So Bunny asked if we could put a mantel above the fireplace. I am thinking, sure, why not. Here is what I've got.

The first thing was to figure out what it should look like and how to mount it on a very uneven, irregular wall. 

OK. So she wants something that looks like it was from one huge piece of lumber, rough cedar. I am thinking, make a box from 1" x 12" cedar. 

I decided to use a 2" x 6" for the ledger and 1/2" x 5 1/2" studs to secure it to the stone work. I really needed 7" but the only way to get those was to move up to 3/8" bolts and I don't own anything that will handle a 3/8" bit. 

I marked out there I wanted the bolts to be and drilled the holes. 

Checked to make sure the holes in the board and bolts line up.

I always put my name on everything I build and sometimes leave a note.

I have the ledger, now to add some supports.

I decided to use pocket holes to attach the supports to the ledger.

But, after thinking about it, I decided it wasn't enough. So I glued and then screwed from behind.

Now its time to hang the ledger, make it level, and secure. I also put Locktite on the bolt threads to make sure it didn't come loose. 

Now its time to start building the cedar box. I had to notch out a few spots so it would fit better against the stone. 

I cut all the angles at 45 degrees. The long sides I cut on the table saw. The short sides, I used my miter saw. I put the top, front, and bottom together and put it up to see how it fit. Then I measured the end caps and then cut them. 

The 45's turned out OK. In most cases you can't see a seam where the lumber comes together. It is super hard to make a perfect cut on an 8' long board with all the irregularities. Because we are using rough cedar, when seams do show, you take a hammer and tap on the edges to close the gap. That works most of the time. I cut the ends and attached them. 

Now its time for some stain. Under these lights, it looks a little darker than it will be when it has the polyurethane on it. 

I put three coats of flat, water based, poly on it. It fits on the ledger fairly snug so theres no need to secure it with anything else. 

**UPDATE**  Bunny couldn't wait to do her thing. Here it is. 

More later...