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In architecture a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. An example of an ornate stone corbel on a building[/caption] You see corbels throughout San Francisco, and they are very common on Victorian homes. Many corbels on homes are made of wood, and as such are prone to rot over time. The corbels often have unique shapes, and we copy the shape to replace rotten corbels, and match any remaining corbels on the building. 

Close up of antique corbel.[/caption] Custom corbels are made according to the following steps:

1. Wood of the proper thickness is chosen, or wood is laminated to achieve the desired thickness.
2. The wood is run on the joiner, cleaning up and making smooth surfaces.
3. The wood is chopped to length with a miter saw, giving two clean working ends.
4. The wood is then run through the thickness planer bringing to the proper dimension.
5. The outline of the old corbel is then traced onto the wood.
6. The outline is cut with a bandsaw.
7. The new corbel is sanded and painted as needed.

Close up of a corbel after being cut to shape with the band saw.[/caption] At Channel Lumber, we handle a wide variety of custom wood projects in our shop. For more information, please contact us.