COVER STORY THE MAGIC OF WOOD -
Klaus Holm
CUSTOM SAWMILLING Markdale (519) 216-1614
Photo: Jenny Jelen Klaus Holm has always had a knack for turning ideas into real things. Not one to say no or shy away from a challenge, he has spent his lifetime building, creating, and inventing. Now, in an effort to retire, he’s left behind a thriving self-made business in corporate metal fabrication to spend more time at home. The trouble is, home is a 100-acre property in Grey Country, dense with forest, ponds and all things wild. Naturally, his fascination with making things got the best of him. And Custom Sawmilling was born. At Custom Sawmilling, Holm offers on-site and mobile milling services throughout Grey County, as well as home furnishings and decor. What he loves most is allowing people the opportunity to utilize lumber that is meaningful to them, like repurposing an old tree from their homestead and turning it into something beautiful they can appreciate. He doesn’t mind offering up ideas or even helping to bring visions to life, but he’s also happy to leave customers with raw materials and their imaginations. “I like to inspire people,” he said. Working with wood, Holm said, makes that easy. “I was excited about wood because it has a life and a personality,” he said. “It has its own feeling.” 16
On his farm, Holm has access to a variety of tree species. He said he’s been thoroughly enjoying learning about the different types of wood and how they behave when they’re milled, dried and transformed into lumber, art or whatever their next form is. In many instances, Holm gives trees that are otherwise lifeless a second chance. Every opportunity he can, Holm said he prefers milling trees that have fallen or died. “I’m not going to cut down a big, beautiful tree that’s been hanging around for hundreds of years,” he said. “A lot of trees fall down here. Porcupines eat more than I’ll ever use. They ruin them; they eat the bark, and then they die. There’s just rows of dead trees. I feel kind of bad.” Even working with the lifeless lumber, Holm said he likes to make sure every bit of the tree is put to use. “I want to use the whole tree, right down to the stump,” he said. Having his own mill, which can accommodate logs up to 17 feet in length and 36 inches in diameter, makes it quite realistic to make use of every part of a tree. From circular flats to lean lumber, Holm has honed his skills and mastered the art of making every piece of the tree into something beautiful, practical or useful.
HELLO COUNTRY MAGAZINE
