Here’s a deep, dark strong patina white oak fireplace mantel shelf. This beam was cut down from a larger barn beam timber. The top has some nice grains along with a fairly deep crack. We’ve worked the rot out until we got to nice solid wood in that crack. While it may look a little deep, this beam is very sound. The front side is an original face with some vague hints of old circle saw marks. The bottom is similar to the top in that it too has been cut. There is a filled mortise pocket on the left-hand side. The hole was original, but we worked the fill. There are lots of traces of old critter work. That’s what 100 years of sitting in a barn we will do. We’ve kiln-treated the piece, so there are no worries there.

We darkened the top and bottom surfaces using ammonia — the same technique that Gustav Stickley used on his old craftsman-style furniture.

The wood for this mantel beam came from an old barn near Green Isle, Minnesota. We think but have not confirmed, that this is an old Pinske Barn. We know Pete Pinske, who was a 3rd generation barn builder. His grandfather started building barns in the late 1800s. The Pinske’s were early pioneers of doing hip-roof barns. The hip roof allowed the farmer to store more hay in the building. Pinske’s were probably building the hip roof barns 20 years before they were popular. The Pinske’s were also very good about selecting trees for lumber in the wintertime. This gave them the advantage to build more barns in the summertime with better lumber. Pete recently helped build a house for his grand-nephew where they reclaimed wood from one of the original barns that Pete’s grandfather built. They used old materials for cabinets and other decor. So the wood ended up traveling 5 generations. A nice article about Karl Pinske’s house can be found online.

Note, this white oak is 100% natural in color. We have applied a finish of Rubio Monocoat hardwax oil to seal and protect the wood, but there is not any stain applied. This natural color change is very pronounced in white oak in particular.

This mantel beam is priced at $100 per LF. We can cut the length down and refinish the end for a discount of $8.33 per inch, up to a $100 discount. This mantel can ship via FedEx Gnd for $65. If you would like this one cut down, please contact us at antiqueww@gmail.com or call 612-281-9330.

The Tag – Gould Furs newspaper ad from the late 20s or early 30s in Minneapolis. As we thumb through these old newspapers, we see lots of advertisements both buying animal pelts as well as selling furs. Once upon a time, lots of people had fur coats. Times do change. There’s a great image in Hippostcard.com that shows the original Gould Furs store location in Minneapolis