Archive for July, 2008
Fireplace Mantle Solutions, third step.
Saturday, July 19th, 2008The most important parts of a mantle seem to be the carvings. To locate ready made carved components that are the right size, the right wood, and of course the right carving profile characteristics is a major task. Once I found them and adjusted the area where they were going to be mounted, it was time to start making saw dust.
The process I prefer is to do all the fabrication and finishing off site in my shop. It affords me to use of all my machinery and finishing equipment. The down side is that all parts have to be pre-finished and done right with no margin for error. The details that have to be flexible or adjustable have to be engineered into the design. When all is done properly, the installation can be done quickly and efficiently with very little tools on site and little disturbance to the owners house. I think you know how it goes other wise.
This one went very well! It looked even better all decorated and lite up. No photo…
Fireplace Mantle Solutions, second step.
Friday, July 18th, 2008Putting any idea on paper is the first step in finding a solution to the many problems that need to be solved with a project that has so many limitations. The legs of the surround could only be about 4″ wide and have to wrap an outside corner touching the two side cabinets. This would limit how much detail that could be used. A claw and ball foot would be great here but maybe a little much for the other details in the room. A fluted leg with a carving at the base could work but just didn’t seem to be enough detail.
The space above the fire box is also a little complicated. To maintain a minimal heat set back on the granite, and with minimal details to create a mantle, it would require more space than was available. Then to make it tougher, the screen projected out 8″ making it impossible to display anything on the mantle.
The first thing that must be decided is to whether or not to move the screen up and if it would look better to recess it into it’s own niche. Recessing the screen also protects it from the heat of the fireplace. Since there were so many niches already, a “frame less” niche could be appropriate with the screen flush to the front. Just fortunately, we had a vent less fire box and the space above it was void of anything mechanical.
It was obvious the finish of the new mantle would have to match the two side cabinets. The coloring is a soft light brown with a darker brown glaze on maple wood. This color matching process can be a lot of trial and error to reproduce since cabinet manufacturers are not willing to give up their secret recipes.
Fireplace Mantle Solutions, first step.
Friday, July 18th, 2008The trend today with new homes seems to be that the builder does not want to deal with the woodworking details around the fireplace. Instead he has his framer build in all the niches he has room for and cover them all with drywall. Fortunately this time, the builder took the same details from the kitchen and installed two side cabinets with matching granite. The surround ended up with the same granite only because he needed some fire resistant margin for code. When the owners moved in, they decided the space above the fire pit was a perfect place for a flat screen entertainment system.
Design problems and challenges…
One…The screen hangs on the wall all right, but projects out on its bracket a good 8″ and looks bad from the side. Also, the heat from the fire box below will also void the systems warranty. Everything involved has heat sensitivity issues . 
Two…The owner liked the traditional look of her cabinets and wanted a traditional mantle surround to match. The biggest problem here was that there wasn’t any side space for details of a normal surround and to keep the minimum heat setback clearances from the fire box. The openings left and right were not symmetrical. It was off only an inch but an inch can be hard to camouflage.
Three…By the way…don’t spend too much money because we spent a fortune on the entertainment.
Let’s get designing some solutions.
Sailors Storage Chest
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
Side Project…
This storage chest is not mine.
The chest is very old and has a lot of history that should not be lost.
It needed a lot of repair in the woodworking department, in short, it was falling apart.
The craftsman that built it put a lot of character into his work. The carving alone represents care that most of us would not even consider doing.
Hand cut dovetail corners and rope handles are very nice details I think we all can appreciate.
My job was to reassemble some joinery and refinish the chest, enhancing the coloring and glazing the carving to make it stand out even more.
The lid has a safety spring loaded arm to keep the top from pinching fingers.
Not knowing how it looked when it was new, I hope the craftsman that created this work of art would appreciate the new life I gave his work.
