NotchLoading plan…
Loading plan…
From the front, this reads as a solid wood mantel shelf. In reality it's a five-sided box — top, bottom, two ends, and a center divider for rigidity — with the front panel mounted on concealed surface hinges instead of screwed on permanently, so it swings open to hide a remote, cable box, or whatever else you don't want visible near a TV or fireplace.
Install the hinges and test the door's swing before the box goes on the wall — once it's hanging, you're reaching up and inside a dark cavity to adjust a hinge, which is a genuinely awkward way to fine-tune a fit that's much easier to get right on a bench. The example below is sized for a 60" mantel; the source calls for the top, bottom, and front to be cut to your own desired length minus 1-1/2" for the top and bottom, so treat every length here as a stand-in for your actual measurement.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x6 board (roughly 3x your mantel length, plus a foot) | 16 linear ft |
| 1x3 board, cut to fit for hanging cleats | 2 each |
| Concealed surface-mount hinges | 1 pair |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" | 40 each |
| Wood glue | 3 oz |
| Self-tapping wood screws, 2-1/2"For hanging to wall studs. | 8 each |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Top and bottom (60" mantel example)1x6Cut to your desired mantel length minus 1-1/2". | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 58 1/2" |
| Ends1x6 | 2 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 5 1/2" |
| Center divider1x6 | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 4" |
| Front (door)1x6Cut to your desired mantel length. | 1 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 60" |
| Hanging cleats1x3Measure and cut to fit inside your assembled box. | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 57" |
Buy 5 boards at 8 ft.
3 boards
2 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Attach the two ends and the center divider to the bottom board with glue and 1-1/4" brad nails. Orient the grain of the ends so it runs horizontal — this is a small detail but it reads noticeably more finished than end-grain showing vertically.
Install the concealed surface-mount hinges and mount the front so it's flush on the bottom and sides — do this before the top goes on, while you can still reach inside easily. Test the swing and adjust the hinge position until the fit is right; this gets much harder to do once the box is closed up and on the wall.
Attach the top board to the ends and center divider — do not attach it to the front door, which needs to swing independently.
Measure and cut the 1x3 cleats to fit inside the box, then nail and glue them in place. Hang the mantel to wall studs using the 2-1/2" screws, checking with a level as you go — a mantel that isn't dead level is one of the more obvious mistakes on a piece this visible in a room.
No reviews yet
Sign in to review this plan or share your build.
No reviews yet. Be the first to build this.