Hand-hewn beams & mantels

We turn logs into beams the old way, with a broadaxe. Every one comes out a little different.

Options

Why hew

A hand-hewn beam has something a milled board cannot fake. The axe marks stay. That is the point.

We turn logs into beams the old way, with a broadaxe. A broadaxe takes the log down to a rough beam. An adze flattens the faces. Every beam comes out a little different.

Stock and custom

We usually have a few beams in stock. If you do not see the size or species you are after, we can source a log and make it happen.

Got trees, logs or old timber sitting around that you would like turned into something worth keeping? Bring it to us. We like that kind of project.

Photos

Recent work

A log on sawhorses in a backyard, partly hewn flat on one side — 01A log on its way to becoming a beam.

A pile of fresh wood chips on the ground around a log being hand-hewn — 02Fresh chips off the log, mid-hew.

A broadaxe lodged in the face of a timber being hewn, with chips scattered on the ground — 03Broadaxe work. No two beams come out alike.

A hewn beam face being flattened by hand, with tool marks visible along the wood — 04Adze work: flattening a beam face by hand.

A hand-hewn timber beam with weathered gray faces lying across logs in a backyard — 05A hewn beam, ready for a mantel or a frame.

A freshly hewn pale beam on sawhorses with axe marks showing along its face — 06Fresh off the hew. We leave the axe marks.

A large hand-hewn beam on sawhorses in low sun, ready to become a mantel — 07A hewn mantel beam, ready to install.

A hand-hewn Douglas Fir mantel installed above a modern fireplace with a white stone surround — 08Installed: hand-hewn Douglas Fir over a white stone surround.

Questions

Before you ask

Can you make a mantel from my own log?

Yes. Bring a log, or old timber you want to keep, and we will talk about what it can become.

Do you leave the axe marks?

Yes. They are the character of a hewn beam. If you want a smoother face, tell us when we talk.

What species do you work with?

Douglas Fir is what we have installed most recently, and we can source other species. Tell us what you are after.

Do you keep beams in stock?

We usually have a few. If you do not see the size or species you want, we can source a log and make it.

Tell us what the space is for.

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