ABOUT
"I've been a customer of Sawyer Bentwood for over 20 years. They are always reliable and their products stand the test of time. I highly recommend them!"
- R.K.
The History of Sawyer Bentwood
A family-run operation, Sawyer Bentwood has been in business since 1801, producing high quality hardwood products for over 200 years. In the 1800’s, Sawyer Bentwood produced and sold lumber and grain. We began manufacturing solid wood turnings and panels in the 1920’s. In the 1940’s, we began manufacturing wood chairs, tables and casegoods. In 1954, the Sawyer Bentwood team decided to specialize in manufacturing solid hardwood steam bent components.
Our Process for Steam Bending Wood
Today, Sawyer Bentwood specializes in steam bending wood to manufacture a large variety of hardwood products using our special steam bending technique. For all of our products, we start with the finest northeastern hardwoods. Ash, oak, cherry, maple and birch are some of the domestic hardwoods we bend.
We dry the lumber in our kilns and plane it in our rough mill. Each piece is meticulously inspected and machined to our clients’ specifications. The wood is sent to our bending room where each piece of solid wood is steamed and bent. Our unique steam bending technique is the key to our promise of uniformity, quality and consistency in all our solid wood products.
Our Commitment to the Environment
Sawyer Bentwood is doing its part to preserve and protect our planet. Our factory is located in the quiet town of Whitingham in rural Vermont, where nature abounds; our rural location is a testimony to our love and respect for the outdoors. Sawyer Bentwood is committed to reducing wood and water waste; we work in partnership with local businesses to help reduce our collective ecological footprint.
At Sawyer Bentwood, we strive to use each piece of raw material. Wood waste is used to generate steam for our bending process. We also collect wood waste from local industries to use in our steaming process, thus helping to keep waste out of our landfills.
We work closely with local and FSC certified saw mills to ensure the stewardship of our natural resources. All of our lumber comes from sites that are surveyed and marked by a certified forester.
We use natural products such as a 100% soy oil to lubricate our machinery and we do not use toxic glues or resin.
We take great pleasure in working with companies who share our values and commitment to saving energy, increasing lumber yields and responsible, safe logging practices.