We were engaged by a client to replace their existing fireplace mantel with something a little more rustic. We decided to use river birch for the job as would be easy to weather/distress and we had two trees that were rescued from a burn pile on the client’s property. The wood was milled and dried prior to the start of this project and you can see the existing mantel below.
We met with the client to confirm measurements and direction and then got down to making sawdust. The first step was to remove the live edge from the wood as it would not be needed on this project. This is done by using a chalk line and a band-saw.
Next was to achieve one flat surface on each board. As lumber dries it can develop all sorts of crazy curves. This initial step is done using a jointer and then uniform thickness is achieved using a planer.
Once the boards were of uniform thickness and flat, we worked with the client to chose which board would be the front of the new mantel. (spoiler alert: The answer was 3)
We cut the boards to the required dimensions and glued two boards together to form the top of the mantel. The face with be 8″ thick and the depth/top of the mantel will be roughly 10″. While the glue was drying on the top, we cut a 45 degree angle on the front and sides to form a mitre joint. This is done by using the table saw with a sacrificial piece of wood attached to the fence (note the cool new fence clamps). Then we cut grooves along both edges of the front and sides to create a shoulder for the top and bottom to attach.
With all the pieces cut and our joints prepped we started the intensive glue-up process. As we have said before; you can never have too many clamps… and this project proved this to be true (I think we used 21 clamps on the initial glue-up). We did the sides/top first with the bottom dry-fit and then we affixed the bottom.
With the clamps off it was time to go to work on distressing the piece. We used several techniques to give the wood an aged look. We first started with a wire brush and then progressed to more aggressive approaches such as a hammer and towing chain.
A couple coats of ebony stain and some finish and you can see the transformation
