Rooted in the Neighborhood: Sourcing Local Timber

When you run your hand across the smooth, rich grain of a handcrafted wooden board or custom urn, you feel more than just finished timber. You connect with the life history of a local tree, the changing Midwest seasons, and a process that requires equal parts patience, sweat, and community connection.

From Backyard Canopy to Local Lumber

A few years ago, after moving into my Dubuque home surrounded by a canopy of mature trees, including ash, black walnut, cherry, and hard maple, nature took an unexpected turn. One by one, several of those majestic trees began to fall due to age and storm damage. Facing a yard full of fallen giants, I had a choice: pay to have them hauled off to a landfill, or give them a meaningful second life. I installed solar panels to power my equipment and set to work milling those trunks into usable boards.

The Art of the Local Timber Rescue

Today, my sourcing process relies on a tight-knit network of local connections. When storms knock down a mature oak or a homeowner must remove an aging walnut tree, I step in to harvest the wood before it ends up as firewood. I collaborate with local arborists, woodworkers, and small-mill operators who share my commitment to keeping beautiful Midwest timber out of the waste stream. By keeping my sourcing local, every piece of wood I use carries an authentic sense of place and regional heritage.

Patience in Curing, The One-Year Drying Ritual

Freshly cut wood is heavy with moisture, and green wood used too soon will warp, twist, and crack as it dries. Every slab of timber I harvest cures for about a full year, allowing roughly one year of drying time per inch of wood thickness, until the internal moisture content stabilizes. Once the wood reaches the ideal moisture level, it is planed, jointed, and milled based on its final purpose, whether that requires thick, sturdy blocks for cutting boards or thin, layered ribbons for my mid-century table clocks.

This hands-on, slow-crafted approach makes local woodworking deeply rewarding. I know where the wood grew, who harvested it, and how long it cured before reaching my workbench. Want to see how local timber transforms into functional art? Explore my latest collection of handcrafted boards, home decor, and memorial urns at xylemwrx.com.

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