Sawmill Sid’s: a treasure chest for those looking for unique wood pieces
Sidney Gendron of Sawmill Sid Inc. poses with a stack of repurposed wood. (Photo by Heather Doyle)
It may be National Forest Week in Canada, but every day is Forest Day for Sawmill Sid.
The fate of many city trees is sad and wasteful.
When they come down in a storm, or reach the end of their lifespan, municipalities pay companies to chip and shred them or cart them off to rot in wood dumps where they eventually end up in landfill.
But now at least some grand old urban trees will live on.
A program by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has partnered with Sawmill Sid Inc. to mill the trees, and sell the wood to the public.
Wood rescued from historic buildings like the Gooderham and Worts Distillery, painted numbers from the whiskey barrel rack still visible, is also available.
This wood, some of it centuries old, can then be re-purposed into one-of-akind live edge tables, floors, stair treads, serving trays, mantles, beams, chandeliers and more.
Sawmill Sid is located on Lakeshore Road in Mississauga, just west of Dixie.
“It makes me cringe when I see a good tree going through a wood chipper,” says Sidney Gendron, who runs Sawmill Sid Inc. with his wife Sheila Storey.
“That’s not the highest and best use of any tree… I’m hoping that mentality is going to change.”
Instead he sees a more virtuous circle: a trunk turning into eight spectacular tables, workers paid for their craftsmanship, who in turn pay their bills and support the local economy.
Since opening a year and a half ago, Gendron figures they have diverted 6,800 cubic metres of wood from the landfill and trapped 6,800 tonnes of carbon.
“I want to take the model of what we are doing and replicate it across America,” says Storey.
For those who love wood, it’s a slice of heaven picking through pieces and imagining possibilities. Don’t be put off by the dusty road in: Sawmill Sid’s is a treasure chest.
Woodworker Bob Tier is a regular customer. He makes charcuterie serving trays he sells at Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market. Today, he’s here to get a custom order.
A client wants wooden plates for her steaks. “Sid’s a great resource,” says Tier, “and he’s just around the corner.”
Corporations visit for team building – participants pick the wood, take turns milling it, and end up with a showpiece boardroom table they can use or donate.
“Milling a tree is always surprising”, says Gendron, with unexpected shades like orange or pink, a graceful twist, or weird and wonderful burls adding beauty.
Gendron sees lots of condo dwellers looking for wood to bring a bit of nature to a stark modern space.
If you don’t want to finish the wood yourself, Sawmill Sid’s has a list of local woodworkers to help make your idea a reality.
“We’re lucky because the Greater Toronto Area is one of the best sources of wood in Ontario,” says Gendron.
It turns out the GTA is a perfect mix of old, established communities and large areas of park land where trees have been nurtured.
Talking to Gendron and Storey you get the feeling re-purposing trees is more than just a business. It’s a passion, and a way to make the world a better place.
For example, the company donates wood to build Buddy Benches, an anti-bullying project, to Habitat for Humanity’s houses, and is involved in a new project building canoes and snowshoes from Alectra’s old cedar telephone poles.
Sawmill Sid Inc. won the prestigious Ontario Wood Award in 2016 among many other recognitions.
For Sawmill Sid and his wife, it’s about staying local, a green footprint, and giving back to the community.
And of course respecting the tree.
The fate of many city trees is sad and wasteful.
When they come down in a storm, or reach the end of their lifespan, municipalities pay companies to chip and shred them or cart them off to rot in wood dumps where they eventually end up in landfill.
But now at least some grand old urban trees will live on.
A program by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority has partnered with Sawmill Sid Inc. to mill the trees, and sell the wood to the public.
Wood rescued from historic buildings like the Gooderham and Worts Distillery, painted numbers from the whiskey barrel rack still visible, is also available.
This wood, some of it centuries old, can then be re-purposed into one-of-akind live edge tables, floors, stair treads, serving trays, mantles, beams, chandeliers and more.
Sawmill Sid is located on Lakeshore Road in Mississauga, just west of Dixie.
“It makes me cringe when I see a good tree going through a wood chipper,” says Sidney Gendron, who runs Sawmill Sid Inc. with his wife Sheila Storey.
“That’s not the highest and best use of any tree… I’m hoping that mentality is going to change.”
Instead he sees a more virtuous circle: a trunk turning into eight spectacular tables, workers paid for their craftsmanship, who in turn pay their bills and support the local economy.
Since opening a year and a half ago, Gendron figures they have diverted 6,800 cubic metres of wood from the landfill and trapped 6,800 tonnes of carbon.
“I want to take the model of what we are doing and replicate it across America,” says Storey.
For those who love wood, it’s a slice of heaven picking through pieces and imagining possibilities. Don’t be put off by the dusty road in: Sawmill Sid’s is a treasure chest.
Woodworker Bob Tier is a regular customer. He makes charcuterie serving trays he sells at Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market. Today, he’s here to get a custom order.
A client wants wooden plates for her steaks. “Sid’s a great resource,” says Tier, “and he’s just around the corner.”
Corporations visit for team building – participants pick the wood, take turns milling it, and end up with a showpiece boardroom table they can use or donate.
“Milling a tree is always surprising”, says Gendron, with unexpected shades like orange or pink, a graceful twist, or weird and wonderful burls adding beauty.
Gendron sees lots of condo dwellers looking for wood to bring a bit of nature to a stark modern space.
If you don’t want to finish the wood yourself, Sawmill Sid’s has a list of local woodworkers to help make your idea a reality.
“We’re lucky because the Greater Toronto Area is one of the best sources of wood in Ontario,” says Gendron.
It turns out the GTA is a perfect mix of old, established communities and large areas of park land where trees have been nurtured.
Talking to Gendron and Storey you get the feeling re-purposing trees is more than just a business. It’s a passion, and a way to make the world a better place.
For example, the company donates wood to build Buddy Benches, an anti-bullying project, to Habitat for Humanity’s houses, and is involved in a new project building canoes and snowshoes from Alectra’s old cedar telephone poles.
Sawmill Sid Inc. won the prestigious Ontario Wood Award in 2016 among many other recognitions.
For Sawmill Sid and his wife, it’s about staying local, a green footprint, and giving back to the community.
And of course respecting the tree.