Got a Tree Coming Down? How to Save the Log for Lumber

Where a tree gets cut decides what it is worth. A good saw log is long and straight, at least 8 feet, which is the shortest log our mill can clamp, and at least 10 inches across. If a tree is coming down on your place and you want lumber out of it, a few decisions before the saw starts make all the difference.

Where to cut

Cut above the root flare, keep the trunk as long and straight as you can, and stop below the first big fork. If the top is dead or ugly, save the straight part. Two short logs beat one firewood pile.

Limbs are not saw logs. A limb spends its whole life fighting gravity, so the wood is built crooked on the inside, and a board cut from it will move every time. Not sure what you have? Send us a photo before the saw comes out.

Having us mill it

Yes, we will mill it for you. Fill out the cut list first so we know what you are after, then bring it in. Custom milling is $300 an hour with a $300 minimum.

Selling it to us

We buy mill logs and pay up to $1.50 a board foot, depending on how the log scales, the species, how straight it is and what is wrong with it. For a ballpark, run it through the log calculator.

About metal

Yard trees eat things: nails, fence wire, old hardware. We have pulled a surprising amount of steel out of logs that were "free of steel." If the blade finds it, it is $50 a blade.

Cutting it down

We do not cut trees down. For that, call a tree service. Stronghold Tree Care and SouthWest Tree Service in Olathe are both good. Ask them to leave the trunk long.