Hand Hewn A Century Ago, Built To Your Dimensions
Axe marks cut by hand when the barn went up, softer in tone than oak. Built to your exact dimensions and shipped nationwide from Auburn, Georgia.
Hand hewn pine box beams read warmer than oak. Where oak runs toward beige and gold, old pine carries hues of red, orange, and yellow that come up under a finish and make a room feel lit rather than shaded.
Color: light to medium brown with red, orange, and yellow undertones.
Texture: axe marks from light to heavy — your choice.
Finish options: unfinished, wire brushed, or sanded. Stainable on request.
Every Beechcreek box beam:
- 2, 3, or 4-sided box construction, built to your outside dimensions
- 1-sided skins available for trim and accent work
- Corners mitered for a clean, seamless appearance
- Backside planed; all visible faces sanded
- Bora Care treatment applied to kill insects and fungus
- Fastener holes filled with a sawdust-and-glue blend from the same wood
- Built to your exact dimensions — or your interior dimensions when the beam wraps steel, an LVL, or ductwork
- Shipped nationwide, full length, tarped and strapped
Each beam is one-of-a-kind. Expect natural variation in grain, stress cracks, nail holes, bug holes, knots, and patina — that’s the wood’s history, not a defect.
If you’re deciding between pine and oak, the honest short version: oak is the more formal of the two, pine is the warmer. Both are real.
Hand Hewn Pine, Installed
Installing Hand Hewn Pine Box Beams
Most customers bring in a finish carpenter, though plenty of experienced DIYers handle it themselves. We supply the wood and we’re glad to talk through your run — we don’t install.
Before you start. Let the beams acclimate in the room for two to three days, stored off the floor in a dry, well-ventilated space. Keep temperature and humidity steady before, during, and after the install; wood moves with the room it lives in.
- Set your cleat. Rip 2×4 stock to match the beam’s interior width and fasten it to the joists or wall framing, level and on layout.
- Hang the beam. Lift it over the cleat and fasten through the sides with trim screws or lag bolts, keeping fasteners in the shadow lines.
- Fill the holes. Use the sawdust-and-glue blend that ships with your order — it’s milled from your own beam, so it disappears.
- Square your landing. Cut one end square where the beam meets a wall or corner for a flush finish.
Tools worth having on hand: lag bolts and trim screws, 2×4 stock, a level, circular saw, speed square, wrenches, drill and bits, braces, and ladders or scaffolding.
Care. Dust with a dry or barely damp cloth. In a kitchen or a high-traffic room, a sealer makes long-term upkeep easier.
How to Measure
Four numbers get your beam built right.
- Length — the full span, end to end.
- Height — the vertical face, measured top to bottom.
- Width — the horizontal face, measured across the front.
- Interior height and width — the open channel inside the hollow beam. These are the ones that matter when the beam wraps an existing joist, steel, an LVL, or ductwork.
Wrapping something? Give us the interior dimensions and we’ll do the conversion: outside width comes out at interior width plus 2 1/2 inches, outside height at interior height plus 1 1/2 inches. We confirm both sets of numbers back to you before anything gets cut.
Beam under 14 feet? Tell us what it’s for. Mantels and floating shelves usually need end caps, and it’s easier to build those in than to add them later.
Why Builders and Homeowners Choose Beechcreek
Builders come to us because straight, square material makes the install go faster. When the beam fits the opening, corners stay tight and long runs stay true. Everything is milled here in Auburn, Georgia, and we stand behind what leaves the yard.
Homeowners and designers come for the surface. Wood that spent a century in a barn reads from the floor and holds up when someone walks over and puts a hand on it — that is not something a mold or a router can fake. We’ll talk through sizing, texture, and finish so the beam lands right in your room.
And every order puts people coming out of recovery to work. That’s not a side story. It’s why the shop exists.
Tell us what you're building.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are box beams structural?
No — box beams are decorative. They’re hollow, built from the reclaimed faces of antique timber, and they hang on a cleat or bracket rather than carrying load. If the beam has to hold weight, that’s a solid beam, and your builder or engineer specifies the size.
Are hand hewn pine box beams safe to use indoors?
Yes. This pine spent 60 to 200 years in a barn, so the moisture left and the movement happened generations ago. Every beam also gets a Bora Care treatment before it ships, which kills insects and fungus. We treat rather than kiln dry on purpose — kiln drying reclaimed wood tends to make it check and crack afterward.
Can I get long lengths without a seam?
Hand hewn pine is one of our better styles for a seamless run — it and hand hewn oak are where long single-length faces are most often available. Tell us the length you need and we’ll confirm what we can actually pull before you commit to it.
Can these be matched to a mantel?
Yes. We build mantels from the same reclaimed pine stock, so your ceiling beams and your fireplace can come out of the same era of barn. Ask for both on one quote and we’ll pull them together.
Can you change the texture, or stain them?
Both. Texture is not an add-on on box beams — axe marks can run lighter or heavier, and sanding or planing is included at no upcharge. On colour we’d rather send you samples and let your finisher stain it in the room, but if you want us to do it we will. We just need you to name the stain.