Yes, we'll mill your log. Bring a log to our Columbia-area yard and we'll saw it into boards, slabs, beams or a mix, cut to what you plan to build. Send us photos and measurements first, and we'll tell you if it's worth milling and what it will cost before you haul anything.
How it works, from photos to pickup
- Send photos and measurements. Use our quote form: small-end diameter inside the bark, length, a photo of each end and one of the whole log, and the species if you know it.
- We quote it. We'll tell you if the log is worth sawing, estimate the board feet and give you a price range.
- Get the log to the yard. Our mill is stationary. See "Getting your log here" below.
- We agree on the cut list. Thicknesses, widths, slabs or boards. If you're not sure, tell us the project and we'll suggest a cut.
- We saw it. We check for metal, open the log, and cut to your list.
- You pick up your wood. Bring a trailer or truck big enough for the green lumber, which is heavy. We'll show you how to stack it to dry.
Getting your log here
We don't travel to mill, so every log comes to our yard. There are three ways to get it here:
- Haul it yourself. A utility trailer and a few strong people can move a short log. Longer or wider logs need a trailer with a winch, a tractor with forks, or a skid steer to load. Strap the log down; a round log rolls.
- Have the tree service drop it. If a crew is removing the tree, ask them to cut the trunk to length and drop it at our yard on their way out. It can save them a trip to the dump, so it is worth asking. Our page for tree services has the details they'll want.
Message us before you come so we know the log is on its way.
What logs we can take
A log is worth milling when it's big enough, straight enough and sound enough to give you useful boards.
- Diameter. As a rough guide, a log under about 10 inches at the small end gives mostly narrow boards and a lot of waste. From 12 inches up, the yield gets much better.
- Length. Most lumber is cut in 8, 10 or 12 foot lengths. Leave a few extra inches on each log so the ends can be trimmed square.
- Straightness. A gentle curve is workable. A log with a sharp bend or a big fork should be cut at the bend into shorter straight pieces.
- Soundness. Some rot in the center is normal in old yard trees, and a hollow log can still give good boards from the outside. Punky, soft wood all the way through is not worth sawing.
Not sure about your log? Send photos anyway. Our guide is my tree worth milling? goes deeper, and the board-foot guide shows how much lumber a log of your size holds. See Missouri wood species for how common local trees saw and dry.
How to cut and store a log before it gets here
A good log can be ruined in a few hot weeks. Fresh-cut wood starts to check (crack) at the ends and, in species like maple, sycamore and hackberry, can stain from the inside once the weather warms.
- Cut it long. Keep the trunk in the longest straight lengths you can move. Don't let anyone cut it into firewood rounds.
- Keep it off the dirt. Set the log on a couple of scrap blocks. Mud and grit pressed into the bark dull a saw blade fast. Don't drag a log through the dirt if you can lift it.
- Seal the ends. Paint the fresh-cut ends with a commercial end sealer, or thick latex paint in a pinch, the same day if you can. It slows drying at the ends and cuts down on checks.
- Keep it shady. Store the log out of direct sun.
- Don't wait too long. Get the log sawn within a few weeks in warm weather if you can. In winter you have more time.
Our guide on how to store a log before milling has more detail.
Slabs, boards or beams: choosing a cut pattern
How we cut the log decides what you get and how it looks.
- Flat-sawn (plain-sawn) boards. We saw straight through the log, turning it to cut from more than one face. This is the fastest cut and gives the widest boards. Most lumber is flat-sawn.
- Quarter-sawn boards. The log is cut so the growth rings run steeply through the board. Quarter-sawn wood is more stable and, in oak and sycamore, shows a ray fleck figure. It takes longer to saw and gives narrower boards, so it costs more.
- Live-sawn slabs. We saw straight through without turning the log, leaving the bark edge on both sides. This is the classic table slab.
- Beams. We square the heart of the log into a timber for a mantel, post or bench, then cut boards from what's left.
Many people take a few slabs from the middle of the log and boards from the outside. Tell us what you're building and we'll plan the cut around it. To see the difference in oak, read flat-sawn vs quarter-sawn oak.
Metal in yard trees and the blade fee
Yard trees hide metal. Nails from old treehouses and clotheslines, fence staples, wire, bolts and even horseshoes get swallowed as the tree grows. Trees from older Columbia neighborhoods and fence lines are the most likely to carry it.
When a saw blade hits a nail, the blade is ruined or needs resharpening. We look the log over for metal before sawing, but some of it is buried deep with no sign on the bark. That's why mills charge a blade fee when the saw hits metal.
Tell us anything you know about the tree, like an old fence line or a swing; it helps us cut around it. Metal also leaves a dark blue-black stain in the wood around it, which some people like for its history. More on this in our guide to nails in yard trees.
What you get back and how to dry it
You go home with wet wood. Freshly sawn hardwood is full of water, and it needs to dry before you build anything indoors.
- Stack it flat on a level base, off the ground.
- Sticker it. Lay thin, dry spacer sticks across each layer, about every 16 to 24 inches, lined up straight above each other.
- Cover the top against sun and rain, and leave the sides open for air.
- Wait. A common rule of thumb is about a year of air drying per inch of thickness.
According to MU Extension, air-dried lumber in Missouri settles at about 12 to 14 percent moisture content, while wood used indoors runs about 6 to 10 percent. Air-dried wood is fine for barns, fences and outdoor work. For furniture and cabinets that will live indoors, finish drying it inside or in a kiln. We don't have a kiln yet; see our kiln drying page.
Milling cost
Milling is usually priced by the hour or by the board foot, plus a minimum charge and a blade fee if the saw hits metal.
Our pricing page shows how to work out the board feet in your log and has a milling cost estimator. If your tree just came down in a storm, start with our storm-downed trees page.
Get a Quote
Send us photos of your log with its diameter and length, and we'll tell you what it can become and what it will cost.