These guides answer the questions people ask us most before bringing in a log or buying lumber: how much wood is in a tree, how to keep a log good until it's milled, and which cut or species fits the job. Start with the one that matches where you are.
- How much lumber is in a log? A board-foot chart for logs 12 to 30 inches across, and how to measure yours.
- How to cut and store a log before milling Lengths, end sealing and getting logs off the ground so they're still worth sawing.
- Is my tree worth milling? Size, species, straightness and soundness, judged from the ground.
- Tree removal when you want to keep the log What to tell the tree crew before they cut.
- Flat-sawn, quarter-sawn and live-sawn oak What each cut looks like and how it behaves.
- Nails, wire and fence staples Why yard trees cost more to mill, and how to find metal first.
- Milling ash before the borer ruins it Saving lumber from emerald ash borer trees.
- Rough-sawn lumber for trailer decks, barns and fences Species and thickness for farm and trailer work.
Have a log already? See custom sawmilling or storm-downed trees. Need boards? See lumber and pricing.
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Send us photos of your log or your cut list, and we'll reply with a quote.