Each of our mantel pieces is unique, with its own grain pattern and color variations. On this particular unfinished fireplace mantel, the sapwood, the lighter-colored wood beneath the bark, flows around the darker heartwood, creating a wide range of color and flow. Oak really has a wonderful color range. On all three sides of the mantel, you’ll see authentic, original ax marks from the 1800s, when the beam was hand-hewn. These marks add to the mantel’s rustic charm and authenticity.

This mantel came from the center beam in a barn, where floor joists connected from both sides. The notches are for the joists, which were probably more like logs than dimensional lumber. We can leave them un-filled, or we’d be happy to fill them as well. I’d imagine that in most cases the notches would be located on the back edge of the top and the back edge of the bottom. However, they could certainly be featured prominently on the face as well with a different orientation.

We have brushed, worked, and sanded this original beam on the face and bottom. We spend hours working these pieces up. The top has not been fully worked in these pictures. We imagined that things might change as to how this piece was placed, so we delayed finishing until we knew the final orientation. We’ll finish accordingly after chatting with you. Lots of people like the rustic look of unfinished wood, but a top coat could certainly be applied as well. You can do the finishing or we can. It is priced at 60 inches and unfinished. If you’d like us to finish, it is an additional $75.

The dimensions of this rustic wood mantel are currently 8 inches tall x 8 inches deep x 66 inches long. However, removing the 3rd notch would leave us at 60in. That’s probably the best size for it. If you wanted to go smaller, the notches would be centered with a 54.5in length. We can cut this mantel shorter and refinish the ends for an additional for no additional cost.

This rustic wood fireplace mantel is one of a kind! It’s from a batch of beams from the 1800s that we found in Red Wing, Minnesota. We don’t know much about the original building, but Red Wing was one of the first cities in Minnesota, and sawmills were big business in the area back then. So it’s likely that this piece was cut and hewn by hand, before sawmill lumber was widely available. It’s likely older than most of our other hand-hewn wood, which is usually from the late-1800s.

It can be shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states via FedEx Gnd for $150

About the tag – Minnesota Twine… not to be confused by Google with Minnesota Twins, or for that matter, Minnesota Twine Ball. Apparently, we have a rich history in Minnesota with Twine. Minnesota is home to the largest ball of sisal twin built by a single person. That one always makes me scratch my head, but a person needs to have their passion. This tag for the mantel is the cover from a blank notebook advertising Minnesota Twine from circa 1930-1940. The interesting twist is that the twine was made at the Minnesota State Prison in Stillwater, Minnesota. They made twine from 1914 to 1970 and employed thousands of inmates.