Need a classic, hand-hewn beam for a fireplace mantel or a bunkie? Hew it yourself from a straight log the old-fashioned way. I made the main beams for my house like this, but check with your building department first—some building inspectors insist on formally graded lumber for structural uses.
Freshly felled logs are easiest to work; green timber will dry fine after it’s cut into a beam. Trim any branches flush, then raise the log onto strong sawhorses that put the top of the log no higher than waist height. Use a level to mark the log ends with the thickness and width of the beam, extending the lines right out to the edges of the log, tic-tac-toe style. Using a level ensures that the outlines are square and plumb.
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Snap a chalk line from the ends of corresponding lines where they meet the edge of the log. On smooth-barked trees, such as poplar, the chalk lines will show against the bark; with pine or cedar, you’ll probably need to debark first. Use a chainsaw, handsaw, or a sharp axe to cut into the sides of the log every 6″–8″, up to—but not beyond—the chalk lines. This operation is called “notching”; the next is called “joggling.”
Rotate the beam so the notched face is vertical, then use an axe (ideally a broad axe if you can find one), to lop off the blocks of wood between the saw cuts as you stand alongside. Repeat the notching and joggling for the other three sides of the beam.
You’ll end up with a genuine hand-hewn beam, complete with handsome axe marks that prove you did the work. If you prefer a little more refinement, you can use an adze (see below) and even a hand plane. With the log on the ground, straddle it, then take small strokes with the adze to clean up high spots and axe marks.
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What is an adze, and how can you use it?
What looks like an axe with the blade attached wrong? That’s an adze, a traditional timber-working tool with a straight or curved blade used to shape and smooth boards and beams. They’re ancient, even older than axes, having been used all over the world for more than 10,000 years. Specialized adzes are designed for bowl making, wooden ship building, as well as beam hewing, and are essential to Japanese timber finishing and shaping techniques.
To be effective on wood, an adze needs to be quite sharp. Adzing safely involves working wood as it sits low, between your legs, so any stray stroke won’t hit your body. Most adzes are finishing tools, used with short, light strokes to create shapes and refine surfaces. You can buy adzes new, but older ones, many made with excellent steel, are sometimes available inexpensively at cottage-country auctions.
This article was originally published in the Sept/Oct 2025 issue of Cottage Life.
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