This mantel beam has as a lot of neat features on it. It has the deep, dark natural patina that we hope for in white oak. But it also has nice light sapwood framing both the top and bottom of the face. The face has a filled mortise pocket as well as a line of relatively small holes. These holes are not something that we’ve seen before in a piece like this. My GUESS is that they were holes for the rungs of a ladder. Most barns have ladders somewhere to either get to the next level or to get to the top of the hay.

White oak is an interesting wood in that is starts out with a wheatish-tan, but can become very dark when exposed to the ammonia in a barn environment. The front face of this one has a nice mix of nice grain, circle saw marks, and natural knots. The bottom has a natural dark color famed in by light sapwood — very similar to the face. It hosts nice grain patterns as well as a hint of circle saw marks. The top has great color and character as well along with a mild crack. The end grains on this piece are gorgeous — lots of motion and flow in them. The early years of this tree were incredibly slow growing shown by the tight growth rings.

There is a slight twist on this mantel.

The original beam came from an old barn in Southwest Wisconsin. It probably dated back to the early 1900s. We purchased this wood from an Amish gentleman who lives out in the rolling hills of the area. That are is still dotted with small farms and livestock out in the corral. It’s not like the modern farms that we see by our place in Minnesota. It is great to see what agriculture the way I remember it as a kid.

Note, this white oak is 100% natural color. There is a finish coat of a hardwax oil, but there is not any stain applied. This natural color change very pronounced in white oak in particular.

This mantel is 72 inches and is priced at $100/LF. We are happy to cut this down to any length and reduce the price by $8.33 per inch, up to a $100 discount.