Todd’s an Urban Logger. He’s running a successful sawing business out of his suburban backyard just outside Phoenix, Arizona. Though he’s in one of America’s driest regions, he says there are plenty of trees locally. He gets all the wood he can cut…and he gets it for free.
“I always wanted a sawmill”
“I recently retired from a 26-year Air Force career as a Maintenance Superintendent over F16 fighter jets. I’ve built woodworking projects all my life. When we moved from Iowa to Arizona in 2012 I finally got a full-size shop where I could make furniture and other big woodworking projects.
I always wanted a sawmill. I saw my first one in the wilderness of Alaska. It was a TimberKing mill and I fell in love with it. I told myself that one day I was going to have one.
Partners with tree removal companies – everybody wins
When people think of Phoenix, Arizona, they think it’s barren desert but there are hundreds of thousands of mesquite trees all over this city. We’re cutting all we can and we get only 1% of the mesquite that’s cut in Phoenix. There are 100 tree service companies here!
When I got my mill, I partnered up very quickly with a local tree service company, All American Arborists. Normally, when tree services take down trees, they have to pay to dispose of them. They were delighted to find someone who’d take them for free. And I get all the wood I can mill for free.
Woodworkers & contractors buy right off the mill
I started milling mesquite logs and the word spread immediately. As soon as I’d take slabs off the TimberKing mill, someone would be there waiting to buy them right off the mill.
At first, we were just selling to do-it-yourselfers who wanted to build live-edge furnishings — a style that’s very popular here in the Southwest. Then custom home builders wanted slabs for mantles in big homes. Today, we’re working with many contractors and builders. We make mesquite bar tops, mantles, countertops, and more. I had a customer from Flagstaff who wanted 18 pieces of mesquite furniture for a rental property. Two bedroom sets, mantles, vanities, and more.
Advertising? I just put things up on craigslist. I don’t have a website — it would give us more work than we can handle. But we do have a Facebook page.
This business is just me and my wife, Terri. We have no employees. I guess we’re an ‘urban logging business.’ Last year, we sawed more than 800 mesquite logs. The tree service fells them, cuts them into lengths we can use, and lifts them out of backyards with a crane.
Overbuilt? Too much steel? “It’s the perfect sawmill design”
If I were to build a sawmill from scratch, it would be the TimberKing mill. You can call it overbuilt; you can say it has too much steel in it. But I can’t imagine a better sawmill design. It’s heavy duty and unbelievably trustworthy. It’s really the perfect mill. Sure, I’d like to have a bigger TimberKing but, for what I do, the 1220 is perfect.
Inspiring others to start woodworking businesses
Here’s something very important about what we do here at Chequest Millworks. Eleven customers who buy our slabs have actually quit their full time jobs to work full time building high-end, live edge furniture. In Phoenix, Scottsdale, and all through the Southwest, live edge furnishings are a massive market. This one little mill supports so many families! We’re providing a living for ourselves and we’re helping many other families support themselves, too.
I had one older gentleman come in and shake my hand. ‘I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for my family,’ he said. ‘Without you, I wouldn’t have a job. Now I build things every day in my home shop.’
Mesquite’s hard as iron — TK has the best saw blade
Mesquite is VERY hard, like iron. I bought samples of every sawmill blade on the market and tested them on mesquite — TimberKing’s Ultra MAX blades work best. TimberKing’s Service Department recommended them and they were right. With a sharp Ultra MAX blade, I can cut an 8-foot log, 2’ wide and sand it perfectly smooth in just one hour.
I know what reliability means. Remember, I was a Maintenance Superintendent in the Air Force, fixing multi-million dollar aircraft for a living. TimberKing is the definition of reliability. They don’t break. I’ve had absolutely no maintenance issues. Oh, I replaced a bearing set but that’s no big deal when you saw as much wood as I do.
“Here, you take the TimberKing’s controls”
One of the things that sets our business apart from others is we get families physically involved in building their own furniture. After I give them thorough safety training, I let the parents actually run the mill and cut the slabs for their furniture. Then they get involved in sanding, assembly, and finishing. It’s a wonderful experience introducing a family to the whole woodworking process for the very first time.
One customer looked at the business my wife and I have created and said, ‘I wish I could do this.’ I said ‘Why don’t you?’ He said he was afraid of actually doing it. I was, too. But owning this mill has changed my life. It has given me freedom and an appreciation for what you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. It motivates me to move forward.
“I love my job”
Our future plan is to move our business from our home to a commercial location. We’ll have a showroom where we’ll let our customers — people who build furniture with our slabs — show and sell their work.
I can’t tell you how great it is to wake up every morning and love my job. There’s nothing better than the freedom this mill has given my family and me. Thank you, TimberKing — and that’s more than just words.”
— Todd & Terri Langford , TimberKing 1220 Owners, Chequest Millworks, Phoenix AZ
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