A customer had an older style brick mantel, and they wanted a more traditional wooden mantel. This was a process that included removing the old brick mantel while keeping the rest of the fireplace intact. Making the mantel involved joining a lot of wood, and for this task I used the Festool Domino tool. This device makes perfect pockets that allow two pieces of wood to be joined together using dowels. See photos below.

The original mantel was a bit outdated.
The Festool Domino makes perfect pockets.
Here you can see the perfect pockets that the Domino makes.
The Domino is easy to use.
The dowels come in different sizes for different needs. The Domino can cut different sized pockets, but you need to change out the machine’s bits.
I also used wood glue.
I used finishing nails to secure things together. Note the square to make sure everything is at the right angle. The nails will be hidden by a piece of trim.
Here I’m using a piece of crown molding to add some definition to the new mantel. When done the mantle will provide a warm addition to my client’s family room.