Great American Urn Company creates its works in two woodcrafting shops; Tryon, NC and Greer, SC. Our artists make beautifully, handcrafted wooden cremation urns with an eye for detail and elegance. Please be sure to visit our gallery to take a peek at our work and visit our main website or call for further ordering details. We ship anywhere in N. America and take pride in the individuality of each piece. Remember your loved one in a unique and earth-friendly way – with a custom wooden cremation urn from Great American Urn Company.

About Great American Urn Company’s Founder Thomas Zumbach

I was born in Milwaukee Wisconsin and lived there until 1996, when my family and I moved to Greer, SC. I spent most of my life working in precision grinding.

My woodworking hobby developed in the early 1980’s, when I began making custom furniture pieces. Later on, my interest piqued when I saw a turned walnut goblet at a show. The elegance and beauty of that piece turned my hobby into an obsession. With no available woodturning classes, I began to experiment and teach myself. I soon found that my passion for the artistry of woodworking had become a lifelong career.

“Purity of form” is what I strive for when turning a piece. The lines, character and color variations of burls and spalted woods are my favorite to work with. My work encompasses everything from architectural woodturning and furniture parts to functional turned pieces, such as bowls, vases, lamps, and candlesticks, to abstract art.

I continue to attend symposiums and take classes, and have recently enrolled in a drawing class, learning skills applicable to my post-lathe work. I’m currently experimenting with acrylics, wood burning, gold copper leaf, texturing and carving. I also educate others by teaching classes in my studio.

Over the years, my work has been sold in galleries in Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. I have done juried shows all over the Midwest and Southeastern United States.