–SOLD TO ELIZABETH L in Mandeville, LA–
–Jan 18, 2022–
This reclaimed white oak timber mantel shows a range of mild cracks and nail holes associated with reclaimed wood. While it was a sill timber, the mantel hosts a relatively even color range — nothing too extensive or streaked. A nice tawny brown blankets the entire piece.

This particular piece was a sill timber from an old barn. It was a big beam that rested on the cement or stone wall foundation upon which they built the rest of the barn. You can imagine it was pretty wet right near the ground. They used white oak for sill timbers and fence posts back in the day because it has a good natural rot resistance. The wood was probably sawn on-site with a mill somewhat like the one pictured.

There are also a couple of “mortise pockets” in this piece — one on the top and one on the bottom. It was originally a rectangular hole where another beam came in and joined this one. We expertly filled it with a matching side grain plug so that blends nicely.

The original beam came from an old, turn-of-the-century barn near Norwood, Minnesota. It was incredibly sad to see this barn come down. The barn was exceptionally well maintained, straight, and covered in tin. It was removed to make way for a wildlife preserve acreage. The barn could have easily been remodeled into a fantastic house.

The ends are currently unfinished. Once we have an exact size from you, we can cut, sand, and finish the ends. We can cut this mantel shorter and refinish the ends for an additional for no additional cost.

It can be shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states via FedEx Gnd for $125

About the tag – The Engineer — Another little clip out of an old 1950s vintage children’s elementary reader. You got to love these old drawings. The modern ones just aren’t the same.