Little River Lumberyard

Live-edge hardwood slabs & lumber, locally sourced in Floyd, VA

Live-Edge Slabs

Silver Maple over 4 feet wide – McNeil homeplace.
Sugar Maple (hard maple) – Pugh farm, Floyd County
Silver Maple – Wade home near Schoolhouse Fabric, Floyd, VA
Maple from a standing dead tree with gray-green shading, from Danville
Poplar Burl – tree from Doug Wade
Birch Burl – tree from Benson Williams, Check VA
Elm Burl Slab Headboard

Little River Lumberyard finds amazing trees, and collects very unique slabs. We’re often able to save trees from being turned into firewood, instead creating lumber used by artists and craftspeople to give the tree a new life. Local arborists and loggers know they can bring us the gnarliest trees, knowing we’re looking for character, not necessarily the straightest log.

Sales

Retail

Live-Edge Slabs

each slab is priced based on length, width, thickness, figure (grain), and uniqueness

Dimensional Lumber

all local hardwood species
sold per board foot (BF) and priced based on species & thickness

Wholesale

Live-Edge Slabs

wholesale pricing is available for live-edge slab purchases of 5+

Dimensional Lumber

wholesale pricing is not available for dimensional lumber

Getting Your Wood

Make an appointment to visit! For slabs, let us know species and rough size (Length x Width x Thickness) so we can have choices available.
Delivery available within 250 miles of Floyd, VA, depending on quantity, for an additional charge
Shipping is possible through a 3rd-party freight company, customer managed

Payment Options

Cash or Check
Credit Card or PayPal (3% service charge added)
5.3% Virginia Sales Tax added unless you have a Sales Tax number.

Schedule an appointment or reach out for more information

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Our Process

Moving Logs

Logs can be over 8,000 pounds, and slabs can be over 800 pounds. A backhoe or forks on a tractor are needed for moving.

Slab Slicing

Slabs are cut with a Lucas mill, with a five-foot wide ripping chain. The log is stationary, and the blade is pushed/pulled through.
Through experience, we learned which way to turn the log so the slices will show the most unusual and beautiful grain. The process of opening a log is most exciting, like opening a treasure chest – we never know what we’ll find!
Most of our logs are salvaged yard trees, so they often have metal, glass, and rocks inside also.

“Stickering” Slabs and Lumber

Stickers are 1″ square pieces, placed between freshly cut slabs and lumber to allow for air-flow.

Drying

First, slabs and lumber are air-dried outdoors for a year for each inch in thickness. This slow process stabilizes the wood.

Next, slabs and lumber are slowly kiln-dried in a gas-fired kiln until they have about 8% moisture content, usually about 2 weeks. (Average indoor moisture content is 12%.)

Insect Control

The temperature of the kiln is slowly raised to 140° for a minimum of 4 hours. This is Virginia Tech’s recommended “Best Practice” to destroy all stages of insects.

About Us

Bill & Corinne began collecting slabs over 30 years ago, when Bill worked for a local sawyer. Together, buying a sawmill, and transforming an old roller-skating rink into a woodshop, they learned to craft live-edge furniture with the help of their son & his friends.

In 2020 they sold the Phoenix Hardwoods Woodshop to friends, and are focusing on their lumberyard with their apprentices, Henry who has been with them over 8 years, and David, over 5 years. Looking back over their lives,

Bill & Corinne realize how rewarding it’s been to love their work, and watch so many of their young employees become extremely skilled woodworkers, sawyers, and artists!