Building Fireplace Mantels: Simple Federal Mantel
Plans for a project that shows elegant proportion, restraint, and balance...and it can be built in a weekend
by Mario Rodriguez
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The building of fireplace mantels is fast becoming one of the most popular home renovation projects in the country. The attractive and distinctive fireplace mantels in this book will inspire you to build your own. Ten projects reflect all the popular home styles from Colonial to Arts and Crafts and Contemporary.
In this excerpt, Mario Rodriguez provides complete plans for building a federal mantel, a common style in 19th-century farmhouses. Rodriguez takes you through the steps of choosing the materials, priming the parts, installation, and painting. The mantel is structurally straightforward and can easily be built in a weekend.
Mario Rodriguez, a professional woodworker for 20 years, teaches woodworking at Fashion Institute of Technology. A contributing editor of Fine Woodworking magazine, he is the author of Traditional Woodwork.
Photos: Bruce Buck and Mario Rodriguez; drawings: Ron Carboni
