We are Monty & Becky Button, owners of Bear Creek Hardwoods. We like to say we got started in this business “by accident”. Monty owns a tree service and several years ago had taken down a large white oak tree. We knew it was too pretty to cut up for firewood and decided we wanted to keep it. At that time we didn’t even have a skid loader so getting this log on a trailer and to the mill, miles away, was a challenge. The white oak log, now milled into usable boards, was made into a dining room table. It was BEAUTIFUL! We were hooked. We knew then and there that we wanted to get into the business of sawing logs into boards.
As luck would have it a friend of ours who had operated a portable mill for several years decided to retire. In March of 2004 we decided to buy a sawmill of our own, purchasing a Baker 3638 D sawmill. At first we were using it just for our own use then neighbors & friends found out about it. Soon Monty was cutting down trees during the week and milling logs on Saturday. It wasn’t long before demand was too much for one guy working one day a week to keep up. So in May of 2014, we made the decision that I would operate the sawmill on a full-time basis. Although totally different from my profession as a Registered Nurse, I enjoy running the mill and have no plans to return to nursing.
Our primary purpose is to repurpose unwanted, dead, diseased or trees by storms into usable quality lumber. Often times there is a story of a cherished tree that is now made into a quality heirloom piece ready for years of family enjoyment.
Updates:
Our son Jeff fully took over the tree service in January of 2022. Monty is now at Bear Creek Hardwoods on a full-time basis. It is great to have my partner in life by my side each day.
We have purchased another Baker Bandsaw mill. This one is 20 foot 3674D with a 74 HP Deutz engine. It is basically the bigger brother to our original Baker bandsaw. It can handle a bigger log and is fast! Monty is the main operating of this mill.
Our daughter Karen joined us in October 2022. We are pleased to have her work the family business! She knew how to run a skid loader from childhood and has quickly caught on to operating the band mill. She is probably a better mill operator than I am!
The best part of operating Bear Creek Hardwoods is all the fantastic people we meet! We love seeing the creations that are being made with the lumber we cut. We hope you join us on this adventure.
Thanks for Visiting,
Becky & Monty
Check out a television interview of Becky Button of Bear Creek Hardwoods below!
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