Custom Milling
Your vision, our equipment. We mill reclaimed wood to your exact specifications \u2014 from rough-sawn timbers to finish-ready flooring and everything in between.
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Our Process
From first conversation to final delivery, here is how a custom milling project works at North Iowa Lumber.
Consultation
We start with a conversation about your project. Share your dimensions, species preferences, finish requirements, and timeline. We will recommend the best approach based on our current inventory and your goals.
- Phone, email, or in-person consultations
- We review drawings and specifications
- Preliminary quote provided within 24 hours
Wood Selection
Once we understand your needs, we hand-select boards and timbers from our inventory. You are welcome to visit our yard and choose your own material — many customers prefer to pick boards with specific character.
- Access to 200,000+ board feet of inventory
- Species matching across your project
- Grading for structural or aesthetic use
Milling & Processing
Your selected wood goes through our mill shop, where our team uses a combination of modern equipment and hands-on craftsmanship to achieve your exact specifications.
- CNC-accurate dimensional tolerances
- Tongue-and-groove, shiplap, and custom profiles
- Metal detection before every pass to protect equipment
Finishing & Delivery
After milling, boards are inspected, bundled, and prepared for pickup or delivery. We can also apply pre-finishes, sealants, or custom stains on request.
- Quality inspection on every board
- Shrink-wrapped bundles for transit protection
- Local delivery or freight shipping available
Milling Capabilities
Our fully-equipped mill shop can handle virtually any reclaimed wood processing task. Here is what we work with every day.
Planing
Surface one or both faces to your desired thickness. Our planer handles boards up to 24" wide and timbers up to 12" thick.
Max width: 24" | Min thickness: 3/8"
Ripping
Cut boards to exact widths on our straight-line rip saw. Ideal for creating consistent-width flooring, paneling, or trim from salvaged lumber.
Max depth: 6" | Tolerance: ±1/32"
Profiling
Tongue-and-groove, shiplap, V-groove, bead board, and custom edge profiles. Our moulder runs precision knives ground to your pattern.
Standard & custom profiles | Max width: 12"
Sanding
Wide-belt sanding for a smooth, finish-ready surface. Available in grits from 60 to 180 depending on the final application.
Max width: 37" | Grits: 60–180
Resawing
Split thick timbers into thinner boards on our resaw bandsaw. Perfect for creating thin panels, veneer-thickness stock, or book-matched pairs.
Max height: 14" | Min slice: 1/4"
Metal Detection
Every board passes through our industrial metal detector before milling. We remove embedded nails, screws, and hardware to protect both our equipment and your final product.
Detects ferrous & non-ferrous metals
Minimum Orders
We are happy to take on projects of all sizes. Here are our standard minimums to ensure efficient use of our equipment and your budget.
board feet
Flooring & Paneling
board feet
Dimensional Lumber
piece
Beams & Mantels
* A setup fee of $75 applies to orders under the minimum. No setup fee at or above the minimum.
Turnaround Times
We pride ourselves on fast, reliable turnaround. Here are our typical lead times from order confirmation.
| Project Type | Estimated Lead Time |
|---|---|
| Simple planing / ripping | 3–5 business days |
| Tongue-and-groove flooring | 7–10 business days |
| Custom profiling | 10–14 business days |
| Full project (selection + milling) | 2–4 weeks |
| Rush orders | Case by case |
* Lead times are estimates and may vary based on current shop workload and material availability.
Recent Custom Projects
Every custom milling job is unique. Here are five recent projects that showcase the range of what our mill shop can produce from reclaimed wood.
Historic Schoolhouse Renovation — Des Moines, IA
A developer converting an 1890s schoolhouse into loft apartments needed 3,200 square feet of reclaimed white oak flooring in a 7-inch wide, skip-planed, tongue-and-groove profile. We hand-selected boards from three separate barn deconstructions to ensure consistent color and grain across all 14 units. The flooring was kiln dried to 7% moisture content, milled to 3/4-inch thickness, and delivered in shrink-wrapped bundles sorted by length for efficient installation. Total turnaround from wood selection to delivery was 18 days.
Brewery Tap Room Bar Top — Minneapolis, MN
A craft brewery wanted a 22-foot-long, single-slab bar top with live edge from reclaimed elm. We sourced a massive elm timber from a deconstructed grain elevator, resawed it into 2.5-inch-thick slabs, and book-matched two pieces to create a 30-inch-wide bar surface. The slabs were kiln dried, flattened with our CNC router sled, sanded to 180 grit, and finished with a food-safe epoxy pour to fill natural voids and checking. The completed bar top weighed over 400 pounds and was delivered on a custom-built crating system.
Timber Frame Cabin — Boundary Waters Area, MN
A residential client building a timber frame cabin on a remote lake lot needed 42 reclaimed Douglas fir beams in seven different dimensions, all with matching notches for traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery. We selected beams from a Pacific Northwest warehouse demolition, milled each piece to the architect's specifications, and cut precision notches using a combination of chain mortiser and hand chisel work. Every beam was numbered and keyed to the framing plan for on-site assembly. The project required 8,600 board feet of timber and took 4 weeks from start to delivery.
Residential Kitchen Remodel — Cedar Rapids, IA
A homeowner wanted reclaimed heart pine for open shelving, a range hood surround, and a window seat in a kitchen renovation. We milled 85 board feet of heart pine into custom dimensions: three floating shelf blanks at 2 inches thick by 12 inches wide, V-groove paneling for the range hood at 1/2-inch thick, and a single 4-foot bench slab for the window seat. Each piece was sanded to 150 grit and finished with a hand-rubbed tung oil in our shop. The entire project was completed in 10 business days.
Corporate Office Feature Wall — Chicago, IL
An architecture firm designed a 40-foot-long feature wall for a tech company's new headquarters using a mix of five reclaimed species: white oak, red oak, heart pine, chestnut, and Douglas fir. We milled 1,800 board feet of shiplap paneling in random widths from 3 to 8 inches, all at 1/2-inch thickness. Each species was labeled and packaged separately so the installer could create the designer's specified layout pattern. We provided a detailed installation map showing the species arrangement across the 40-foot span. Delivery to Chicago was handled via LTL freight in 3 pallets.
Equipment List
Our mill shop is equipped with industrial-grade machinery designed to handle the unique demands of reclaimed wood processing. Here is what we work with every day.
Wide-Belt Planer
Surfaces boards up to 24 inches wide and 12 inches thick. Dual-head design planes both faces in a single pass. Carbide cutterhead handles the dense, dry grain of old-growth hardwoods without tearing. Produces a smooth, finish-ready surface at production speeds.
Straight-Line Rip Saw
Rips boards to exact widths with a laser-guided fence and carbide-tipped blade. Handles stock up to 6 inches thick. Cuts are dead-straight with no blade wander, producing edges clean enough for glue-ups without additional jointing.
Four-Head Moulder
Cuts profiles on all four sides of a board in a single pass. Runs standard tongue-and-groove, shiplap, V-groove, and bead board profiles. Custom knife grinding available for unique architectural profiles. Handles stock up to 12 inches wide.
Resaw Bandsaw
Splits thick timbers into thinner boards using a 4-inch-wide blade with stellite-tipped teeth. Maximum capacity of 14 inches height by 24 inches width. Produces book-matched pairs, thin paneling stock, and veneer-thickness slices down to 1/4 inch.
Industrial Metal Detector
Conveyor-fed detector identifies ferrous and non-ferrous metals embedded up to 6 inches deep in reclaimed lumber. Every board passes through the detector before any milling operation. Catches broken nail tips, fence staples, and hardware fragments invisible to the eye.
Wide-Belt Sander
Sands boards up to 37 inches wide through a sequence of abrasive grits from 60 to 180. Produces a uniform, scratch-free surface ready for finishing. The oscillating drum prevents heat buildup that can discolor old-growth hardwoods.
CNC Router Sled
A programmable router system mounted on precision rails that flattens large slabs, beam faces, and irregular surfaces. Used for surfacing bar tops, conference tables, and beam faces too wide for our planer. Accuracy to within 1/64 inch across spans up to 5 feet wide.
Radial Arm Saw & Chop Saw Station
Precision crosscutting station for cutting beams and lumber to exact length. Radial arm saw handles stock up to 12 inches deep. Sliding compound miter saw cuts angles up to 45 degrees for miter joints and decorative beam ends. Laser-guided for cut-line accuracy.
Quality Control Process
Quality control is built into every step of our custom milling process, not applied as an afterthought. Here is how we ensure every piece meets our standards and yours.
Pre-Milling Inspection
Before any wood enters our mill, it is visually inspected for rot, insect damage, excessive checking, and structural defects. Boards that do not meet the minimum standard for the intended application are pulled from the batch. Moisture content is verified with a pin meter — any board above 9% goes back to the kiln.
Metal Detection Pass
Every board passes through our industrial metal detector regardless of how thoroughly it was hand de-nailed. The detector catches embedded metal fragments that would damage our tooling and compromise the finished product. Boards that trigger the alarm are re-inspected and the metal is removed before they re-enter the production line.
In-Process Dimensional Checks
Our mill operators measure thickness, width, and profile dimensions at the start of each run and at regular intervals throughout production using digital calipers and go/no-go gauges. Tolerance for thickness and width is ±1/32 inch. Tongue-and-groove fit is checked with sample joints every 20 boards.
Surface Quality Inspection
After planing, sanding, or profiling, each board is visually inspected for tear-out, snipe, knife marks, and sanding scratches. Boards with surface defects are re-run or set aside. We do not ship boards with mill defects — if the machine left a mark that should not be there, we fix it before it leaves our shop.
Final Grading & Packaging
Finished boards are graded according to the specifications on your order. Each board is checked for species accuracy, dimensional compliance, surface quality, and moisture content one final time before bundling. Orders are shrink-wrapped on pallets or banded in bundles with protective cardboard edges to prevent damage during shipping and handling.
Custom Profile Gallery
We stock tooling for six of the most popular edge and face profiles. These can be run on any species in our inventory. Custom profiles beyond these six are available with a 2\u20133 day knife grinding lead time.
Tongue & Groove
The standard for flooring and ceiling paneling. A protruding tongue on one edge fits into a corresponding groove on the adjacent board, creating a tight, interlocking joint that conceals expansion gaps. Our standard T&G profile features a 1/4-inch tongue with a 1/32-inch clearance for a snug but not forced fit. Available in boards from 3 to 12 inches wide.
Best for: Flooring, ceiling planks, wall paneling
Shiplap
A rabbeted edge profile where each board overlaps the one below it, creating a subtle shadow line between courses. Shiplap is easier to install than tongue-and-groove and allows for more wood movement, making it ideal for accent walls and exterior applications. Our standard shiplap has a 3/8-inch rabbet depth with a 1/16-inch reveal gap.
Best for: Accent walls, wainscoting, exterior siding
V-Groove
Similar to tongue-and-groove but with a chamfered edge that creates a distinct V-shaped channel where boards meet. This profile accentuates each individual board and gives walls and ceilings a classic beadboard appearance at a larger scale. Our V-groove features a 45-degree chamfer at 1/8-inch depth on each board edge.
Best for: Ceiling paneling, porch ceilings, wainscoting
Nickel Gap
A clean, modern profile that leaves a consistent reveal (approximately the width of a nickel, or 1/16 inch) between each board. The gap is built into the profile, so no spacers are needed during installation. Nickel gap paneling has become extremely popular in modern farmhouse and contemporary interiors for its clean lines and subtle shadow detail.
Best for: Modern accent walls, ceiling planks, cabinet backs
Bead Board
A decorative profile featuring one or two raised beads milled into the face of each board, creating a classic cottage or Victorian look. Our standard bead board profile has a single center bead on 3.5-inch boards or double beads on 5-inch and wider boards. The beads are 1/4-inch diameter with a smooth, rounded profile.
Best for: Wainscoting, cabinet doors, porch ceilings, bathroom walls
Live Edge / Waney Edge
Not a machined profile but a preserved natural edge where the bark and cambium layer have been removed to reveal the organic contour of the original tree. We carefully clean and sand the waney edge while preserving its shape. Live-edge boards are prized for shelving, bar tops, tabletops, and mantels where the natural form of the wood becomes a design feature.
Best for: Floating shelves, bar tops, table slabs, mantel pieces
Ready to start your custom project?
Whether you need a single mantel beam or 5,000 square feet of custom flooring, we are here to help. Browse our reclaimed products or request a quote today.