Owl Hardwood Lumber Company

First time I this store earlier this work. I’m an amateur woodworker and found this place great. The women at the front desk was friendly and helpful. I didn’t feel out of place buying only a few odds and ends pieces for hobbyist projects. The prices were also great, I did a quick mental check and found the to be substantially cheaper than Home Depot for identical. Products. It is a bit out of the way for me, but I look forward to going back.

I never even knew Owl Hardwood Lumber in Des Plaines existed until yesterday. We just finished gutting the kitchen and renovating it. We live in a Chicago style house build in the early 40’s so the kitchen is pretty small (roughly 10′ X 10′). We use to had a small counter in the kitchen where my wife and I could eat without having to go into the dining room. We searched for a table to accommodate the space, but weren’t able to find anything.
They were either the wrong shape or too big for the space or the wrong shape. This is when I got the idea to design a table that would not only fit in the space, but could use some of the left over materials such as the hardwood floor we had installed and the glass tile. I thought this would be perfect to not only utilize the left over materials, but to create a design that would fit in the small space and at the same time match the other finishes in the kitchen. (See photos)
I was looking for someway to finish the edge around the table and I went to Home Depot and found some ¾″ quarter rounds that could be spliced together to create a 1 ½″ half round bullnose edge. That’s when my contractor mentioned Owl Hardwood & Lumber.
This store is off of Graceland in Des Plaines. They have such a huge selection of different types of woods along with a huge selection of trims for chair rails, bases, edge conditions, crown moldings in every type of configuration and species of wood. You can by sliced planes of trees to be used for a variety of purposes. They also have a huge selection of different finishes for the woods
Here are a few pictures of my kitchen along with a mock up of the table I am going to build to compliment my new kitchen.

I used to shop quite often with Owl and usually received excellent service. Last week I was helped by Mark, and that was one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had. First of all, he was really unpleasant, slow and seemed very unhappy to do his job behind the counter. Second, he gave me inaccurate price for their cheapest plywood, and it wasn’t until I went with him to look for it that I found out at what price they really have it. Third, he was reluctant to inform about their wood-​cutting price until the last moment, so I had to wait 15 minutes just to find out that cutting would be much more than the piece of plywood. Regardless all of the above, I decided to purchase it and then was told that they do not have the time to cut it, so I would have to come back in few days. I insisted on checking with the shop, and then he found out it will be ready the next day. Horrible salesman, will not come back again. I would support some other local business. Beware.

After scouring the entire state for a great linear wood shop, we found owl! What an amazing place. They will cater to anything you need. They even have activities to help keep children occupied. They are friendly and are able to answer anything you need down to toxicity of certain import woods. Hands down best place in the state to shop for hardwoods for woodwork!

I’m working on refinishing some furniture and was advised to use General Finishes Gel Stain. Not a lot of places sell this specific brand, although it is available on Amazon.
In an effort to support local businesses, I called Owl Hardwood to inquire on their price per quart; after all, if I’m going to drive an hour to get there, I’d like to know I’m not spending twice as much. When I asked for a rough estimate of how much a quart would cost, the man on the phone rudely whined, «I don’t know! I’m not standing right beside it.» It was then followed by a prolonged silence in which I hoped he was joking or would send someone to look.
WOW, ok. Well, if it is too much an effort for you to ask someone to check or check yourself, then it is definitely too much of an effort for me to support your business. As customer service is clearly not a priority here, I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.

I just bought a live edge slab of maple and had to write a review of this place. Everything about it was great! I was helped by a few different people, all super nice and knowledgable and friendly. The selection was amazing, I wanted everything! I’d been looking online for a particular kind of wood slab and was having no luck within my price range, but this place had LOTS of choices. My friend went with me and ended up buying some wood for a project she was working on too, and got it cut right there to size with no waiting. I’d recommend this place to anyone who has any kind of woodworking project.

Amazeballs. The variety of wood here is amazing and excellent quality. I stopped in because I wanted to do raw-​edge floating shelves. They told me I was crazy and that it would be a PITA and that they had some good stuff if I could find brackets I liked. I looked at some cool stuff with a slightly cranky but knowledgeable guy. Decided he was right, so I left and went on the hunt for brackets, found brackets and headed back to Owl a few weeks later. Today this guy, Ray, helped me and after I confessed that I had no idea what I was doing he jumped right in to be helpful. I had what I think I wanted picked out if they could cut it for me? Sure enough, they will. He wrote me up, we talked through the cuts I needed, had the magical cutting zone put a straight edge on the wood and I was on my way. He helped me get the stuff in my car and sent me on my way.
Could not have asked for more.

Beautiful woods and excellent service. I’m no craftsman but I’m learning to enjoy some woodworking projects. Up to three staff members helped me out at different times and they were all incredibly friendly. I was worried I’d look like an idiot not knowing much about wood working, but they were most helpful and knowledgable. The wood here is exceptional quality and great if you’re a craftsman or an amateur who just wants to make a cool table or something.

This place is amazing! All of the hardwood lumber is top quality and meticulously organized. The selection is incredible, you won’t find this variety anywhere else in or around Chicago. If you’ve heard of it, they have it. In addition to the lumber they have myriad moldings, plywoods, turning and carving stock, burls, and incredible live edge slabs.
The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable and, if you need it, they can cut boards and do some milling on site… helpful if you drive a compact car.
The prices are fair. Price per board-​foot for ubiquitous woods (oak, maple, poplar) were in line or slightly above the big box stores, but the quality of the wood and milling makes any price differential well worth it. Prices for exotic woods were at most slightly higher than anything you can find online, but lower when you consider you won’t pay for shipping ;)
On my first visit I picked up some walnut, maple, and birdseye maple for a table project, but I wanted to buy everything I saw. I look forward to visiting many more times and being inspired by Owl’s selection.

Went there last weekend to grab some wood for a shelf project. Amazing selection! Rick was super helpful and patient with us, really appreciate the excellent service. Thank you!

If You Are Looking For Great Wood, This Is The Place To Get It
Okay, I am serious when I say that this place is awesome. Owl is a small business that has a vast variety of fine woods for any woodworking project.
You will find some large specimens of wide boards as well as terrific choices to select from. They don’t just have a vast majority of woods but the quality is top notch and the prices are fare. They also sell stains, varnishes, sandpaper and other woodworking items.
Of course the staff is very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. If needed, they will help you pick out boards that you are looking for as well as cut the boards for you.
You can go to a large home builders store but you wont get the attention and top quality like you will here. Come here if you need really great wood for your favorite woodworking project.

I cant say enough good things about this place. We came in with 1 idea and left with 10! Andy made us feel like we could do ANYTHING and everything. He was very knowledgeable about the products and spent ALOT of time explaining… well everything. I dont know enough to compare the prices but ORANGE, BLUE and GREEN have never had Andy’s style of customer service. We’ll be back for sure. A little hard to get to though.

I’m taking woodworking classes, and for the second one I needed to purchase my own wood. While Wood World is closer, I’d heard from others that they don’t have a lot of patience for people who are new to woodworking and purchasing wood. I really didn’t want to be made to feel like an idiot or a burden, then hand over a couple hundred dollars for the pleasure.
I decided to head out to Owl, since it’s not terribly far away. I got there around 2 p.m., not realizing they closed at 3 and worried that I was going to have to come back on Monday before my class began. The guys there were really friendly, and asked me about my class and the project I was working on. After I decided on walnut for my wood (though some of the other woods called out to me… Wenge, Ebony, Rosewood, Mahogany…), one of the guys helped me with it because I still have a hard time understanding a cut list. I was in and out within 45 minutes, and for the last 8 weeks my classmates and instructors have been commenting on how lovely the wood is. I’ll be starting another class in a few weeks so I’ll be heading back to pick up some more. I may have to spring for that Wenge or Ebony.

Great place for all things wood related AND the customer service was amazing. I do not know much about this kind of stuff but I tagged along with my husband as he wanted to find some wood for a fireplace mantel he was building. Wow … the wood is organized by where it’s from and then length/​width/​price etc … very neat and organized.
They also have a ton of exotic and imported woods. They basically have everything you need and I bet they could/​would order something if they didn’t have it. We were a little overwhelmed by all the amazing choices and different price categories but the staff was helpful in assisting us to make the best decisions for our project.
Love this place — Hopefully, this mantel works out well and we will go back to get the supplied for our second one!

After too many years of dealing with the attitudes at Wood World in Chicago, I researched other sources for exotic woods in the Chicago area.
That search ( Unilocal) led me to Owl Lumber. Wow, what a difference, Mike, my salesperson, was more than helpful. He and others working there treated customers like they were an important part of their business.
Wood World can go the way of Dutch Elm disease! Don’t waste your time or money there.
Go to Owl Hardwood Lumber, they’re great

So I am no wood worker but I really wanted to build a tack trunk, I walked in with plans and measurements that I drew up. They helped me pick up the best wood for the best price and then I paid to have it cut for me. This weekend I started to put my trunk together with my awesome wood, and found the WOOD WAS CUT PERFECTLY!!! All the pieces fit together just like I had planned it is really awesome.
They were so nice and helped me out a lot, I will go back there for sure for future woodworking projects I decide to take on.
The labor costs were not that much and for what we got I was super impressed!

They do have serious wood – plus they are friendly and very helpful. Mark is the best helpful & very funny!
If you need better than Home Depot/Menard’s/Lowe’s wood… this is the place.

I’ve shopped @ OWL for pieces for my fireplace mantle, a shelf system that I was making for a customer, & recommend them highly. They have a vhs library full of good woodworking instructional videos, and plenty of moldings for every taste. The only downside is that they are not that easy to get to, but well worth the trip. They also carry Birch plywood in 5′ x 5′ pieces which are not very easy to transport, but if you are making something with a dimension more than 4′, they are the place.

Owl has an unbelievable selection of classic moldings and hardwoods from around the world. Their knowledgeable staff are always willing to help you with whatever your needs may be. I love learning about new exotic wood species and getting inspired by just walking around their huge warehouse. It is not uncommon to see large slabs of exotic hardwoods on display sometimes still in their natural log formation. It something worth checking out even if you are not a wood nut. Oh, and if you need a piece customized they can cut, sand and plane anything to your precise dimensions (for a small fee). From the serious woodworker to the weekend warrior, if Owl doesn’t have it, chances are you won’t find it.
Go Build Something…

If you need a hardwood board or two of something very exotic, this place has an amazing selection! A great place to wander around– things are out on display to peruse in a retail kind of way.
Prices are as high as just about anywhere though– not too many bargains to be found here. For common hardwoods I limit my shopping here to a board or two that I might need in a pinch, and travel farther to stock up for a whole project on a budget.