Building a Mesquite Floating Shelf

I recently tackled a custom floating shelf project using mesquite wood, and let me tell you, it turned into quite the adventure. The piece had character, but that’s what made it interesting.

The slab came with this natural crack running through it, which I knew would look great with some bow ties inlaid. But there was also some weird, less attractive cracking that just didn’t sit right with me. So I grabbed my tools and did a little “artistic surgery,” as I like to call it. I widened the crack to make it more pronounced, giving it that aged, weathered look. Then I masked off the surrounding area and worked some brown dye down into the crack. My least favorite part of woodworking is sanding, so anything I can do to minimize that is a win in my book.

Once the dye dried, it matched beautifully with the natural knots in the wood. I cut out some bow ties and hand-inlaid them out along the crack, taking my time to figure out the best placement. Using my marking knife—flat on one side so it sits perfectly against the workpiece—I carefully traced around each bow tie. You have to be gentle with this because the grain can pull your knife off course if you’re not careful.

For the support piece, I cut a section from the original slab and decided to add a decorative curve to the front face. I used a thin piece of maple as a bending guide to lay out a nice arc, though I got a little ahead of myself and had to backtrack to cut the joinery first.

The half-lap joint was probably the trickiest part. I built a custom jig out of plywood pieces with jointed edges, then used my router with a bearing bit to cut the dados. My table saw blade only goes about three and a quarter inches deep, but I needed four inches, so I hand-cut the rest. Working from both sides of the line, I made sure everything tracked straight.

Then there was this ugly branch that had been staring at me the whole time. Instead of hiding it, I decided to carve it into a decorative feature using a grinder attachment. I carved flowing lines that made the grain look like it was moving around the branch, like water around a log in a river. When I spritzed some water on it to preview the finish, I knew it was going to look awesome. Turns out, it wasn’t such an ugly branch after all.

For mounting, I’m using brackets that will sit in a routed trough so the shelf sits flush against the wall. The client will install it themselves, drilling into the stems that stick out from the brackets.

The final trick was the glue-up. Since my half-lap joint was already nice and tight, I used epoxy instead of regular wood glue. Epoxy acts as a lubricant, making it easier to slide everything together. PVA glue has too much moisture and can swell the wood fibers, which is the last thing you want when you’re trying to fit a tight joint. I definitely didn’t want to split either piece after all that work.

Looking at the finished piece now, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. What started as a Mesquite slab with maybe too much character became a shelf with just the right amount for a mountain modern designed floating shelf.

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Shelving

Coat Rack – Wall Hanging With Storage

Foyer Wall Cabinet

Contemplation Shelf

Floating Shelf To Display a Model Train

Media Gaming Shelf

Mesquite Floating Shelf

Walnut & Black Steel Bookshelf

Wall-Mounted Mid-Century Modern TV Cabinet