Driftless Hardwoods

Driftless Hardwoods Custom saw milling in the Driftless area of Southwest Wisconsin specializing in slabs and live edge. available through sister company WiMke.llc.

Conversion (tables, bar tops, headboards, floating shelves, etc.) Contact: [email protected]

09/01/2026

FATTIES vs. SKINNIES—and no, we’re not talking about Brother Tom and Brother Tim. 😂

At the bottom of this stack are some gorgeous 8/4 cherry and walnut boards. These aren’t live-edge slabs, but they could make beautiful countertops, bar tops, tabletops or other substantial projects.

Then we have what we call the “skinnies.”

These boards range from roughly ¼″ to ¾″ thick. They’re what remained after we finished cutting the cant and didn’t have enough thickness left for another 4/4 board. They’re still good hardwood, so we stacked them and put them through the kiln rather than letting them go to waste.

Now we need your help figuring out their best use—and how to market them.

Should we machine them all to ¼″ or ⅜″ for laser-cut projects? Could schools, scroll-sawyers, model builders, sign makers or other craftspeople use them? Because we don’t have large quantities of any single species, would mixed-species bundles make sense—or would you rather select individual boards?

Sawyers: What do you do with material like this?

Teachers, laser folks and makers: Could you put these skinnies to work?

Tell us in the comments. We’d much rather find them a project than turn good Wisconsin hardwood into firewood.

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.
—Driftless Hardwoods

08/31/2026

WOODSHOP TEACHERS: How many freshmen have you sent wandering around the building looking for the shop’s nonexistent board stretcher? 😂

Unfortunately, Driftless Hardwoods still hasn’t perfected ours. So when a student cuts an expensive piece of walnut 1/16″ too short, there’s still no magical machine that can put the wood back.

That’s the idea behind this week’s completely FREE measurement activity:

📏 Real-world measurement to 1/16″
🤝 A partner activity and friendly class competition
✅ Student-directed and self-checked
🧑‍🏫 Almost no grading for the teacher
💰 A reminder that measurement mistakes in the real world cost more than points

Although we created it for woodworking, it can easily be adapted for construction, welding, machining, engineering, automotive—or almost any Tech Ed or CTE class where accurate measurement matters.

This is Brother Tom’s first pass at the lesson, and I’d genuinely welcome some collaboration. If you use it—or simply see something that could make it better—send me your suggestions. I’ll gladly update it based on feedback from teachers putting it to work in real classrooms.

This is part of the 18 free AI-supported classroom lessons Driftless Hardwoods is developing for teachers. No purchase. No signup. No catch. Brother Tom simply can’t stay out of the damn classroom.

The student activity and teacher guide are linked in the comments.

If your program needs Wisconsin hardwood lumber, a current price list, or help planning an order, call or text Brother Tom at 414-861-9175. We’d love to help your students build something real.

Real Wood. Real Lessons. Real Life.

TeacherResources CareerAndTechnicalEducation AIinEducation

08/30/2026

Some people might think Wisconsin’s Tension Zone is whatever area Brother Tim and Brother Tom happen to be working in together.

After looking through these pictures, that’s a perfectly reasonable theory.

But Wisconsin really does have an ecological boundary known as the Tension Zone—and it helps answer a question we get all the time:

“Why don’t you guys cut much pine?”

North of the Tension Zone, Wisconsin transitions toward the northern forest, where pine, spruce, fir and tamarack become much more common.

Our mill is in Soldiers Grove, well south of that line and inside the Driftless Area.

This is southern hardwood country. The surrounding landscape is dominated by oak-hickory and maple-basswood forests, along with walnut, cherry, ash, elm and other hardwoods.

More importantly, every log we mill is locally sourced.

We don’t bring in truckloads of pine—or any other species—from another region merely to keep it in inventory. We mill trees from the surrounding communities, farms and woodlands.

We mill what grows here.

Does a locally grown pine log occasionally arrive at the mill? Sure.

But oak, walnut, cherry, maple and hickory are what this region naturally gives us—and those are the species you’re most likely to find at Driftless Hardwoods.

The land decided what would grow here long before Driftless Hardwoods existed. We just get to uncover what’s inside.

And somehow, Brother Tim and Brother Tom continue to survive working together.

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

FromLogToLumber WisconsinWood

08/29/2026

Nearly 250,000 people watched Brother Tim saw this 6/4 white oak trailer decking—and quite a few of you asked where all that lumber was going.

Here’s the answer.

The original trailer floor was rotten, split and literally disappearing in places. We custom-sawed new white oak decking at a full 1½ inches thick, Brother Tom delivered it to Michigan, and the customer handled the installation.

Heavy trailer decking is commonly sold and installed green rather than kiln-dried. White oak is an excellent choice because it is exceptionally strong, handles wear and heavy loads, and has natural resistance to moisture and decay.

Judging by the before-and-after photos, this trailer is ready to earn its keep again.

Have a farm, equipment or utility trailer that needs a new floor? Send us the trailer dimensions and required thickness. Driftless Hardwoods can custom-cut the white oak decking for your project.

What do you think—how many more years of work does this trailer have in it now?

08/28/2026

Barb caught Brother Tom sitting down on the job—but this bench is really a story about the friendships surrounding it.

Brother Tom built it from massive Wisconsin white oak for our friends Tom O. and his lovely wife, Karen. Our friend Steve fabricated the steel brackets supporting the back—and yes, Steve, it rocks.

Steve and Tom O. were also instrumental in helping us reconstruct Taylor’s Cadillac Ranch, so their handiwork and friendship have found their way into more than one of our projects.

But this story goes back even further.

Barb, Karen, Lori and Tom have been friends since high school. All four graduated together from Oak Creek in the Class of 1979, and nearly 50 years later, they are still traveling, laughing and making new memories together.

The bench rests on charred white oak feet crafted from another local log. White oak is naturally resistant to decay, and keeping it elevated, protected and maintained should help it withstand many years outdoors.

The white oak may last for decades.

These friendships already have.

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

08/27/2026

Brother Tim just finished another cut through this super-wide white oak log—and uncovered a remarkably clear three-inch slab.

That dark feature in the foreground is called a bark inclusion. It forms when a growing tree traps bark inside the wood, often where two stems or limbs grow together or where new growth closes around an injury. It may create a weak spot that needs stabilization, but in the right project, it can also become the feature that makes the finished piece unforgettable.

At three inches thick, these slabs could become substantial dining tables, kitchen islands, bar tops, conference tables or benches.

What would you make from one—and would you preserve that bark inclusion or remove it?

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

08/26/2026

Woodshop teachers — AI may be the newest tool in your shop. The question is: do you know how to use it with your students?

If you’re new here, I’m Brother Tom — a retired high school technology and engineering teacher who apparently can’t stay out of the damn classroom.

So Driftless Hardwoods is putting together 18 weeks of practical woodworking + AI lessons built around things you already teach: safety, measuring, project planning, lumber selection, Janka hardness, board layout, milling, joinery, finishing and more.

And to be crystal clear:

They’re totally free. No purchase required. No catch.

This is simply something Driftless Hardwoods is providing as a service to woodshop and CTE teachers because I still love teaching, still love the shop, and apparently retirement didn’t completely take.

These aren’t “AI classes.” They’re real woodworking lessons that show students practical ways to use AI as another tool for thinking, planning, checking and problem-solving.

Want Lesson 1?

Leave a note in the comments and we’ll send you the links.

Real Wood. Real Lessons. Real Life.

08/25/2026

We came to Copper Harbor for a little vacation and, naturally, Brother Tom ended up studying the trees. 🌳😂

Fortunately, we had the ultimate guide. Our friend Tom O. has been coming to the Keweenaw for about 40 years, and he handled the camera, the interview and a pretty impressive running history lesson along the way.

But the best part of this trip really isn’t the trees or even the views.

Tom and Barb are here with Tom O., Karen and Lori — friends going all the way back to Oak Creek High School, Class of ’79. Nearly five decades later, they’re still traveling together, laughing together and apparently willing to follow Tom around while he talks about oddly shaped oak trees.

Some friendships age pretty well.

So do these oaks. 😉

Lake Superior. Copper Harbor. The Keweenaw. Old friends and one incredible place.

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

08/23/2026

Throwback reel from two years ago — back when Brothers Tim and Tom decided it was a good idea to compare every Juran sibling to a tree species. 🌳😂

Some things age well.
Some things age like red oak cabinets from the ’90s.
And apparently Mike still smells like P**s Elm.

Six siblings. Six species. One very knotty family tree.

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

08/21/2026

Every business has a beginning. Ours looked something like this.

Years ago, before COVID and before Driftless Hardwoods owned a sawmill, emerald ash borer was taking down ash trees throughout the Driftless Area.

Brother Tim hated seeing good trees go to waste. He wondered if some of the ash from his property could become lumber — maybe even flooring for Brother Tom’s house.

That’s when their neighbor Alan stepped in.

Alan had an old 1920s Crabb circular sawmill tucked beneath a tin roof down in one of the valleys. It had a roughly 52-inch circular blade, very few modern safety features 😳, and had spent years making lumber for his small farm.

Alan told Tim he’d help.

So Tom, Tim and Tim’s son Matthew hauled the logs down the valley, and Alan showed them how it was done.

We lost Alan in the years since, which makes these old photos and videos mean even more to us today. He shared his mill, his knowledge and, most importantly, his time.

And somewhere during that day — watching logs become boards for the first time — an idea started taking shape.

Not long afterward, Brother Tim decided to buy a modern bandsaw mill of his own.

And that was the beginning of Driftless Hardwoods.

Thanks, Alan. We’re still making sawdust.

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

Address

Soldiers Grove, WI
54655

Telephone

+14148619175

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