Live-Edge Custom Fireplace Mantle In Sugar Maple
Building with the live-edge allows Dan to incorporate the organic markings found just underneath the bark of a tree. For this custom fireplace mantle, he used a slab of air dried sugar maple harvested from a 360-year old tree felled after a storm in 2003. The mantle wraps around the chimney, so frame-and-panel shelves were constructed and joined to the front board of the mantle. Grooves were also cut into the top of the board, to allow for the display of the client's large plate collection. The piece is hand finished with a blend of oils, followed by a protective topcoat to protect the wood from any water damage. Pictured are the drawings Dan did during the design process, as well as the air dried slab used for the construction of the piece. Joining a live-edges is not done commercially, but Dan enjoys the challenge. He often travels to the Kansas City area for the annual Plaza Art Fair. This allowed Dan to deliver and instal the mantel in person. The client wrote us the following: "Wow. What a beautiful result from our September 2012 conversation!!! Words just can't possibly say what is in my heart. Thank you for your tender loving care in making such a beautiful mantle. We will treasure it always." – Pat and Chuck
Long-time member
A Maker who has been a valued part of this community for several years.
Fast shipper
Customers say that this Maker ships promptly after completing a project.
Great service
This Maker has consistently demonstrated excellence in craftsmanship and customer service.
Your treasure as the tree’s last story . . .
TEN YEARS AGO, I moved my family off the grid to an 80-acre homestead in the woods of northern Wisconsin. It was always a dream of mine to build from trees that I knew personally. You might wonder what a person can learn from a tree. You’d be surprised. Bullet wounds, lightning strikes, knot-holes and rain damage - I build around the stories I find in the wood, to honor the character and graining of every board.
IN BOTH MY WORK AND DAILY LIFE, I am drawn to the patient tradition of hand tools, the harmony of glueless joinery, and the soulful approach of the Japanese. As a self-taught woodworker with a BFA and a background in studio arts, I look to this live material for guidance, because I believe a useful object can be art. I am known for the complexity and integrity of my joinery. I believe that if you can see how the piece holds itself together, how the separate components cooperate, then joinery serves as both function and ornamentation. Because we live with a conscious effort to conserve electricity and resources, I employ as many hand tools as possible. Working this way in my opinion also produces the most structurally sound and aesthetically beautiful results.
Maker Policies
Discover true craftsmanship each week
A guide to the best items from the best makers and the stories behind them.