Custom Sawmill Milling, West Chicago

Wood-Mizer and TimberKing bandsaw mills, an air-drying yard on the grounds of Kramer Tree Specialists, and a vacuum kiln down the road. Drop off a log, get back lumber.

Get a quote
Get a quote

Bring a log, leave with lumber.

The Wood-Mizer LX250 handles logs up to 54 inches in diameter and 12 feet long. The TimberKing handles up to 36 inches wide and 20 feet long. Minimum $300 to run the saw — that covers setup, blade wear, and the reading of the log before the first cut. A word on what comes through: urban logs rarely come clean. The best metal detector on a log is a new blade, because every blade change is usually because something hit something. A full inspection before milling — pulling out the nails, screws, old fence wire, and anything else visible — costs less than replacing a blade mid-cut, so it's worth the time. If the log has been sitting for a while, sealing the ends with Anchor-Seal before delivery keeps the cracking down. If it's been down less than a season, it can come straight to the mill After milling, most logs go into the kiln. That's a separate job on the pricing sheet, but it's the step that makes the lumber actually usable.

A piece of wood with a natural edge on a sawmill. The sawmill is orange with brand labels, situated outdoors on a dirt surface.
Wooden planks and beams stacked on a construction site, with some tools and additional wood in the background.
Close-up of a chopped tree stump outdoors on concrete, with green trees and a bright blue sky in the background.
Stacked wooden planks on a construction site with bricks and trees in the background.
A large pile of chopped firewood logs stacked outdoors under a cloudy sky.
Two large wooden slabs with measurements and labels written in chalk, placed outdoors on sawhorses, with another slab and tools in the background.
Several large, textured raw wood slices arranged outdoors on a workbench with trees and blue sky in the background.
Close-up of a wooden pallet with cut-out slats and a natural wood grain surface, with some cracks and dark markings.
Close-up of unfinished wooden planks with visible grain and rough edges, stacked on a surface.
Piles of cut and bundled wood planks with some painted dark green, secured with white and green straps, resting on a concrete ground outdoors.
Several cut pieces of wood with natural grain and edges, leaning against a concrete and brick wall.
Several unfinished wooden planks laid out on a wooden frame on a concrete surface.
Four large, unfinished wooden slabs with wavy edges laid out on orange, black, and silver machinery in a woodworking shop or outdoor workshop.
A large, natural, unfinished wooden slab with visible wood grain and knots, placed on a workbench in a woodworking shop.
Three large, unfinished wooden slabs with natural edges, placed on a concrete surface.
Two large, uneven wooden slabs with visible wood grain and knots, clamped to a saw table at a construction or woodworking site.
Close-up of a wooden plank with natural wood grain pattern and some knots, lying on a workshop floor.
Two large, natural wood slabs with prominent wood grain and knots lying on the ground outdoors.
A large tree stump placed on an orange wood mill with a black and gray structure, outdoors on a sunny day with a clear blue sky and a stone wall in the background.
A cross-section of a tree log showing growth rings, placed on a concrete surface against a brick wall.
Stack of large wooden logs secured with straps, placed outdoors on a wooden support with snow in the background.
A lumberyard with large cut logs in the foreground, construction equipment including a wood mizer saw mill and a Bobcat loader, with a snowy landscape in the background.
Close-up of a rough, weathered piece of wood on a red sawmill, with some dark and reddish stains and uneven textures, in an outdoor setting.
A large, irregularly shaped slab of wood with a natural, polished surface and a rough, bark-covered edge, placed on a metal sawhorse outdoors.
A large, irregularly shaped wooden slab with a natural edge, placed on an orange metal stand in a woodworking or lumber yard.
A large, irregularly shaped slab of wood with natural edges, mounted on a red sawmill or processing table, with parts of bark and rough edges visible, supporting a wood cutting or processing setup in an outdoor or workshop environment.
Piles of stacked wood and lumber in an outdoor yard with snow on the ground and trees in the background.
A flatbed trailer carrying cut lumber with a blue pickup truck parked beside it. In the background, there are large logs and a clear blue sky.
Close-up of a wooden surface with a group of black ants gathered around their nest.
Close-up photograph of several black ants walking on a weathered piece of driftwood with a blurred background.
Three wooden slabs with natural edges lean against a brick wall outdoors.
Stacks of cut logs secured with straps on pallets, with a red shipping container and a black shed in the background, outdoors on a concrete surface.
Two large, unfinished wooden slabs with natural, irregular edges placed on a concrete surface, showing the wood grain and growth rings.
Large trees being cut into slabs using a sawmill machine outdoors, with stacks of logs in the background.
Close-up of wooden art pieces with natural, wavy grain patterns leaning against a concrete wall outdoors.
Two large wooden slabs on a sawmill or cutting machine in an outdoor workshop.

Timberking 2520 making short work on a walnut log.

FAQs

What exactly is custom milling and why would I need it?

A: Whether you've got a beloved backyard tree that had to come down or scored some amazing logs, we can turn them into lumber that can be used for your own projects or we can use it to create your dream furniture, removing the middleman between that fresh-cut log and your next gorgeous project.

Q: How long does custom milling take?

A: Most milling jobs take 1-3 days once the job starts but can vary depending on the size of your logs and weather conditions. We know that we're creating the foundation for your future masterpiece and can give you a specific timeline when we see your logs in person.

Q: What's the largest log you can handle?

A: The Wood-Mizer LX250 handles logs up to 54 inches in diameter and 12 feet long. The TimberKing handles up to 36 inches wide and 20 feet long. If your log is bigger than either, we can usually trim it down first.

Q: What should I do with my logs before bringing them in?

A: First, give them a good once-over. Remove any obvious metal (nails, screws, old fence parts) - our blades are tough, but cutting through metal scraps can damage them. Keep the logs as clean as possible by removing moss or anything that can absorb moisture. Get them off the ground, if you can. If it will be months or even weeks until we mill them, consider using Anchor-Seal to protect the exposed ends from cracking due to moisture exchange.

Q: What's this $300 minimum fee all about?

A: The $300 minimum covers setup time at the lumber yard, blade wear, and our expertise in determining the optimal cuts required to maximize each log.

Q: Can you mill my log into specific dimensions for my project?

A: Absolutely! We're not just cutting logs into random pieces - we're creating YOUR vision. Want 2-inch thick slabs for a conference table? Done. Need specific widths for flooring? We've got you. Just bring us your project plans (or even your sketches on a napkin), and we'll cut your lumber to match your dreams.