SOUTH BOISE, Idaho — Les Bois Milling, Boise's first large-scale urban sawmill, gives old trees a new chance at life. The mill rescues local urban trees that otherwise would end up at the dump and turns them into high quality lumber for local craftsmen.
- The shop is open to woodworkers and the public alike to pick out local wood for projects.
- You can find more info about Les Bois Milling here.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
"Those trees that come to us get to live a second life when they hit the saw," says Zane Everman, the owner of Les Bois Milling.
He takes pride in rescuing trees that would otherwise end up in the landfill — and turning them into something new.
"I really started this to help the woodworker get local wood and keep the local wood, our special trees, out of the dump," says Everman.
His shop is fitted with specialty equipment, like what he says is the largest saw in the Treasure Valley — that runs on train tracks.
"It pretty much makes no tree off-limits. I make 'em big here, I've got a big saw, so I make big slabs for big tables," says Everman.
He also has an industrial-sized kiln where the boards are dried out, and a tool to flatten the lumber for craftsmen like Tom Charters — who owns Urban Forestry Products.
"Before this was here, I would do all of this at my house, in a much smaller scale," says Charters.
Charters uses recycled urban wood to build furniture and feels it gives the pieces more character than coming from the forest.
"Every one of the pieces of wood that'll come out of a place like this are gonna look 100% different than the next one. So you get a huge variety and a lot more characteristics and color," added Charters.
The shop is open to woodworkers and the public alike to pick out local wood for projects.
"These tell a really awesome story. They're really valuable products and I mean, imagine sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner at a table that was crafted from a tree that had to come down in your yard," says Lance Davisson, the Executive Director of the Treasure Valley Canopy Network.
"If you do have a tree come out, that tree can live on as something else," added Everman.
