This little white oak mantel shows why people are so fond of white oak lately. The grain flows across the surface in long, sweeping lines — the kind of quiet visual movement that makes white oak genuinely hard to walk past. Color shifts naturally from warm wheat tones to deeper cocoa, giving the piece an earthy richness that only comes from real reclaimed wood and real time. A bit of tiger striping on the left adds a nice bonus. There are also a few original nail holes that dot the front surface. It’s a hundred years of Minnesota farm life compressed into one honest, beautiful piece of wood. These marks aren’t flaws; they are the mark of real, reclaimed wood. The top surface also has some great grain patterns. This is piece is one of my favorites.

In a few of those pictures, you can see how the original beam came out “barn fresh” coated in white wash (basically lime).

This mantel is a mate to the Forhan’s mantel.

• This little white oak mantel shelf is shown as sanded, but no finish has been applied
• We can preserve the current color or darken it with some various techniques
  (There’s a picture in there that shows mineral spirits splashed on. It is the piece in the middle).
• Sizing (cutting and sanding the ends) as well as finishing are included in the price
• At over 9in deep, this is a great unusual depth!
• It is currently 4.5in tall x 57.75 in on the short side and 63.5in on the long side.
• This one is priced at the shorter 57.75in length.
• We can square up the ends if you’d like for no additional charge
• It ships via UPS Ground for $150

Reclaimed from a Hamburg, Minnesota barn built in the 1880s by German immigrant settlers, this solid oak mantel was cut from an original post-and-beam support and carefully cleaned and sanded to preserve its character. The grain, patina, and imperfections are the real thing — over a century of Minnesota farm life embedded in every inch. A nice find for anyone who values authentic American craftsmanship. Once upon a time, this piece sat on the top of a post in the barn basement and supported another large horizontal beam on top.

About the tag – “Colgate Rapid Shave Cream.” Who knew that shave cream came in tube? This advertisement probably dates back about 100 years. There another great full page ad on-line in the Internet Archives. The 1925 advertisement highlights how trends had changed from beards to clean shaven. As a complete side note, Amish men usually grow beards after marriage but shave their mustaches because the mustache became associated with military men, and Amish tradition emphasizes nonresistance and separation from military culture