Rough Cut Character, Light Enough To Lift
Sawn rough and left that way, with decades of barn history on the face. Built to your exact dimensions and shipped nationwide from Auburn, Georgia.
Rough cut reclaimed hemlock box beams are built from barn wood siding rather than structural timber — the boards that faced the weather for 60 to 200 years and carry the saw marks from whatever mill first cut them.
Color: light to dark brown, with hues of red, orange, and yellow.
Texture: saw marks ranging from light to heavy.
Finish options: unfinished, wire brushed, or sanded. Stainable on request.
One honest note on sizing: hemlock runs shorter than our oak and pine, so on long runs a seam is likely. Here’s why that’s never stopped anyone: blending seams is something we’re genuinely good at on this style. We torch, sand, and wire brush each joint until it disappears into the board.
And rough cut hemlock typically comes in at about half the price of our hand hewn box beams — the most budget-friendly way to get real reclaimed wood overhead.
Every Beechcreek box beam:
- 2, 3, or 4-sided box construction, built to your outside dimensions
- 1-sided skins available for trim and accent work
- Corners mitered for a clean, seamless appearance
- Backside planed; all visible faces sanded
- Bora Care treatment applied to kill insects and fungus
- Fastener holes filled with a sawdust-and-glue blend from the same wood
- Built to your exact dimensions — or your interior dimensions when the beam wraps steel, an LVL, or ductwork
- Shipped nationwide, full length, tarped and strapped
Rough Cut Hemlock, Installed
Each beam is one-of-a-kind. Expect natural variation in grain, stress cracks, nail holes, bug holes, knots, and patina — that’s the wood’s history, not a defect.
Installing Rough Cut Reclaimed Hemlock Box Beams
Most customers bring in a finish carpenter, though plenty of experienced DIYers handle it themselves. We supply the wood and we’re glad to talk through your run — we don’t install.
Before you start. Let the beams acclimate in the room for two to three days, stored off the floor in a dry, well-ventilated space. Keep temperature and humidity steady before, during, and after the install; wood moves with the room it lives in.
- Set your cleat. Rip 2×4 stock to match the beam’s interior width and fasten it to the joists or wall framing, level and on layout. Brackets are available separately if you’d rather not build cleats.
- Hang the beam. Lift it over the cleat and fasten through the sides with trim screws or lag bolts, keeping fasteners in the shadow lines.
- Fill the holes. Use the sawdust-and-glue blend that ships with your order — it’s milled from your own beam, so it disappears.
- Square your landing. Cut one end square where the beam meets a wall or corner for a flush finish.
Tools worth having on hand: lag bolts and trim screws, 2×4 stock, a level, circular saw, speed square, wrenches, drill and bits, braces, and ladders or scaffolding.
Care. Dust with a dry or barely damp cloth. In a kitchen or a high-traffic room, a sealer makes long-term upkeep easier.
How to Measure
Four numbers get your beam built right.
- Length — the full span, end to end. We build to 50 feet; on hemlock, longer runs are built with seams.
- Height — the vertical face, measured top to bottom.
- Width — the horizontal face, measured across the front.
- Interior height and width — the open channel inside the hollow beam. These are the ones that matter when the beam wraps an existing joist, steel, an LVL, or ductwork.
Wrapping something? Give us the interior dimensions and we’ll do the conversion: outside width comes out at interior width plus 2 1/2 inches, outside height at interior height plus 1 1/2 inches. We confirm both sets of numbers back to you before anything gets cut.
Beam under 14 feet? Tell us what it’s for. Mantels and floating shelves usually need end caps, and it’s easier to build those in than to add them later.
Why Builders and Homeowners Choose Beechcreek
Builders come to us because straight, square material makes the install go faster. When the beam fits the opening, corners stay tight and long runs stay true. Everything is milled here in Auburn, Georgia, and we stand behind what leaves the yard.
Homeowners and designers come for the surface. Wood that spent 60 to 200 years in a barn reads from the floor and holds up when someone walks over and puts a hand on it — that is not something a mold or a router can fake. We’ll talk through sizing, texture, and finish so the beam lands right in your room.
And every order puts people coming out of recovery to work. That’s not a side story. It’s why the shop exists.
Tell us what you're building.
How do you handle seams on long hemlock runs?
Hemlock boards run shorter than our oak and pine, so long runs usually include a seam — and blending them is something we’re genuinely good at on this style. We torch, sand, and wire brush each joint until it disappears into the board.
How rustic is rough cut compared to hand hewn?
Different kind of character: hand hewn shows axe work, rough cut shows the raw mill saw marks and weathering. Rough cut generally reads a touch more rugged and less formal — a strong fit for cabins, basements, and casual spaces.
Can rough cut hemlock be stained?
Yes, stainable on request — the warm brown base with red and orange hues takes stain well. Samples available before you commit.
Are box beams structural?
No — box beams are decorative. They’re hollow, built from the reclaimed faces of antique timber, and they hang on a cleat or bracket rather than carrying load. If the beam has to hold weight, that’s a solid beam, and your builder or engineer specifies the size.
Are rough cut hemlock box beams safe to use indoors?
Yes. This hemlock spent decades in a barn before it got to us, so the moisture left and the movement happened generations ago. Every beam also gets a Bora Care treatment before it ships, which kills insects and fungus. We treat rather than kiln dry on purpose — kiln drying reclaimed wood tends to make it check and crack afterward.