Resources
What Is a Cant
If you have never bought from a cant sawmill, the word can be confusing. Here is the short version: a cant is a log squared on four sides.
The short answer
A cant is a log that has been squared on four sides into a solid, square-edged timber. It sits between a raw log and finished lumber. It is no longer round, but it has not yet been cut down into boards or dimensional sizes.
Most of our cants are remanufactured into finished lumber by a partner in Langley. Some are used as-is for heavy timber work. Either way, the cant is the product we make on Highway 16.
Why we mill balsam others leave behind
We mill dry balsam: the logs left burnt or behind in the bush that larger mills will not take. Every log leaves the yard as squared cants for finished lumber or as chips bound for a local pellet plant, so nothing is wasted.
Dry balsam is timber a larger mill will usually pass on: often burnt or left down in the bush. A small mill like ours can take that wood, find the solid timber inside it, and square it into usable cants. It is a better outcome than a burn pile, and it gives the resource a second life.
What sizes we cut
We run seven cross-sections, from 4x4 up to 12x12, in lengths from 8 to 20 feet. If you want the full breakdown, including pieces per lift and board feet, see our dry balsam cants page. To understand how a log becomes a banded lift, read how we mill.
Common questions
Good to know.
Is a cant the same as a beam?
Not quite. A cant is squared timber that is often remanufactured further. A beam is typically a finished structural member. Some of our larger cants can serve as heavy timber, but most are an intermediate product.
Can I build with cants directly?
Sometimes, for rustic or heavy-timber projects. Tell us your use and sizes and we will be straight about whether a cant or finished lumber suits you better.
What wood are your cants?
Dry balsam fir, the species we know best and the wood we are set up to salvage.
Keep exploring
Related pages.
Want cants for your project?
Tell us your sizes and quantities. We mill dry balsam on Highway 16 and sell direct.