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Brian Benham
38 posts
and
13 followers
in over 3 years
in over 3 years
More from Brian Benham
Sculpted Fireplace Mantel
This client came to me wanting something modern and completely different from the traditional fireplace mantel. The design brief was straightforward: no sharp corners, no hard lines, just clean curves throughout. The result is this custom walnut sculpted fireplace mantel with an almost aerodynamic quality.
The profile is what makes this piece stand out. The underside tapers into a wine-glass shape, narrowing as it meets the wall, and the ends pull in slightly from the center. This gives the whole thing a sculpted, flowing look from every angle. At 72″ wide, it's a substantial piece that still manages to feel light on the wall.
The finish is a clear satin topcoat that lets the natural walnut grain do the talking.
For installation, it's secured with a heavy-duty steel wall bracket hidden behind the piece. The minimal visual footprint was important to the client, and the bracket makes that possible with zero visible hardware.
If you want to see how I built it:
https://youtu.be/E7EEbtssx7o?si=sQkDEHxxpTz--aVy
If you want to see how I built it:
https://youtu.be/E7EEbtssx7o?si=sQkDEHxxpTz--aVy
Thanks,
Thanks, Brian @ Benham Design Concepts
12 Comments
real nice mantel brian. those were some big boards to push through a jointer alone. loved watching how you shaped it with the grinder wheels. ive used those many times myself shaping things, they work great and are easy to control. as usual a beautiful project and great video of the build. thanks for taking time to share your work.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
It looks just right for their space.
Very nice! That was a lot of grinding.
The Other Steven
Great look! The design worked well!
Ron
Great show of your talents Brian, nothing keeps you away from design and build of awesome "big" woodwork!
Thanks guys
Thanks, Brian @ Benham Design Concepts
Beautiful. I was wondering how you sculpted all that big lumber. The video answered my questions. Thanks for posting it. Again - nice work. It looks fantastic...
Nicely done.
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
You did a great job. However, the fireplace is not.in my design realm. Happy that the customer liked it.
Gotta ask, how much fun was it vacuuming your shop afterwards? 🤠
That's an impressive build Brian. The shape can fool one into thinking that this might be a simple build. Great job!
Nice work on the mantle!!!!!!!!!
Cheers, Jim ........................ Variety is the spice of life...............Learn something new every day
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