Arc Marks From A Century Old Sawmill Blade
Sweeping blade arcs in softwood, a step cleaner than hand hewn. Built to your exact dimensions and shipped nationwide from Auburn, Georgia.
Circular sawn pine box beams carry sweeping arc marks that came off a circular blade at an old-style sawmill — a signature you can date by eye, and one that reads very differently from an axe-hewn face.
Color: light to medium brown with red, orange, and yellow undertones.
Texture: circular saw marks from the original mill.
Finish: stainable on request.
Please read this before ordering: wire brushing or sanding will remove the circular saw marks — the entire reason to choose this style. We don’t recommend either finish here. If you want a smoother surface, resawn white oak or hand hewn resawn will get you there without losing the character you paid for.
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
Circular Sawn Pine, 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 Reclaimed Circular Sawn Pine 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.
- 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. The arc marks on circular sawn pine came off an old-style sawmill blade a century ago, and they read from the floor in a way a mold or a router can’t 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes the circular marks?
The round blade of an old-style circular sawmill left a curved kerf across every pass. Those arcs are the fingerprint of how the board was originally milled — you can’t fake them convincingly, and we never need to.
Why don't you recommend sanding this style?
Because sanding or wire brushing removes the circular saw marks — the entire reason to choose it. If you want a smoother face, our resawn white oak or hand hewn resawn styles get you there without erasing the character you paid for.
Are these heavy to install overhead?
No — like all our box beams, they’re hollow and light enough to lift by hand, while reading as solid antique timber once they’re up.
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 circular sawn pine box beams safe to use indoors?
Yes. This pine was cut on an old-style circular sawmill a century or more ago and spent its life in a barn, 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.