Hardwood Slabs for Woodworkers in Milwaukee

Urban Loggers LLC takes down hardwoods across Greater Milwaukee every week, and the best of them end up on our sawmill instead of in a chipper. That means locally sourced live-edge and flat-sawn slabs for woodworkers, furniture makers, and homeowners — with a known story for every board. If you're looking for a specific species or size, tell us and we'll keep an eye out on upcoming jobs.

Short answer: our slabs come from Greater Milwaukee trees we remove and mill ourselves, so inventory changes with the jobs, and the way to get one is to tell us the species, thickness, and size you need. Slabs come off the mill green and need to dry before they are ready for a finished piece.

Local Hardwood, Direct From the Tree

Slabs aren’t something Urban Loggers buys in from a distributor. They come from the trees we take down on tree-removal and land-clearing jobs around Greater Milwaukee. When a tree has sound, straight hardwood in it, it goes on the portable mill instead of into the chipper. If you’re a woodworker, furniture maker, or hobbyist looking for local hardwood, that makes us a source you can ask directly.

A slab from a city or suburban tree has a different history than lumberyard stock. Yard trees grow in open sun, which often means wider growth rings, bigger limbs, and more figure, and also more surprises such as old nail holes, ingrown wire, and wound scars. Some woodworkers want exactly that character. Others want clean, quiet boards. Telling us which you prefer helps us point you to the right log.

What We Can Tell You About Any Slab

• The species, and roughly where it grew
• How it was cut: live-edge or flat-sawn, thickness, and length
• Whether it’s green, air-drying, or further along, and for how long
• Any defects, checks, or character you should know about before you buy

Tell Us What You’re Looking For

Our inventory depends on what comes down, so it changes. The best way to get what you want is to call or send a message with the species, thickness, and size you need and what it’s for. If we have something that fits we’ll say so, and if not we’ll keep your request in mind for upcoming jobs. For a specific project you can also ask about reserving a slab from a tree before it comes down. We do not post prices or a fixed list here because no two logs are alike; any quote comes after we know the piece you are asking about.

Live-Edge or Flat-Sawn

A live-edge slab keeps the natural outline of the trunk on one or both sides, with the bark either left on or removed. It suits tabletops, benches, mantels, and floating shelves where the shape of the tree is the point. Flat-sawn boards have straight edges and are easier to join into panels, build cabinets from, or use as trim.

Thickness depends on the job. Thin boards dry sooner but give you less to work with when you flatten them. Thick slabs let you plane away warp and still finish heavy, but they take much longer to dry. Tell us the finished thickness you want and we can recommend a starting thickness that leaves room for flattening.

Green Wood, Drying Time, and Honest Expectations

Fresh-cut slabs are full of water and are not ready for indoor furniture. Air drying takes roughly one year per inch of thickness, so a two-inch slab needs about two years before it approaches stability. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory publishes the standard guidance on wood moisture and drying, and the basics are worth reading before you buy any green lumber.

Drying does not rule out cracking. Large slabs can still check at the ends or across the face, especially with pith in the board, and Wisconsin’s swing between humid summers and dry heated winters moves wood all year. Always ask for the current moisture content and drying stage of any slab so you know exactly what you are buying. Before a slab goes into a finished piece, let it sit in the room where it will live and check it with a moisture meter, and plan joinery that lets the wood move with the seasons.

Species You Are Likely to See

Walnut, red and white oak, hard and soft maple, cherry, ash, elm, and hickory are the hardwoods we come across most. Ash deserves a note. Many Wisconsin ash trees have died or been removed because of the emerald ash borer, which is why more ash is being milled than in the past. The Wisconsin DNR explains the quarantine, and the USDA APHIS tracks the insect at the national level. Oak timing matters too: because of oak wilt, the DNR advises against cutting oaks in the spring and early summer window, so some oak removals wait for later in the year.

Have a Tree of Your Own?

If you’re removing a good hardwood from your property, ask about having it milled instead of hauled off. See portable log milling for how it works. For help judging whether a tree is healthy or hazardous before you decide, the Trees Are Good site from theInternational Society of Arboriculture is a plain-language starting point, and UW Extension has guidance for owners managing trees on larger properties. Whatever the tree, our tree removal crew can take it down safely and tell you honestly whether the wood is worth saving.