In the summer of 1996, a thunderstorm ravaged our hardwood forest. Johnson Creek Hardwoods began the following spring, when we purchased a sawmill to utilize the damaged timber. We thought it would be another hobby, but when the first lumber came out of the kiln, there was so much demand that we realized we had started a business.
Today, we produce high quality lumber from more than two dozen Northwestern Illinois hardwood species. We strive to utilize as much of the available resource as possible while adhering to a sustainable forestry ethic. We occasionally buy logs as they become available locally, and we are happy to process town and yard trees.
Find out about our philosophy, our process, and the people behind 30+ years of forestry advocacy. We have been unable to keep up with the turnover in our specialty slab wood inventory, so we are leaving these pictures up to show the types of material that we might have in stock. Please call us to check on availability or to discuss your specific needs.
Today, we produce high quality lumber from more than two dozen Northwestern Illinois hardwood species. We strive to utilize as much of the available resource as possible while adhering to a sustainable forestry ethic. We occasionally buy logs as they become available locally, and we are happy to process town and yard trees.
Find out about our philosophy, our process, and the people behind 30+ years of forestry advocacy. We have been unable to keep up with the turnover in our specialty slab wood inventory, so we are leaving these pictures up to show the types of material that we might have in stock. Please call us to check on availability or to discuss your specific needs.
Services
We strive to produce the highest grade lumber from every log that we process, and we utilize as much of each tree that we harvest as possible. Every tree is analyzed to determine what products could be obtained that would be most useful to our customers. With butt logs, we endeavor to saw beautifully clear lumber, trimming knots, splits, and wane.
In 1973 Michael was looking for a place to live, something like an old farmhouse on a few acres, when he happened upon a forty acre timber. It is a testament to the powerful importance of trees in his life that within a week, he was the new owner. While starting a house that year, he met Patricia. They were married in 1974 while building the house, and they began planting trees and studying sustainable forestry immediately.
Johnson Creek Hardwoods is always ready to work with customers and craftsmen on special projects. The following below are a few examples. We finally found the right log when an urban tree had to be removed for a new garage. Extra time was spent analyzing possible defects and carefully planning the sawing, since the first cut determined the entire sawing sequence.
Johnson Creek Hardwoods is a small sawmill, so we usually have hundreds rather than thousands of board feet of inventory in most species. All lumber is first carefully air dried, then kiln dried to between 6 - 8% emc, surface planed, and finally trimmed of most knots, wane, or splits. 4/4 is surfaced to 7/8" and 8/4 is surfaced to 1." 10' is generally the longest lumber we carry.
Reviews (5)
Chase Rockrohr
Feb 03, 2021
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Sarah H.
Dec 28, 2020
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Joseph Gangwish
Jan 20, 2020
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Preston Hoffman
Dec 31, 2018
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Hands down, the best source of hardwood lumber in the quad city area. Mike does an excellent job kiln drying his lumber, planing it and storing it. The lumber is beautifully prepared on both sides and the majority of sapwood is removed. The boards are also clear and of good width and length. His prices are very fair and plainly listed. I recommend him to everyone looking for great quality wood at a fair price.
Christopher Dean
Sep 13, 2018
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