SALVAGED WOOD FROM URBAN TREES
Giving Trees New Life
At Denver Wood Slabs we are passionate about turning local, urban trees that are being taken down due to disease, age, weather or development into salvaged wood, giving them a second life.
When a tree company removes a tree from a property, it is often cut down and chipped into mulch and disposed of in landfill. When we salvage the wood and mill it into usable wood slabs or lumber, it can be upcycled into beautiful and useful pieces. Our wood has been used for high-end furniture, architectural millwork, flooring, counters, art pieces and more.
Whether you would like to mill and use the wood yourself, or just ensure that your tree does not go to waste, we can work with you and your tree company.
Let us know if you have a tree you would like to salvage and we will walk you through the process.
Historic White Oak
This tree was destined to be cut down and chipped when this Cherry Creek home was sold to a developer.
White Oak Tree
Salvaged Wood
We hired a tree company to take down the tree preserving the trunk and branches.
A Second Life
We milled the trunk and branches into usable wood slabs.
Salvaging White Oak Tree
Milling a salvaged white oak tree
Each piece of salvaged wood has a unique character and beauty.
Every repurposed tree has its own history and story, making it a special addition to any project.
SAVE YOUR TREES FROM LANDFILL
We have invested in the equipment needed to mill and kiln dry wood slabs from urban trees, providing material for our custom furniture business, Where Wood Meets Steel. In addition, we sell wood to other woodworkers, home-builders, home owners and designers. Get in touch and we will let you know if your tree is a good fit for us.
MILL YOUR TREES INTO USABLE WOOD
Save your tree from the chipper and have us mill it into usable slabs or lumber. We have milled customer’s trees for tables, flooring, wood panels, counters and art pieces. We can advise you on a plan of action for repurposing your tree.
What kind of trees do you accept?
We accept mostly urban hardwoods but will sometimes accept larger soft wood trees as long as they are free of significant rot.
What are the requirements for accepting my tree?
The tree should be free of rot or embedded metal and accessible by flat-bed tow truck. In some cases involving truly exceptional trees we might also be able to coordinate alternate methods for transport.
What is the process for giving you my tree?
Fill out our Contact Form and provide the info we need to determine if we can pick up and salvage your tree.
In some cases we might make a site visit, but are usually able to determine viability with wood specie, condition, dimensions and photos.
Denver Wood Slabs will work with you or directly with your tree company to ensure we get the most usable sections of your tree for upcycling. While we do not usually purchase trees, tree companies often give a discount if they do not have to mulch or dispose of the larger portions of the trunk.
We will coordinate pickup or arrange to have the tree company delivery to our yard.
What happens to my tree once you receive it?
We have invested in several mills and a vacuum kiln in the 15+ years we have been in business. We will determine the best use of your tree and mill it accordingly. It will then air dry to come down to less than 30% moisture at which point it will go into the kiln. The reclaimed wood will then be ready to become furniture, art, counter tops or bars, and will be available for sale to the public. View our current inventory of wood slabs >.
Can I hire you to mill my tree into usable lumber?
Yes. Denver Wood Slabs offers custom milling, large wood slab planing up to 60″ wide, re-sawing, surface sanding, stacking, and delivery. In addition, we can coordinate with a tree company to help you take down, mill, dry and finish any trees from your property. If you need us to pick up the tree, please Contact Us to provide your address and we will get a quote. Your tree must be accessible by flat bed tow truck.
What is the cost to mill my own trees?
We charge between $150-200/hr for milling depending on size with a $100-150 minimum. Milling time will vary based on how you want the tree milled and steps we need to take in order to fixture the tree.
What is the process to have my tree milled?
Once we determine that your tree is accessible and can be milled, we will schedule a pickup or have you deliver the tree to our shop. We can advise on the best milling plan for your project and can generally get your job completed in a week or so, weather pending.
We charge a milling deposit (generally $100-150 for smaller jobs or 50% of the estimated hourly rate for larger projects).
If anything new comes up in the process we will reach out. Sometimes there is metal in the tree which damages our blades and will therefore require a blade replacement fee. Occasionally a milling job might not be completed due to foreign objects in the tree. And, as wood is a natural product, we cannot guarantee that the wood will not split or crack, though we will do our best to mitigate any issues.
After milling, we can quote delivery or you can come pick up your wood at the shop. Any balance due on labor, blade replacement or storage will be billed prior to pickup.
Do you offer kiln drying services?
We do offer kiln drying services (subject to quantity, size and current kiln schedule) for $1.50-$3 per board foot (foot x foot x inch thick). Moisture content must be 20% or lower to go into the kiln. As we do not have space to store wood while it dries, you might need to pick up or have the wood delivered. We can advise you of the best ways to store your wood.
Kiln cycles generally are 3 weeks though that is subject to change based on that load.
Do you offer planing or sanding services?
Yes. Depending on the size of your slabs we can plane up to 60″ wide. Planing is $150/hr with a $100 minimum. We have a 36″ time saver for sanding and can also hand sand edges at a $100/hr shop rate ($60 minimum).