For this project, I take a walnut slab that has a rotten end, an ugly, squared-off chainsaw cut, and a few large cracks, sculpt it with some power carving, and cut some bowtie inlays to turn it into a live-edge floating shelf. I think it is some of the coolest woodworking art I have done in a while.
I built this for a stairwell, but it would go great in a breakfast nook to put some things on.
Specialty Products used
Floating Shelf Hardware https://goo.gl/wK3T8v
Power Sculpting Disk https://amzn.to/2FBBsHN
woodriver low angle block plane https://amzn.to/2qY0nlo
So I’ve had this gorgeous slab of walnut sitting in my shop for way too long, and I finally decided it was time to do something with it. The plan? Turn it into a floating shelf that would actually make people stop and look.
Now, this wasn’t going to be your standard woodworking project. This slab came with some serious character—and by character, I mean challenges. There was this straight chainsaw cut from where someone had lopped off a branch, and one end was pretty rotten. But here’s the thing: it also had these beautiful natural cracks running through it that I knew would look amazing with some hand-inlaid ebony bow ties.
Flattening the Beast
First problem: the slab had a twist to it and was too wide for my jointer. So I did what any reasonable woodworker would do—I built a router sled and flattened it the hard way. Once I got one side flat, I sent it through the planer to tackle the other side, then flipped it back over to clean up all those router marks.
Creating That Organic Edge
With a flat slab in hand, I started power carving away that ugly straight chainsaw cut. I wanted something organic, something that looked natural. I kept thinking about water running off the edge, slowly eroding stone over time. That mental image really helped me shape it into something that felt less “cut with a chainsaw” and more “shaped by nature.” After the power carving did its thing, I refined everything with a sander until it felt just right.
Dealing with the Rotten End
That rotten end needed some attention, too. Instead of trying to cut it all away, I grabbed a wire brush and removed any loose material. My plan was to seal it up with a finish later—sometimes you’ve got to embrace the imperfections, you know?
The Bow Tie Inlays (The Fun Part)
This is where things got really interesting. I sketched out a few different bow tie sizes on paper until I found the ones that felt right for the cracks. Then I glued the paper templates right onto some ebony and cut them out on the band saw.
After cleaning up the saw marks with a chisel and putting a slight bevel on the back (this helps keep everything tight when you inlay it), I stuck some double-sided tape on each bow tie to hold it in place while I traced around it with a razor blade. Then came the relaxing part—and I’m only half joking here—carefully chopping out each mortise with some sharp chisels. I worked from both corners of each bow tie inward so I wouldn’t accidentally overcut into the surrounding wood with that razor blade.
The Angled Cut
Once all the inlays were done, I decided to cut the shelf at an angle. Why? Because I wanted that end with the rotted wood to be a focal point, like the shelf was literally growing out of the wall.
The Wall Wasn’t Square (Of Course It Wasn’t)
Now came installation time, and naturally, the wall wasn’t square. Does anyone actually have square walls?
Since I’d be working in a stairwell off a ladder, I decided to make my life easier by scribing the wall shape onto a plywood template first. I used a compass to transfer the wall’s shape, then hit it with a belt sander to clean up to my pencil line. After a test fit, I transferred that template to the walnut slab and sanded it to match perfectly. A quick check with my block plane squared everything up where needed.
Getting the Hardware Right
The mounting hardware I chose needed to be installed pretty accurately, so I taped some craft paper to the wall to mark where the studs were. Then I used that paper to transfer those exact locations to the slab. Using a block of wood as a guide, I drilled straight into the slab—I really wanted this thing to hang level.
After chiseling out spaces for the mounting hardware, I created a story stick to help me locate the hardware in the exact right spots on the wall.
Here’s a pro tip: before hanging the shelf, I added a few countersunk screws along the bottom edge. These give you lateral adjustment if you need to level the shelf. If it’s tipping, you just back the screws out to push it level. Game changer.
The Final Install
To mount everything, I tacked up my story stick using just a few brads—easy to pull down with minimal holes to fill later. That story stick made locating the mounting hardware ridiculously easy. All I had to do was add the final screws, hang the shelf, and step back to admire the work.
And there you have it—one gorgeous live-edge floating shelf with hand-cut ebony bow ties, turning what could have been firewood into something worth showing off. Sometimes the best projects are the ones that sit around the shop until you finally give them the attention they deserve.
I’m the owner of Benham Design Concepts, a mixed media art studio where I design and build custom furniture and other works of art using wood, glass, stone, and various metals.
In this blog, I talk about the art I create, my journey, and the things I learn along the way.