Quick simple box Mantle, Saturday

[Crazyraceguy]

Once in a while I get requests for personal projects, from an Architect friend. I had some spare time on Saturday, so I spent some on it. All it needs now is some of the same conversion varnish as the last thing I made for her. 5 sided miterfold.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Nice!

 

[squall_line]

I'm sure there's literature on this somewhere, and the likely answer is "it depends", but is there a general guideline for which direction the end panels get their grain/waterfall when making a box mantle?  My brain starts to break down thinking through all of the different ways to waterfall/grain match a piece like this...

 

[smorgasbord]

I'm sure there's literature on this somewhere, and the likely answer is "it depends", but is there a general guideline for which direction the end panels get their grain/waterfall when making a box mantle?  My brain starts to break down thinking through all of the different ways to waterfall/grain match a piece like this...

I think the way Crazy did it is right, especially for a mantle where you mostly see the front and sides, almost never the bottom and the top will have stuff on it.

I haven't the opportunity, but I wonder if one could build side panels like an end-grain cutting board and miter those in to give a solid wood effect. Then again, most people don't like seeing end grain, so that would probably be for a more rustic decor.

 

[Packard]

I'm sure there's literature on this somewhere, and the likely answer is "it depends", but is there a general guideline for which direction the end panels get their grain/waterfall when making a box mantle?  My brain starts to break down thinking through all of the different ways to waterfall/grain match a piece like this...

My mind “wants” to see end-grain. I would like someone to produce end-grain veneers. 

But when logic gets thrown out the door, either direction works about equally for me.  They are not trying to fool anyone.  I don’t see the difference.

I have a guillotine cutter that can make 2” x 4” (approx) slices on end grain that is so thin that you can nearly see through it.  So I think it is possible.  But getting an end grain pattern to match the face grain would be a chore.

Note:  While I can get these slices with my Lion Miter Trimmer (which will cut at any angle from 0 to 90 degrees), I doubt I could get the same thickness from slice to slice.  So not feasible here.

Note:  The AI spell checker “corrected” my spelling.  Changing “slices” to “slides”, and “thin” to “think”, and did not recognized “guillotine” at all.  It creates more errors than it corrects.  I don’t think this AI is fully mature.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I'm sure there's literature on this somewhere, and the likely answer is "it depends", but is there a general guideline for which direction the end panels get their grain/waterfall when making a box mantle?  My brain starts to break down thinking through all of the different ways to waterfall/grain match a piece like this...

You're right.....it depends. I do "waterfall" ends on all kinds of things, but on something like this, where it is mounted (more or less) at eye level, the focus is on the wrap around.
The real debate is which gets the better face, top or bottom? (assuming that one face does look better than the other) It just so happens that on this one, you would never know which was which.
Funny enough, I made this out of a piece of drop, that was in the rack, back by the CNC area. There wasn't enough of it though. All I could get from it was enough for the front face/ends and one that could be either top or bottom. I had to go diving in the veneer scrap shelf, and got super lucky. Not only was there a piece that was just as rift-sawn looking, but it was very close in color too. So much so, that when I challenged the other guy, who was working that day, that he guessed wrong.

I have done several of the rustic beam style mantles too. I did one for a lawyer's office, where he supplied the timber. He had several pieces that were structural members of the old "Ohio Penitentiary"
that used to be just west of downtown Columbus. It was closed decades ago and most of the buildings demolished. A few of them lasted longer. Somehow, he got ahold of a few of them, during one of the later dismantlings, and stashed them for years. He brought them to me, to make a waterfall-leg type console table for the lobby, of his office, and a couple of benches, of his design.
When I was done, there was one left over. It was about 9 feet long, 6" x 8" of some really old-growth pine. He said I could have it, so I stored it in the corner, of my area, waiting for something special. That special thing was the fire. I lost it, along with the Maple crotch piece that came from my niece's yard. That tree was special to her. When it blew down, in a storm, she gave me my choice of pieces.
I had to sliced up and stickered, for several years. I had just checked it for moisture the week before. It was ready to use. Made good fuel, that's about it.  [scared]

I have done a few from barn siding too. They were more like this, just more rustic.
Oh, yeah. I did the one's in the production manager's office that way.

The solid slabs, with natural end grain are the hardest to mount, especially if you want the "no hardware" look. It takes a bunch of hollowing. Apparently, that was 3 years ago? wow time flies