Todd Ferrante
03-23-2010, 3:20 PM
Although it never bothered me much, my wife has never been crazy about the mantel which was attached to the fireplace of our house when we moved in 4 years ago. After trying and discarding several furniture arrangements for our long, thin living room, we finally settled with putting the TV over the fireplace. Unfortunately, this had the effect of putting the fireplace as a main focal point. She declared it had to go.
Replacing the mantel became my most ambitious woodworking project to date. I started on the design in December 2008, and ultimately made 3 different versions in Solidworks CAD software. I did a ton of web research at the time, looking for an Arts and Crafts style mantel which I felt would compliment the mission style which I like. My preferred style is mission tending to cross toward the light, thin lines of prairie style. The classic Arts and Crafts mantel makes heavy use of tile around the fireplace opening itself. I didn’t want this, as part of the goal for this mantel was to lower the height of the original mantel shelf, so a flat screen TV could be hung above the mantel without being uncomfortably high.
The mantel, as constructed, conceals all the wiring for the home theater system (also a continual sore spot with the wife). The side face panels and mantel shelf are removable to access the speaker and TV wires that are routed inside the mantel and behind the wall. The side panels are supported by a wooden dowel at the bottom and rare earth magnets at the top.
For the most part, the wood is 1 inch thick red oak. The stain is Minwax, Wood Finish, Early American. The finish is Minwax, Fast Drying Polyurethane, Clear Semi-Gloss. There are four coats of urethane. Each coat was hand wiped with a bit of old T-shirt used as an applicator. I sanded with 400 grit sandpaper between each coat to knock off the rough spots.
Todd F.
Replacing the mantel became my most ambitious woodworking project to date. I started on the design in December 2008, and ultimately made 3 different versions in Solidworks CAD software. I did a ton of web research at the time, looking for an Arts and Crafts style mantel which I felt would compliment the mission style which I like. My preferred style is mission tending to cross toward the light, thin lines of prairie style. The classic Arts and Crafts mantel makes heavy use of tile around the fireplace opening itself. I didn’t want this, as part of the goal for this mantel was to lower the height of the original mantel shelf, so a flat screen TV could be hung above the mantel without being uncomfortably high.
The mantel, as constructed, conceals all the wiring for the home theater system (also a continual sore spot with the wife). The side face panels and mantel shelf are removable to access the speaker and TV wires that are routed inside the mantel and behind the wall. The side panels are supported by a wooden dowel at the bottom and rare earth magnets at the top.
For the most part, the wood is 1 inch thick red oak. The stain is Minwax, Wood Finish, Early American. The finish is Minwax, Fast Drying Polyurethane, Clear Semi-Gloss. There are four coats of urethane. Each coat was hand wiped with a bit of old T-shirt used as an applicator. I sanded with 400 grit sandpaper between each coat to knock off the rough spots.
Todd F.