Custom Milling
Custom Sawyer Services
We will cut live edge or straight edge, thick or thin, to most standard or custom sizes. We can also surface boards for you, whether you bought them from us, or someone else. Keep reading for more details on how this works!
If you have a tree coming down, and would like to have us mill it for you, we're here to help with that. However, we want to be clear about the timeline from removing a live tree to turning it into milled lumber. Our process is as follows:
- Tree is removed.
- Trunk is painted on both ends & sits as a log for up to 1 year. This prevents it from drying out too quickly in our desert climate, which in turn prevents it from splitting or twisting.
- Log is milled, stacked & set out to dry for another 6-8 months.
- After that, it’s finally ready to be turned into a unique and locally-sourced project!
This is also available if you have a tree that's been down some time, or have located a trunk that you want milled. The milling timeline will depend on the measured moisture content in the wood brought to us.
What We Offer
We use a Turbo Saw Mill M12/22A swing-head circular mill. This machine can cut a log up to a 48" diameter, any length from 4' - 22'. Max depth of cut is 12" per side, so a double cut can be up to 24" across. Slabs, planks, beams, and dimensional lumber cut to your specifications are available.
For surfacing, we have an SCMI 16" jointer and an SAC 24" planer, both industrial machines. Our equipment makes rough lumber smooth and we can plane your wood down to a specific thickness. We do not offer contouring, moulding or shaping operations.
Re-saw service is not currently offered. We may be able to do saw-planing for you, if you have larger pieces that are a little too rough. Straight edging operations are also available in some cases. Call for details.
All custom cuts and surfacing work is done by appointment, as dictated by our current workload. Same-day turnaround is generally not available.
What We Charge
For milling slabs & cookies, we charge a $60 set up fee + $1 per diameter foot (minimum of $2) x length per cut. For example, a 3’ diameter x 7’ long log = $3 x $7 per slab + $60 set up.
For dimensional lumber, we charge $75 for the first half hour, $120 an hour after that.
Our base rate for surfacing and other shop work is $25 per 15 minutes + tax.
These fees include inspection of wood condition, determination of cuts, metal detection, and the necessary equipment and personnel to get the job done.
We do not currently offer delivery of products or finished millwork or transportation of any raw materials to our yard.
Other Info / FAQ
This is decided on a case by case basis, with the operator's (and your!) safety as the key factor. If you're
interested, let us know.
Our insurance doesn't allow that. This is professional industrial equipment, and it's frankly unsafe for folks without the necessary training and experience to even get too close to it when it is in use.
That's going to depend entirely on the operational status of the necessary equipment, as well as the
current workload. As of now, most work has a 1-3 week turnaround time. This can change at any time, without notice. For more
specific timeframes, you'll need to call and discuss the nature of your project with us. As a rule, nothing to do with trees or
lumber is fast. They grow slowly, they dry slowly, and "rush jobs" in this industry are extra dangerous. Schedule ahead of need for best results!
Sure, but there are some limits. Kids are never allowed near the mill when it is in operation. Dogs must be
leashed and under control at all times. The nature of this work is such that it is inherently dangerous for unsupervised dogs, kids,
and even adults who aren't knowledgeable about the process.
Cash, checks, and card payments are all fine.
Sometimes! If you have some wood that you want to mill and sell, contact us to discuss that arrangement.
We do not. This is recycling, and we use only trees that might otherwise find their way to the landfills.
We do not harvest healthy trees for the purpose of milling, nor do we bring timbers from outside the area. We do accept donations,
but we cannot accept every cut tree that is offered to us. There simply isn't room for that! Small diameter trees are not good candidates
for milling, because once we start cutting it up, there might not be enough left to use for anything.Talk to us if you think you have a tree
that would make good lumber.
Didn't get your answers? Hit us up with your questions, and we'll fill in the blanks.
