Wood Planing
At John’s Urban Timber, every slab is planed right here in our Whitmore Lake workshop — never outsourced. We take pride in preparing each board with precision so it’s flat, stable, and ready for your next project. The result is wood that not only looks beautiful but is also easy to work with, whether you’re building furniture, countertops, or custom designs.
All Slabs Processed In-House
At John’s Urban Timber, our wood planing services are performed entirely in-house at our Whitmore Lake workshop. We never outsource — every slab is carefully handled here to guarantee quality and consistency.
Our Wood Sources
The slabs we plane come from locally reclaimed logs — salvaged from homeowners, tree services, or customer-supplied wood. We never use commercially harvested lumber. Most rough-sawn slabs begin at 2 ½″–3″ thick, then are planed down to a smooth 1 ⅞″–2 ½″ finish. Custom dimensions are also available upon request.
Precision Planing
Planing ensures your slabs are flat, even, and ready for woodworking. Each piece is carefully leveled and surfaced so it’s stable and easy to use — whether you’re building furniture, countertops, mantels, or custom projects. Many customers also bring in sentimental logs, such as a family tree or storm-damaged wood, and we treat each board with the respect its story deserves.
Custom Orders
While we don’t stock dimensional lumber, we can prepare it through planing and surfacing for larger custom orders. If you have a specific project in mind, we’ll work with you to achieve the exact thickness and finish you need.
📞 Have questions about our wood planing services?
Call us anytime to discuss your project.
What You Can Expect:
In-house processing – all planing done at our Whitmore Lake shop.
Consistent thickness – slabs finished to 1⅞″–2½″.
Custom options – bring your own logs for planing.
Made-to-order – boards prepared to your project specs.
Sustainably sourced – only reclaimed and recycled wood.
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Other Services
What I Do
With three different size sawmills, John’s Urban Timber saws logs into unique slabs and then uses a vacuum kiln to properly and thoroughly dry the wood.
Vacuum Kiln Drying
Our vacuum kiln carefully dries each slab, ensuring stability, durability, and the perfect moisture content for woodworking.
Slabs & Lumber
Browse our wide selection of kiln-dried slabs and reclaimed boards, each piece full of natural character and unique grain.
Jointing
Precision jointing up to 30" wide delivers flat, true surfaces that make glue-ups and fine woodworking seamless.
Planing
We offer expert planing services to create consistent thickness and smooth finishes on rough or reclaimed lumber.
Sanding
With a wide-belt sander up to 42", we achieve flawless, polished surfaces that bring out the grain and beauty of the wood.
Do You Want Custom Woodwork ? Contact Us Now
Where specialty is normal and unique is everything. My business is providing the services people need to recycle and reclaim wood into useful products, and I have been doing this since the fall of 1998.