Sawkill Lumber LLC in
Brooklyn (NY)

If you’re looking for some beautiful wood for your shelves or any home project, this is the spot. We were greeted by Alan, who was super friendly and let us pick out the piece we wanted. He even cut it right there for us What was really cool is that we got to sand our piece with Alan's help. It felt like we were getting a little workshop training. Plus, we left with a certificate, which was a nice touch! All the wood is reclaimed from old houses in New York, and ours dates back to 1890! Overall, we had a fantastic experience and can’t wait to show off our new piece!

One of the best classes I ever took. Stan the teacher was amazing. Friendly , knowledgeable, happy to teach, adaptive, smart … everything. Had a great connection. We adapted the class to a project I want to build. He even taught me how to sharpen my tools. It was amazing. Can’t wait to have another class as needed.

This place is awesome if you love reclaimed wood!! Alan was very helpful explaining what the wood had been used for prior (barn flooring). He cut the piece down a bit for me and tied it to my bike rack. I’m very happy with the way this turned out. I’ll go back if I need more! Glad this place is in Crown Heights!

The hand tools workshop was an awesome experience. Stan was an attentive, accommodating, enthusiastic, and exceptional instructor. There’s no other space that offers building with reclaimed wood and it was an inclusive and welcoming place from start to finish. Can’t wait to take another course.

Attended a wonderful workshop where we made a cutting board out of reclaimed wood. Alan, the owner, was very knowledgeable and eager to share his knowledge with the class about the wood we were working with. I had a fun time and I would strongly recommend it.

Took a class here with Alan and his friend Drew last weekend and it was beyond my expectations. The knowledge and passion Alan has for his company, reclaiming wood, and NYC history is incredible. I love that he’s using classes to teach people how to SAFELY and properly use big power tools and machines all while reintroducing some really cool, old wood back into to world for people to use. Some of the wood we used was from the Coney Island boardwalk! It feels so cool to have this piece in my home, something I’m proud to have made. I would HIGHLY recommend reaching out about workshops/classes to anyone. No experience necessary. (Included are some of the process photos from getting to choose which wood we use!) Thanks again Alan and also Drew for coming by to help share your expertise!

Had an incredible workshop experience at Sawkill Lumber making a cutting board. Alan, the owner, gave a really informative mini-lecture on the history of the wood we’d be working with. I’m sure we only scratched the surface of his knowledge. The second carpenter teaching the class, Drew, was super knowledgeable & thorough with his explanation of each step and how to use the tools. Alan's anecdotes about trees and salvaged lumber throughout the day were fun and informative. The class size was perfect, all were able to receive one on one instruction & assistance in creating the board. Highly recommend the experience & will definitely take another class here.

I highly recommend the intro to woodworking class. We used reclaimed wood from across NYC to construct our cutting boards. The instructors were knowledgeable and supported us though the entire process.

I love this place! I was working on a sculpture and wanted to use sustainable materials. Alan pointed me towards some beautiful reclaimed Eastern Hemlock that was salvaged from a building built in 1910. He Is extremely knowledgeable about the wood, and was also super helpful with precise cutting. For artists, or for anyone who wants something specific and beautiful (and sustainable) for their building project, this place is perfect!

The staff at Sawkill Lumber in Brooklyn was super cool and helpful! They really care about making you happy, and they've got the most awesome selection of top-notch lumber, from reclaimed wood to exotic hardwoods. We were looking for wood to make business cards for our company One Fact: a non-profit aiming to transform healthcare access and efficiency using open-source artificial intelligence. The staff at Sawkill Lumber were more than happy to assist. They provided us with international wood samples from Brazil and local samples from Brooklyn that date back to the 1800s. If you're looking for wood, Sawkill Lumber is where it's at!

Alan and Tony are excellent guys and very fair dealing. I had a great experience with them! I came all the way from Ohio and will do so again whenever I need some rare and/or high quality reclaimed wood. Excellent service and excellent products! Thanks again for helping me with my project, I appreciate it!

Took a cutting board workshop here. The class was great — Luke’s knowledgeable instruction and Alan’s expertise were very empowering to the novice work worker. You’ll be able to assemble your own cutting board from a collection of available woods with newly acquired power tool skills. You’ll leave the class with the board glued up and drying in their workshop, returning a few days/weeks later to pick up your sanded/planed board, before finishing it yourself with food-safe oil/wax. Alan took a moment to write up some documentation on each piece of wood I used at the end! Overall quite satisfied, and now I’ve got a piece of history in my kitchen (chopping vegetables on the Coney Island boardwalk whaaaaat?).

Working with Alan at Sawkill was fantastic. We came in with a DIY shelf project. He asked us thoughtful questions about our needs and helped us select the perfect lumber (at a very reasonable price). The wood we ended up choosing was precisely cut to our specifications and has a unique character that adds the perfect touch. It was clear that Alan genuinely cared about our design and our satisfaction with the raw materials. I can't speak highly enough of the experience! Love to work with someone so knowledgeable about both the wood and the buildings it came from. A total pleasure and we'll be back soon!

Attended a hand tools workshop at Sawkill Lumber with Stan with 0 woodworking experience and it was great—he was super knowledgeable and encouraging and we learned a lot not only about the specific process but also some basic tips and principles that'll be useful in other applications. We also got to learn about the history of the wood we were using, which was reclaimed like the rest of Sawkill's stock. The workshop did run longer than advertised so just make sure you bring a snack!

We did a picture frame making workshop here and it was awesome! Luke and Alan were great, really know their stuff and made it a memorable experience. Also a good unusual date idea

Loved our experience with Alan. Our shelves are sturdy and have held up beautifully

My partner and I wandered in on a Saturday with the hopes of finding wood for our inexperienced selves to make a table - instead, we had a wonderful and insightful conversation with one of the owners, Alan, who listened to our ideas and told us all about the history of the beautiful wood in his shop. All three of us were getting excited at the ideas we have for the table - We're so excited! Could not recommend this place enough!

Went there to get some help for wood I had. See if was quick and very friendly. They really know what they are doing and they actually seem to love their craft. Peter helped me out, I would go again. My experience was very pleasant.

When we were renovating our Long Island Tea Lounge, we were searching for sustainable wood to create a warm and natural experience for our guests and employees, and we were so glad to connect with Alan from Sawkill Lumber. He not only worked with us to understand what aesthetic and vibe we were envisioning, and his guidance helped bring our design to life. We were thrilled with the results and our customers could not stop complementing how the wood finishes brought the aesthetic to life. Alan not only helped us in selecting the types of reclaimed wood that would work, but he also went out of his way to help us figure out the right kind of fire resistant coating that our building code required for putting unfinished wood panels on the ceiling in the commercial cafe. He had them coated and even provided the certificate to help us satisfy the inspection requirements. Alan is a wealth of knowledge, and really cares about environmental sustainability, which we are discovering is not that easy to find in lumber suppliers. When we were redesigning our home, we wanted to find some sustainable hardwood deck planks that were not tied to unfair labor and land use practices, and he was able to find us a variety that was sustainable, durable, and not associated with sketchy social practices, and what they shipped was beautiful and durable (Black Locust). They are honest, reliable, and knowledgeable, ethical, and tuned into the needs of picky sustainability minded customers.

I had a specific project and buget in mind and Alan patiently helped me select and process the wood. Sawkill has a variety of reclaimed wood selections and Alan is the most knowledgeable and friendly expert you can ask for. I’m glad I didn’t get a basic lumber from Home Depot.

Alan was a great partner in helping us realize our project, he found a way to meet our needs in budget, then cleaned and prepped our wood so we were ready to hit the ground running. The shelves turned out beautifully, and we even have a provenance document for our wood from a Manhattan water tower :)

Great shop - Alan was awesome to share history and help select amazing wood for my project.

Swung by last Saturday to pick up some reclaimed lumber for hanging shelves. Alan is the man. He spent 45 minutes with us picking through bins, consulting on size, making cuts, and sanding edges down. We had a lot of fun throughout and are excited to see the final product. Look no further.

I bought a couple of small pieces of lumber from Sawkill for some wall shelves. Alan was great with me and had another group he was helping with wood for a table. I really appreciated how DIYer-friendly he was. Will definitely be back for the next apartment project!

Alan is wonderful! He listened to our needs and budget and came up with a great solution for a floating bar we are installing in our apartment. He was super efficient, thorough, and had great communication. Highly recommend!

I went to sawkill to find something for a little shelf, and was shocked by the inventory. I dug around for a bit and found something close, then Alan helped me find the perfect piece. He cut it to size, gave it a quick sand, and told me about the woods source and history! From an old cordage factory. Still smells like the definition of pine. A great place. Thanks Alan!

LOVE this place. I called a few companies to see if someone could help me make a desk from scratch. Most said they couldn't help me. Alan said "Come on by the shop and we'll figure something out" and we definitely did! I got a piece of wood from the 1800s that works perfectly for me desk. Alan sent a a sample from it to a lab to determine it originally came from Nova Scotia and told me the plank was part of the floor for an old warehouse in Manhattan. So now I have a desk I love and a cool story to go with it. It was reasonably priced and Alan cares a ton about his customers. A truly special shop and an experience I'll remember forever. Thanks Alan!