Friday, April 3, 2015

Tour of a Rural Iowa Sawmill

Recently while making a trip to one of my favorite little mom 'n pop sawmills, I decided I'd snap some pics to share with you all. Something tells me not every woodworker gets to see something like this.

The sawyer's name is Paul and we've become friends. He's in his mid 70's now. How he keeps this place in operation by himself is beyond me. Paul always enjoys when I bring him pictures of the furniture, benches, and whatever else I make with his lumber. I could see how that would be rewarding for a him.

Of course his prices are pretty good since we're cutting out the middle man. That said, some woodworkers don't like this type of lumber source because they only want select grades. There's a lot more common grade wood in a log than people realize. I have no problem working around/with defects, especially when the lumber it's priced correctly.

Here goes. Entering a "hardwood farm" that has been in the same family for over a century.