Custom Milling

We offer custom sawmill services to anyone who delivers logs to our facility in Saxapahaw, NC. Here’s an overview of our custom milling process and pricing. Also, please check out our FAQ pages where we’ve answered over 200 frequent questions. Please note that we do not cut down trees or barter milling services for logs or lumber. If you need an arborist, see the Local Contacts page.

Overview of Capacity and Cost

At our facility in Saxapahaw, we run three sawmills. You or your arborist can deliver logs to us, and we will them into whatever dimensions you like.

Milling Capacities

In general, we can mill any size of log. Our main sawmill cuts logs up to 36” in diameter and 26’ long. Our largest sawmill cuts logs up to 72” wide and 12’ long.

Project Cost Formula

Each custom milling job includes two costs— milling by the hour and and per-blade cost. For most jobs, we use our medium-sized sawmill (a Woodmizer LT-50) and charge $140 per hour for milling. We also charge $25 for each blade we use or $35 if we damage a blade in the process (hitting a nail, etc). For extra large logs —or those over 36” in diameter— we use our larger Lucas Mill and charge $250 per hour and $100 per blade used (or $150 per blade damaged).

Estimating Project Time

How long does it take to mill a log? The short answer the larger your log is, the longer it takes to mill. A dozen 10” diameter cedar logs lined up in a queue may take 10 minutes per log to process. We’ve also spent an entire day quarter-sawing one 60” diameter oak log. Some general rules of thumb are as follows: the cleaner, greener, softer, and more cylindrical a log, the faster we can go. A 20” diameter 8’ pine log might take us 30 minutes to process. The fewer cuts we have to make, the faster we go (cutting four 6x6s from a 12x12 cant goes a lot faster than cutting twenty-four 1x6s). Anything over 36” in diameter is doable, but gets a little more complicated. A hardwood that has been down over a year may require an extra blade change. However, in most cases, it’s safe to assume a ballpark of 45 minutes per medium-sized saw log.

Large Logs

If you have logs larger than 36” in diameter, we can mill them using our Lucas Slab Mill (with a 72” wide capacity). We run that mill at $250 per and charge $100 per blade used or $150 per blade damaged. The Lucas mill is great for producing extra-wide slabs. It’s also good at turning large logs into “cants” that can then be processed on one of our faster (and less expensive) sawmills. 

Estimating Project Yield and Profitability

Our fastest sawmill (a 2023 LT-50) can process up to 1000 board feet per hour. This is especially the case with large diameter softwoods, such as pine. Larger diameter oaks can yield this much or more. With pine prices at $1.50/bf, it’s easy to see how a sawmill can generate over $1000 worth of framing lumber per hour. When you consider costs of specialty hardwoods, such as white oak for $10.50/bf, you can see how it’s easy to generate thousands of dollars worth of lumber in a few hours.

A Note on Stacking 

Unless you are using your lumber immediately, you will need “stickers” or thin wood strips that go between your drying lumber. We can cut these from softwoods you send to us, or you can buy these from us or the hardware store. We sell 1x1x3 stickers for $0.75/piece. Lowes/Home Depot sell 1x2x8 for $1.78. Our stickers are better; theirs are cheaper. If you are going to buy them at the store, we recommend kiln-dried, untreated 1x2x8 “furring strips.” Here is our overview about how to stack your lumber. 

Storage at the Sawmill and/or Lumber Delivery

We’re good at telling folks when their logs are in our milling queue– and when the lumber will be ready for pickup. If it’s a small order –say, three logs worth– then we’ve included the estimated loading time in our milling cost. We charge a modest hourly fee if the loading takes 30 minutes or longer. If you pick up your lumber in a week after it’s milled, then there’s no charge for letting it sit at the sawmill. Beyond a week, we charge $12.50 per pallet per week for storage. All lumber is best stickered as soon after milling as possible. You run the risk of damaging your lumber if you let it sit dry-stacked in the rain and sun. 

If you need more time, or you’d like us to stack, sticker, and store your lumber, then we can do that. We charge $0.75 per sticker and $75/hr for two workers to stack your lumber. We charge $12.50 per week per pallet for storage. This is a good option for our busy clients who don’t want to mess up the critically important work of stickering — or for folks who are building homes and need the lumber to dry off-site before being incorporated into the home build.

If you’d like your lumber delivered after milling, we can do that too. Generally, that costs $400 per 10k load which includes 30 minutes of off-loading time.

Getting Logs Delivered to the Sawmill

To get your logs delivered to the sawmill, you have a few options. (1) You can deliver them yourself with a truck and/or trailer. (2) You can work with your arborist to have the logs delivered on the same day the tree is cut. This is often the best option as it balances cost and convenience. (3) You can hire one of our log-hauling contractors to pick up your logs and deliver it to the sawmill.

The Barter Question

I get at least three calls a day from people asking me if I want to pick up their logs in exchange for the lumber. Unfortunately, the answer is no.