The Bowl Mill crafts its bowls from sustainably-sourced, native American hardwoods including Beech, Cherry, Hard Maple, and Black Walnut using timber harvested from forests here in the US. The wood from these trees has been crafted into durable bowls and other kitchenware that can last a lifetime if properly cared for. Besides the look, each type of timber offers different characteristics both during the crafting process and in the final result.

Each type of wood is unique in its way, offering different textures and colors. Each bowl tells the story of the individual tree from whence it came, beautiful and singular.

Hard Maple: Maple is beloved in Vermont, as the Sugar Maple is our state tree and the source of our delicious maple syrup. Maple’s close-grained sapwood generally is creamy white and its heartwood reddish-brown. Its straight, smooth grain is often dotted with flecks, and often used for fine furniture. It falls in the middle of the Janka scale of hardness at 1450, and makes a durable, lasting heirloom.

American Cherry: Cherry wood is prized for its high-quality look and is frequently reserved to make cabinets, furniture, flooring, and other high-value wood products. Cherry has warm, reddish-brown hues varying from vibrant to subtle, with fine straight grain with pronounced waves and some creamy white accents. It is moderately hard, falling near the bottom of the Janka scale at 950.

Black Walnut: Walnut trees are highly valued for their durable and beautiful wood, and their nuts are a nutritious food source for wildlife and humans. Walnut has very distinct, rich colouration ranging from dark brown heartwood to honey-white sapwood. Bowls made from walnut wood can offer the most varied natural designs, blending both light and dark shades in cascading waves. Walnut is dense, fine-grained, and quite hard at a Janka rating of 1010.

American Beech:  Beech trees provide nuts that are a vital food source for wildlife, and their wood is very hard and durable, used for items like bentwood furniture and firewood. Beech grain is fine to uniform, with a pale cream to pinkish-brown color that can darken to a reddish-brown. American Beech has a Janka hardness rating of 1300, placing it in the medium-to-hard range.