Custom Milling Services
Our on-site mill transforms rough reclaimed and recycled lumber into precise custom dimensions and profiles. From simple planing to complex tongue-and-groove and shiplap profiles, we cut it exactly the way you need it.
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Precision Milling for Reclaimed Wood
Reclaimed lumber is rarely straight off the shelf in the size and profile you need. That is where our custom milling service comes in. Our facility houses a full complement of industrial woodworking machinery — wide-belt planers, straight-line rip saws, moulders, and CNC routers — operated by experienced millwrights who understand the unique demands of working with salvaged material.
We can take a rough-sawn barn beam and turn it into smooth, dimensionally precise mantels. We can re-mill weathered fence boards into tongue-and-groove paneling. We can rip oversized timbers into custom-width flooring planks. Whatever your project requires, we will produce it from the reclaimed stock you select — or from material already in our inventory.
What We Can Do
Planing (Surfacing)
Surface one side (S1S), two sides (S2S), or all four sides (S4S) to your specified thickness and width. Our wide-belt planer handles boards up to 36" wide and 6" thick. Spiral cutterheads produce a smooth, tear-out-free surface even on difficult grain patterns common in old-growth reclaimed wood.
Ripping
Straight-line rip rough-edged boards and slabs to consistent, parallel widths. Our rip saw uses laser-guided alignment and carbide-tipped blades to maximize yield from irregularly shaped reclaimed stock. We can rip material as narrow as 1-1/2" and as wide as the stock allows.
Tongue-and-Groove
Mill tongue-and-groove profiles for flooring, paneling, and ceiling applications. Standard profiles include 3/4" T&G flooring (with or without end-matching) and 1/2" T&G paneling. We can also produce non-standard tongue and groove sizes for restoration projects that need to match existing material.
Shiplap
Produce shiplap-profile boards in any width and thickness from reclaimed stock. Our standard shiplap has a 3/8" rabbet on each edge, creating a clean overlapping joint when installed. Available with a flat back (for wall paneling) or a V-groove reveal for a more defined shadow line.
Custom Profiles
Our moulder runs custom knife profiles for bevel siding, channel rustic, beadboard, crown molding, baseboard, casing, and any other profile you can draw. We can match existing millwork profiles from historic buildings for seamless restoration work. Minimum order of 50 linear feet for custom profiles.
Resawing & Veneering
Resaw thick reclaimed stock into thinner boards or veneer. Our band saw can resaw material up to 12" thick, producing bookmatched pairs from a single plank. Ideal for maximizing coverage from limited quantities of rare or high-value reclaimed species.
Mill Equipment & Capabilities
| Machine | Capacity | Operations |
|---|---|---|
| Wide-Belt Planer (Timesaver) | 36" wide x 6" thick | Surfacing, thickness planing, sanding |
| Spiral-Head Jointer | 16" wide | Face jointing, edge jointing |
| Straight-Line Rip Saw | 4" thick, any length | Width sizing, edge trimming |
| 5-Head Moulder (Weinig) | 12" wide x 6" thick | T&G, shiplap, bevel, custom profiles |
| Resaw Band Saw | 12" thick x 24" wide | Resawing, veneering, slab cutting |
| CNC Router | 4' x 8' bed | Sign carving, joinery cuts, inlays |
| End Matcher | Up to 12" wide | End-matching T&G flooring |
How Custom Milling Works
1. Select Your Stock
Choose from our existing inventory of reclaimed and recycled lumber, or bring in your own material. Our team can help you select the right species, grade, and quantity for your project.
2. Specify Dimensions
Tell us the finished dimensions and profile you need. Provide drawings, sample pieces, or just a description — we will work with you to nail down exact specifications before we start cutting.
3. Metal Detection
Before any material enters the mill, every piece is scanned with our industrial metal detector. Any remaining embedded nails or fasteners are removed to protect our equipment and ensure clean cuts.
4. Milling & QC
Our millwrights set up the machines and run your material. First pieces are checked with calipers and profile gauges. Ongoing quality checks throughout the run ensure dimensional consistency.
5. Grading & Sorting
Finished pieces are graded and sorted. Any pieces that do not meet quality standards are set aside. You receive only material that passes our visual and dimensional inspection.
6. Packaging & Pickup
Milled material is stickered, banded, and staged for pickup or delivery. We can ship via our own flatbed within California or arrange common carrier shipping nationwide.
Pricing & Minimums
Custom milling is priced per board foot or per linear foot depending on the operation. Planing and ripping start at $0.35/board foot. Tongue-and-groove and shiplap profiling starts at $0.75/linear foot. Custom moulder profiles require a one-time knife setup fee of $150-$400 depending on complexity. Minimum order is 50 board feet for planing and ripping, and 50 linear feet for profiling. Contact us for a detailed quote based on your specific requirements.
Bring Your Own Material
You do not have to buy lumber from us to use our milling services. If you have your own reclaimed lumber — from a personal salvage project, a barn you deconstructed, or material purchased elsewhere — we are happy to mill it for you. Just be aware that customer-supplied material must pass our metal detection scan before milling. If excessive metal is found and our crew needs to spend additional time de-nailing, a labor surcharge may apply.
For large milling projects (over 500 board feet), we offer a free consultation where we evaluate your material, discuss the best approach, and provide a fixed-price quote before any work begins. Schedule a consultation or call us to get started.
Why Reclaimed Wood Needs Specialized Milling
Milling reclaimed lumber is fundamentally different from milling kiln-dried, uniformly-graded new stock. Reclaimed material arrives at the mill with embedded fasteners, surface contamination, dimensional irregularities, internal stresses accumulated over decades of service, and species-specific grain patterns that modern lumber simply does not have. A general-purpose millwork shop set up to process new lumber will struggle with reclaimed material — and the strugglе usually ends with damaged tools, ruined boards, and an unhappy customer.
Our facility was purpose-built for reclaimed-wood processing. Every machine has been chosen, modified, or supplemented to handle the unique demands of salvaged stock. Our wide-belt planer has a heavier feed system than a typical millwork planer because old-growth Douglas Fir is denser and harder to push through. Our moulder uses carbide insert tooling specifically because old-growth wood eats high-speed-steel cutters in a single shift. Our rip saw has a beefier blade and a more aggressive coolant system than the rip saws found in furniture shops. Every detail of the operation has been tuned to the reality of working with material that has spent decades absorbing dust, paint, and the occasional roofing nail.
Just as important is the experience of our millwrights. Each member of our milling crew has at least seven years of dedicated reclaimed-lumber experience. They can spot hidden defects before they become problems, adjust machine settings on the fly to compensate for a stress release in a particular board, and recognize when a piece is going to require special handling. That experience is what separates a successful custom milling job from a job where half the material ends up as firewood.
Standard Profile Library
We maintain a library of over 200 standard knife profiles that can be set up on our moulder without the cost or lead time of custom knife grinding. The most-requested profiles are listed below. If you do not see what you need, send us a sketch or a sample piece and we will let you know whether we already have a matching knife on the rack.
| Profile Family | Standard Sizes | Common Uses | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| T&G Flooring | 3/4" x 3" through 12" | Wide-plank flooring | 30 min |
| T&G Paneling | 1/2" x 4" through 8" | Wall & ceiling paneling | 30 min |
| Standard Shiplap | 3/4" x 4" through 10" | Wall cladding, exterior siding | 30 min |
| Nickel-Gap Shiplap | 3/4" x 6" through 10" | Modern accent walls | 45 min |
| V-Groove T&G | 3/4" x 4" through 8" | Tongue-and-groove with shadow line | 45 min |
| Center-Bead T&G | 3/4" x 6" through 8" | Period restoration paneling | 60 min |
| Bevel Lap Siding | 1/2" or 5/8" x 6", 8" | Traditional clapboard siding | 60 min |
| Channel Rustic | 3/4" x 6" or 8" | Western ranch siding | 60 min |
| Dolly Varden | 3/4" x 6" or 8" | Self-spacing exterior siding | 60 min |
| Crown Molding | 2" through 6" projection | Interior trim, restoration | 90 min |
| Baseboard & Casing | 1/2" - 3/4" x 3" - 9" | Interior trim packages | 60 min |
| Beadboard Paneling | 1-1/2" or 3" bead spacing | Wainscoting, ceiling | 45 min |
Custom Profile Knife Process
For profiles not in our standard library, we work with a regional knife grinder to produce custom corrugated-back moulder knives. The process below explains how custom knife jobs flow through our shop, from first sketch to finished material.
1. Profile Drawing
Provide a CAD drawing, hand sketch, or sample piece of the profile you need. Our shop manager will review feasibility and identify any setup challenges before quoting.
2. Knife Grinding
We send the approved profile to our knife grinder, who CNC-grinds matching corrugated-back knives from M2 high-speed-steel or carbide-tipped blanks. Lead time is 5-10 business days.
3. Setup & Test Run
When the knives arrive, we set up the moulder, install the knives, and run test pieces from a sample of your stock. The first 10-20 LF are inspected against the original drawing.
4. Customer Approval
We send photos of the test pieces to you for approval before running the production order. If adjustments are needed, we re-grind the knives or shim the setup.
5. Production Run
After approval, we run the full production order. Quality is checked every 50-100 LF to confirm dimensional consistency and surface quality.
6. Knife Storage
Custom knives are added to our knife library and stored under your project name. Future orders for the same profile do not require a new setup fee — only a 30-60 minute setup time.
Detailed Pricing Reference
Custom milling pricing depends on the operation, quantity, species, and complexity. The table below shows starting rates for typical operations. Final pricing is always confirmed in a written quote before work begins. Volume discounts apply automatically for orders over 500 board feet or 1,000 linear feet.
| Operation | Starting Rate | Minimum Charge | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface Planing (S2S) | $0.35 / BF | $50 | 2-5 days |
| S4S (Surface Four Sides) | $0.55 / BF | $75 | 3-7 days |
| Straight-Line Ripping | $0.40 / LF | $50 | 2-5 days |
| T&G Profiling | $0.75 / LF | $100 | 5-10 days |
| Shiplap Profiling | $0.65 / LF | $100 | 5-10 days |
| End Matching | $0.30 / LF | $75 | 3-5 days |
| Resawing (band saw) | $0.55 / LF | $75 | 5-10 days |
| Custom Knife Setup | $150 - $400 (one-time) | — | 10-15 days |
| Kiln Drying (per cycle) | $0.18 / BF | $200 | 3-7 days drying |
| Metal Detection (BYO stock) | $0.10 / BF | $50 | 1-2 days |
Real Project Examples
A few representative custom milling jobs we have completed in the past year. These examples illustrate the kinds of projects we are equipped to handle and the level of detail we bring to each one.
Carmel Restaurant Floor
2,400 SF of 7"-wide reclaimed Heart Pine flooring milled to a custom T&G profile with end matching. Stock came from a Georgia textile mill demolished in 2024. Kiln-dried, milled, and shipped in 6 weeks total.
Pasadena Bungalow Restoration
1,800 LF of historically accurate Craftsman trim moldings re-milled from reclaimed Douglas Fir. We created custom knives to match a sample taken from the original baseboard. Provenance documentation provided for state historic tax credit application.
Napa Tasting Room Beams
14 hand-hewn Douglas Fir beams ranging from 8x10 to 12x16 milled to consistent dimensions and re-surfaced on three faces while preserving original adze marks on the bottom. Hand-rubbed oil finish applied at the mill.
Big Sur Cabin Cladding
3,200 SF of Western Red Cedar reclaimed from a coastal water tank, re-milled into 1x6 channel rustic siding with the weathered face preserved. Material survived the journey from tank to wall with full character intact.
Santa Barbara Mission Restoration
Period-correct rough-sawn Doug Fir floor joists for a 19th-century rectory restoration. Original dimensions (full 2x12) were not available from any modern mill, so we milled them from reclaimed timbers to match historic specifications.
Custom Furniture Slabs
Resaw and surface 12 reclaimed Walnut slabs for a furniture maker building dining tables. Bookmatched pairs for table tops, plus matching legs and aprons milled from the same source material.
Lead Times & Scheduling
Mill scheduling is one of the most common questions we get. Lead times vary based on current shop load, the complexity of the job, and whether the material needs to be kiln-dried. The estimates below are typical for orders confirmed today, assuming normal seasonal demand.
Simple Planing (S2S/S4S)
5-10 business days
In-stock material, no drying needed
Custom Width Ripping
5-10 business days
Straight-line rip from in-stock boards
Standard T&G Flooring
10-15 business days
Includes kiln drying if needed
Standard Shiplap
10-15 business days
Stock profiles, no knife setup
Custom Knife Profile
15-25 business days
Includes knife grinding lead time
Large Production Run
20-30 business days
Over 2,000 LF or 1,000 SF
Period Restoration Match
25-40 business days
Custom knives plus species sourcing
Resaw & Veneer
10-15 business days
Bookmatched pairs require careful planning
Rush Orders
Quoted case-by-case
Available for 50% expedite fee
Quality Standards for Milled Output
Every piece of custom-milled material that leaves our shop is checked against the tolerances below before it ships. If a piece falls outside these limits, it is either re-machined to spec or set aside as overage. We do not ship out-of-tolerance material as part of a paid order.
| Specification | Tolerance | Verification Method |
|---|---|---|
| Width (S4S) | +/- 1/64" | Caliper at three points per piece |
| Thickness (S4S) | +/- 1/64" | Caliper at three points per piece |
| Length (cross-cut) | +/- 1/16" | Tape measure |
| Squareness (S4S) | +/- 0.5° | Combination square |
| Profile depth (T&G, shiplap) | +/- 1/64" | Profile gauge |
| Surface quality | No tear-out over 1/32" | Visual + raking light |
| Moisture content | 6-9% (interior) | Pin meter, three readings |
| Bow / crook | Less than 1/4" per 8 ft | Straightedge |
| Cup | Less than 1/16" across 6" | Straightedge |
Custom Milling FAQ
Can you mill material I bring from another source?
Yes, we accept customer-supplied stock for milling. The material must pass our metal detection scan before entering the mill. If excessive embedded metal is found, additional de-nailing labor charges apply.
What is the minimum order for custom profiling?
50 linear feet for stock profiles, 200 linear feet for custom knife profiles. Smaller orders are quoted on a case-by-case basis but typically carry a setup minimum charge.
How much waste should I expect?
Allow 15-20% overage for custom-milled reclaimed lumber to account for setup waste, defects discovered during milling, and end-trim losses. We do not charge for material that does not meet our quality standards.
Can you match an existing profile from a historic building?
Usually yes. Bring us a 12" sample piece (or detailed photos with dimensions) and we will check our knife library first. If we do not have a match, we can grind a custom knife. Lead time adds 2-3 weeks.
Do you mill non-wood materials?
No. Our mill is set up for wood only. We do not mill composites, bamboo, plastics, or metal.
Can you produce structural-grade milled members?
Yes. We work with licensed graders who can certify reclaimed beams to standard structural design values. Engineering documentation is available on request for permitted projects.