Get to Know the Mill

It all started with a boy and a dream... 

Okay, not really.

But it did start with a 16-year-old in Texas who needed a CD cabinet to house his 300+ CD collection. An affordable option was not available. What he lacked in woodworking knowledge and experience, he more than made up for in misplaced and unjustified optimism. 

This boy went to the local home improvement store (starts with an "H" and ends in "epot"). He bought a 1/4" sheet of plywood and had the worker cut it on the panel saw to his dimensions. 

He brought the pieces home, screwed them all together, then spray-painted it all gold. The result was... absolutely hideous. Ugliest thing you ever saw. But it did hold all those CDs. 

Over the years, he slowly built up a collection of used woodworking tools. Project after project got better and better until he finally became a decent woodworker. Things were going well until...

COVID caused exponential explosions in lumber pricing. Profitability was no longer available due to the insurmountable costs of lumber. There was nothing left to do but to invest in a sawmill to begin creating his own lumber. 

Then and there was born Sawmill 309. What started as a way to bypass high markups in lumber prices became a way to not only skip the middleman, but to make a superior product in every way imaginable. 

The lumber that we now use is all responsibly sourced. What that means is that it comes exclusively from standing dead or already fallen timbers. We do not cut down any living trees. We use only the dead corpses of trees who made poor life choices which led to their ultimate demise.

The beauty in using dead wood is just that. Beauty. When trees are no longer among the living, they start to change. They take on new colors, contrast highlights, textures, bug holes, and other perfect imperfections that are not seen in wood harvested from living trees. 

This unique lumber is sold here locally, in Missouri. Shipping big slabs of wood across the map is not cost-effective for anyone. But we do take some of this amazing lumber and use it to make some very cool, unique handmade items. That is what you will find at Sawmill309.com. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this long-winded, egotistical mini autobiography. We sincerely hope that you love our products as much as we love making them.