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]

07/13/2026

Most people hear the term skip planed but aren’t exactly sure what it means.

Skip planing removes just enough material to clean up portions of the board, revealing the grain, color, and character while keeping it close to its original rough thickness. It gives you a much better idea of what you’re taking home before you start your project.

Many hardwood suppliers charge extra for this service.

At Driftless Hardwoods, every board is skip planed before it reaches our racks—because we believe you should be able to see what you’re buying.

This batch of hard maple is especially impressive, with beautifully clear boards and widths reaching 12–16 inches that are becoming harder and harder to find.

Would you rather buy rough-sawn lumber or skip-planed lumber?

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

07/12/2026

Everyone has their own style when it comes to epoxy.

Brother Tom has never been much of a fan of the bright colors. His philosophy has always been that the wood should be the star of the project. (But if bright pink is your thing and the wood is ugly…)

For this queen-size black walnut headboard, he chose black epoxy because it quietly follows the natural curves of the live edge and highlights the subtle ribbons of sapwood instead of competing with them.

After sealing the mold and live edges, he poured a full 1¾ inches of TotalBoat Thick Pour epoxy in one continuous pour. Then came the waiting… chasing bubbles, letting it cure for two days, power planing it flat, sanding to 220 grit, and filling the last few pinholes before the final finish.

To us, that’s a timeless combination—beautiful black walnut with a simple black river that lets Mother Nature’s work do the talking.

The finished reveal is coming later this week.

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

07/11/2026

Brother Tim fired the first shot.

After seeing Brother Tom’s “I’m too busy in retirement” video, Tim responded by showing what a real day’s work looks like—sorting, stacking, and grading roughly 3,000 kiln-dried boards into Select & Better and #1 Common.

Then, with perfect older-brother confidence…

“I win.”

He’s probably right.

The truth is, Tim spends his days harvesting trees, running the sawmill, drying lumber, grading boards, and keeping the inventory moving.

Tom gets to spend his retirement building river tables, mantles, benches, headboards, and furniture from the lumber Tim produces.

So yes…

Brother Tim definitely works harder.

Brother Tom definitely has more fun.

That’s what makes this partnership work.

Now settle the debate…

Who has the better retirement?

🌳 Brother Tim?
🪵 Brother Tom?

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

07/10/2026

When your dad is a retired teacher, even a quick visit to the shop can turn into a pop quiz.

Taylor stopped by while Brother Tom was preparing the forms for a queen-size black walnut headboard and two matching nightstands.

Before explaining the project, Dad had to test her woodworking knowledge.

Black walnut? Correct.

White oak mantel? Correct again.

She probably should recognize the white oak. It is featured throughout her freshly renovated Taylor’s Cadillac Ranch.

Once the quiz was over, Tom explained the project: a queen-size headboard with a black epoxy river, along with two matching nightstands featuring solid walnut shelves and matching river tops—all made from the same black walnut tree.

And when it comes to preparing epoxy forms, Tom does not leave much to chance.

Melamine. Caulk. Tyvek tape. Mold release. Silicone along the live edge.

Some might call it overkill.

Tom calls it wearing a belt, suspenders, and possibly another belt.

This customer has waited patiently for this project, and tomorrow we’ll share the actual black epoxy pour.

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

07/09/2026

Barb caught me standing over an epoxy mold today and asked, “Shouldn’t you be over at Taylor’s Cadillac Ranch working on that patio?”

Fair question. 😄

But this week’s dance card is already full…

🌳 Black walnut headboard with matching nightstands.
🪵 Oak desktop.
🪑 Walnut bench.
☕ Half-log white oak glass-top coffee table.
🌿 Another Shou Sugi Ban outdoor white oak bench.
🔥 White oak mantel.
💧 And the epoxy river pour that’s been carefully planned around the weather… because once that resin starts, there’s no turning back.

I told Barb I’d happily work on Taylor’s patio… just as soon as Mother Nature cooperates and this epoxy is safely poured.

Of course, if someone (ahem… Barb) bought me that mini-split for the shop, I could pour epoxy day or night, rain or shine. Just saying. 😂

Retirement has turned into something I never expected. Every morning I get to choose what to build, what story to tell, and what challenge to tackle next. Some days it’s patios. Some days it’s sawdust. Some days it’s epoxy. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Now… let’s just hope the weather holds for two more days.

Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

WhiteOak CustomFurniture Woodworking ShopLife RealWoodRealStoriesRealLife

07/07/2026

This white oak has quite a story.

It came from Brother Tim’s wife’s family farm near Potosi, Wisconsin, where a powerful derecho brought down more than 100 mature white oaks. Rather than letting those incredible trees go to waste, Brother Tim salvaged the best logs, milled them, and patiently kiln dried them.

Today, years later, Brother Tom is giving one of those mantles its final touch before it finds a new home.

Not many companies can tell you exactly where your mantle came from—or handle every step from the standing tree to the finished piece.

From family farm to finished mantle. That’s the Driftless difference.

This one is available now. Would you leave the live edge natural or square it up?



Real Wood. Real Stories. Real Life.

07/06/2026

Brother Tim sees firewood. Brother Tom sees possibilities.

Around the sawmill, that’s how most of our projects begin.

These oversized white oak quarter logs weren’t destined to become boards—they were custom cut to become the hand-charred Sougi Ban legs of a one-of-a-kind memorial bench.

Every custom project starts with someone willing to look at a log differently, and someone else willing to make the cuts that bring the idea to life.

This one is especially meaningful, and we can’t wait to show you the finished bench.

Follow along—the bench reveal is coming soon.

07/05/2026

⚡ One storm. One lightning strike. One 45-inch cottonwood.

This week’s storms didn’t just bring floodwaters—they also appear to have struck one of the largest cottonwoods on our property.

That bright red stripe isn’t the lightning itself. It’s the tree’s living cambium, exposed after the lightning blew the bark away. When lightning passes through a tree, the sap can instantly turn to steam, creating enough pressure to peel bark right off the trunk.

At 45 inches in diameter, this is a very large cottonwood.

Will it survive? We honestly don’t know.

Some lightning-struck trees recover, while others slowly decline over the months or years that follow. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this old tree.

One thing we do know is that Brother Tim won’t be milling it. At this size, it’s simply too large for our sawmill.

But here’s the question…

If this cottonwood eventually has to come down, does it have any real value as lumber? Some woodworkers love cottonwood for carving, rustic furniture, and painted projects. Others won’t touch it.

What would you do with a 45-inch cottonwood? We’d love to hear from the sawyers, woodworkers, and tree folks in the comments.

Address

Soldiers Grove, WI
54655

Telephone

+14148619175

Website

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