How to Make a Hand-Hewn Mantel

Cut a log of the species of tree that you want for a mantel. Remove the bark with a drawknife. Allow it to dry or season for a year. If you make it into a mantel before it has dried, it may split and warp.

Cut the log to the desired mantel length using a chainsaw for speed and ease or a bow saw if you prefer quiet and authenticity.

Draw the shape of your mantel on the end of the log. Many mantels are rectangular with their height about two-thirds of their width -- for example, 6 inches high by 10 inches wide. The corners of this shape should touch the edges of the log.

Hook a chalk snap line onto the end of the log at the point where the corners of the shape you drew touch the edges. Snap the chalk line so it makes a line straight down the side of the log. Reproduce the shape on the other end of the log by connecting the ends of the chalk lines.

Cut into the log at 3-inch intervals along its length using either a chainsaw or a bow saw. Cut into one face until the saw reaches the chalk lines, turn the log 90 degrees and cut again. Do this twice more, so the bottoms of the cuts you made create the same shape you drew on the end of the log.

Chop out the wood that remains between the cuts using an adze. An adze is a hand tool similar to an axe but with the blade perpendicular to its handle. You use an adze by straddling the log with a foot on each side and swinging the adze down between your legs. With a sharp adze and practice, you can create beautiful, flat, hand-hewn surfaces on your mantel.