The six and a half inch thick, 13 foot long walnut slab filled the shop as it came from the chainsaw mill.
Beam cutter on the old worm-drive
“rough-sawn” to the max
Using the “beam-cutter” to rip the slab into a six inch square timber
Pulling the saw at the end of the cut to save the last bit of slab for the corbels
Aluminum C-channel as a guide
start of the smoothing
a jack plane with a radius set to take heavy shavings
Now the joiner
pretty obvious
chopping out for a patch over a rotten knot
the same, fitted
filing the edges of a little copper butterfly template
bench-top with tools for making butterfly templates
variety of butterfly templates
Scribing the timber for butterflies to bind the main check
Routing out the waste
chopping the rest
right up to the knife line
ready for the joining
carving the corbels (my documentation fell off for most of this process)
mating the various natural edges of the corbels to the mantel
a little further back
fitting the opposite corbel
rough-cut cove on the left corbel
both corbels with coves-cut and awaiting final shaping
apply the final touches on the ends of the timber
“C” for the covenant
installed over the fire box, and the home-owner’s sandstone work.
I look forward to seeing it with the stone work done
The School of the Transfer of Energy 
every time I see post from you in my “feed-box” I’m delighted. Thanks for documenting your work. And that you do it in long, blog form (as opposite to instagram). What lights are you using in your workshop? They give great ambient.
Thank you very much, Grzegorz, I appreciate your comment. I quit using Instagram as a matter of fact- for, among others, the very reason you stated. I prefer the longer form and deeper investment I can make here.
I have some windows in my shop, which cannot be beat, otherwise I prefer to use led lights in all my fixtures.
Thank you again for your kind words.
Excellent post once again. So thankful that you share your process in beautiful photos.
Thank You, David.