From a Small California Business to Woodworkers Around the World

Wizard Industries, Inc. was founded in 1999 in Ukiah, California — a small town in the heart of Mendocino County, surrounded by redwood forests and working lumber operations.

The original Lumber Wizard was built to solve a real problem: hidden metal in lumber was destroying blades and creating safety hazards in woodshops, and there was no tool designed specifically to address it. General-purpose metal detectors weren't built for close-surface lumber scanning. Woodworkers needed something purpose-built for the way they actually work.

So we built it.

27 Years of Refinement

What started as a practical solution for local woodworkers has been refined over 27 years into the Lumber Wizard 5 — our most advanced detector yet. Every version has been improved based on direct feedback from the woodworkers, sawyers, furniture makers, and cabinet shops who use our tools every day.

The laser line on the Wizard 5 — one of our most-requested features — came directly from woodworkers who wanted faster, more precise metal location. The automatic 5-second tuning came from shops that needed a detector fast enough to use consistently without slowing down their workflow.

The Little Wizard followed the same philosophy: compact, precise, and designed for the real conditions of a working shop.

Made for Woodworkers, by People Who Know Wood

We're based in Northern California timber country. We understand lumber — reclaimed wood, rough-sawn material, pallet wood, barn wood — and the tools that work it. That background shapes everything we make.

Our detectors are tested against real-world lumber with real embedded metal — not lab conditions. They're designed to perform in dusty, loud, variable-humidity shop environments because that's where woodworkers actually work.

Trusted in Shops Around the World

What began as a local solution is now used in woodshops, sawmills, furniture factories, vocational schools, and makerspaces across the United States, Canada, Europe, and beyond.

That reach happened the same way it always does: one woodworker tells another. A saved blade. A prevented injury. A tool that actually works the way it's supposed to.

We're proud of that reputation and committed to earning it with every product we ship.

Our Products

We make two woodworking metal detectors, and a bundle that combines both:

• The Lumber Wizard 5 — our flagship, with laser line pinpointing and automatic tuning
• The Little Wizard 2.5 — compact precision for edges, trim, and tight spaces
• The Lumber Wizard 5 + Little Wizard 2.5 Bundle — complete coverage for any shop

If you work with wood — especially reclaimed, salvaged, or rough-sawn lumber — one of these tools belongs in your shop.

Shop Wizard Detectors

• Lumber Wizard 5 — Laser Guided Woodworking Metal Detector
• Little Wizard 2.5 — Compact Woodworking Metal Detector
• Lumber Wizard 5 + Little Wizard 2.5 Bundle

About this article: This article was prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by Wizard Industries, Inc. for accuracy based on our experience designing and selling woodworking metal detectors since 1999.