that the Vermont Bowl Company sells which until now has not been produced in our own Wilmington, Vermont workshop.
Over recent years the continuity of supply of solid wood Colonial Bowls has become increasingly erratic. This has been due to our supplier having difficulty obtaining suitably sized quality logs for the production of these wonderful wooden bowls.
When wooden bowls are turned from solid wood blocks these blocks have to come from a tree having sufficient diameter to meet the requirements of the bowl size. For example a 15 inch bowl will require a tree having a diameter greater than 15 inches.
Hopefully there will be no hidden defects or rot in the log. To this end the finest specimen trees which provide the seeding of the forest are harvested. In many cases the block of wood is cut so as to produce a number of nesting bowls. This can a be wasteful process since only one or two of the sizes produced are actually required for market.
The Vermont Bowl Company has close to 50 years experience in the lamination of wood species in order to create wooden bowl blanks in the most ecologically friendly method.
John McLeod, President of the Vermont Bowl Company, in cooperation with his partner Tom Fox decided to examine the possibility of utilizing their long history and experience of wood turning and lamination to achieve the production of a range of Eco-friendly bowls. They desired a bowl in the traditional style and appearance which would be ecologically friendly and "Green" not only in name but in fact since they would not be constrained by the size of logs being cut into chunks.
An important feature of the methodology employed by the Vermont Bowl Company is that it is possible to produce any size of Colonial Bowl in any species of wood, though Cherry and Black Walnut are by far the most popular. This is done by using normally harvested lumber to create a blank which they could then turn and make exactly the bowl size which was required. This of course allows them to make all large bowls or all small bowls or all bowls in between as the need arises. This removes the ever present problem with the old methodology where everyone wants the larger wooden bowls but eschew the side product of the numerous smaller sizes, many of which go to waste.
As you might expect we undertake rigorous selection of the lumber to ensure the finest results creates a surface from our skilled craftspeople.
We have chosen to adopt a traditional oil finish in amalgamation with our proprietary finish. We have done this because we have found that the majority of customers, when seeking Colonial style Vermont hardwood bowls, enjoy the direct contact with the wood surface. By developing this method we have been able to create a protected surface which feels as it would have in centuries past.
It is extremely exciting for us to be part of the thread of history which meets the present day requirements of conservation and sustainability whilst continuing the traditions and artifacts of the past.
An exciting result of our new process has been the visual effect created by the many facets of the wood being exposed at various angles showing the grain and coloration to great advantage. Okay, so maybe we're biased because we've seen a lot of wooden bowls in our many years working in this industry, and these are not only eco-friendly bowls, but truly beautiful!
Just a word about our lamination. We produce tens of thousands of products each year almost all depending upon the security of our gluing and we do not indulge in planned obsolescence except when the customer drops the item and they break the wood.
Please take a moment to watch the informative video below on how simple it is to care for your Green Mountain BowlsTM allowing it to become a family heirloom.