SassKwatch Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Looking for any words of wisdom anyone might care to share about the following idea..... I'm looking to make a fireplace mantel with something of a 'rustic' look to it. Just last week I dropped a walnut tree on my property that has looked pretty dismal over the last 5 yr since I've lived here. The 'tree' had next to nothing for branches on it, and kinda looked like maybe Mother Nature had 'topped' it in a storm at some point. Though it did sprout some leaves each spring, they were exceedingly sparse for a tree with a roughly 14" diameter base. I'd like to use a pice of this for the mantel purpose, and have been reading some threads here about drying wood which has me wondering how feasible the idea is. The overall dimensions will be something on the order of 68" wide X 8" deep X 6" tall. The width/depth #'s are pretty firm, but the 'height' I have some wiggle room....in my head anyway ......seem to keep waffling between 4" - 6" range. Given that I'm after something of a rustic look, some checking/cracking wouldn't be a bad thing, but I'm wondering if there's any way to know how much of that might occur.(?) The only other factor I would be concerned about would be any 'twisting' that might occur. Is that preventable? Any thoughts about the 4-6" 'height as far as the cutting/drying.(?) For my intended use is the 1yr per 1" drying recommendation still a significant factor? Any other thoughts about the project in general? Anything you'd care to share would be greatly appreciated. If you can't tell from this msg, I border on 'clueless' about the subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian VanVreede Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 Are you milling this tree yourself or having someone do it? Either way I know from talking to my mill that its best to get this stuff sawn and stickered as fast as possible after it comes down. If you have a choice of how the log is milled I would suggest getting a combo of quarter sawn and rift sawn. Some waste but you should get some pretty sweet boards from it. Or...... have it sliced into thick flitches and try to incorporate a live edge. The only problem with going so thick is the extreme length in drying time, unless the mill you use will kiln dry it for you. Any pictures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SassKwatch Posted January 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 My intent has been to chainsaw mill it myself, but have considered taking it to someone to do for me. I don't have any pics at the moment, but could get a couple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 If you allow one year per inch for air drying, you probably don't want to wait four to six years to build your mantle. So, either redesign using thinner boards, use boards that have already been dried, or if you want to use this tree, pay someone to kiln dry it. Even kiln drying will take longer with a thicker slab. That translates to more money (you are essentially renting space in the kiln for that time), and also more time. I found some stuff on the web that suggests 2% per day is a good drying rate for 8/4 black walnut, so I'd guess 1% a day for four inch, and 0.7% per day for six inch. You may be looking at as much as 50% change to get it dry "enough", so plan on a couple of months in the kiln. If the folks who run the kiln know what they are doing, they will have different drying plans (schedules) for different types of wood. I'm not an expert on this, I've just been Googling around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted January 17, 2012 Report Share Posted January 17, 2012 if it was me i would have it cut up and stack to dry then ask the miller if he has some slabs you can look at for a mantle he would probably give you a decent deal to get a new client. use the drying lumber in the future. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SassKwatch Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 This is probably a really dumb question, but that's never stopped me before , 'but'....... Given my desire to have a slab in the 6"x8" range for a singular purpose, why do I care about drying? How is it going to dry any better laying down somewhere than it would hanging off the front of my fireplace? Really not trying to be facetious....the defined, well recognized drying processes for wood that will be later utilized for furniture building and such makes absolutely perfect sense. But for my prescribed purpose....where a little checking and even some minimal cracking might actually add to the desired effect, I'm not sure how those same processes would be of similar benefit. Of course, if the slab is going to twist up like a candy cane and split in half if proper drying isn't undertaken, then it's a different story altogether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian VanVreede Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Cupping, twisting, checking are all things you'll just have to be prepared to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Cut 2 mantle slabs. Hang one on the wall and see what happens. It may be fine depending On how you mount it. Take the second slab and sticker it. Set it somewhere to dry. If the first warps or twists too much u have the backup piece that is properly drying. If the first one turns out ok then saw the other slab into 4/4 stock. It's a win win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian VanVreede Posted January 18, 2012 Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Can he put finish on the one he puts on the wall or should he maybe just put a couple seal coats on the ends to prevent checking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SassKwatch Posted January 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2012 Cut 2 mantle slabs. Hang one on the wall and see what happens. It may be fine depending On how you mount it. Take the second slab and sticker it. Set it somewhere to dry..... Ohhh...., now there's a good idea. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJC5151 Posted January 23, 2012 Report Share Posted January 23, 2012 ahhh mabe i'm crazy but if you plan on hanging a green piece of walnut on your wall you better call about eight big friends and invest in some serious structural steel because it's gonna weigh a ton!!!! well mabe not a ton, but a lot 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have an old Indian tale told to me by an old Indian in which using wet wood for a mantle is a bad idea. The reason as was explained to me by my old Indian friend is that the one side of the mantle will see heat from the fire and it is almost as if it was in a kiln. The other side of the board doesn't and it is as if you are drying it in normal air. Ideally you like the board to dry equally on all sides, that's why you stickler them. So what happens is there is a lot of conflict inside the wood. You should expect twisting, cupping and possibly even splitting. Anyway, that's what my old Indian friend told me. I suppose if you are like me and never actually use your fireplace... well, then all bets are off. Good luck, I'm a little envious of your large Walnut supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 24, 2012 Report Share Posted January 24, 2012 I would cut the mantle over-sized in all directions. Seal the end-grain, (the sealer I bought years ago was fairly clear). Make the brackets a bit oversized as well. Don't mount the mantle down or finish it yet. Then you can flip it to even the drying, or if it is close to square you can roll it. You could rig up some way to keep it from sliding off, a metal strap or a rope? After it dries out take it all down, go back to your shop, joint it square, clean up the brackets and put the best side forward. If you want rustic I have taken an old steel rip blade and slightly bent a couple of teeth to increase the set, then use that to give a rough sawn pass over a beam Even if it still has a bit of twist or bow in it you can trim the brackets so the top of the mantle is flat and level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodger. Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 Here is an alternate idea - sell the felled tree! Walnut can fetch very high prices! Then take the cash and buy some kiln dried lumber, or a new TV, or whatever you like. Personally, I would have it milled and store it for a few years to build furniture from in the future. But if you are in a hurry and don't want to wait for it to dry, selling is an option. Storage may also be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Posted January 25, 2012 Report Share Posted January 25, 2012 you could dip the end grain in paraffin wax to prevent the moisture from leaving the board too quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SassKwatch Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 The reason as was explained to me by my old Indian friend is that the one side of the mantle will see heat from the fire and it is almost as if it was in a kiln. The other side of the board doesn't and it is as if you are drying it in normal air. Ideally you like the board to dry equally on all sides, that's why you stickler them. So what happens is there is a lot of conflict inside the wood. You should expect twisting, cupping and possibly even splitting. Drat...., that's an excellent point. May have to rethink this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted February 5, 2012 Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 Here is an alternate idea - sell the felled tree! Walnut can fetch very high prices! Then take the cash and buy some kiln dried lumber, or a new TV, or whatever you like. Personally, I would have it milled and store it for a few years to build furniture from in the future. But if you are in a hurry and don't want to wait for it to dry, selling is an option. Storage may also be an issue. Cupping, twisting, checking are all things you'll just have to be prepared to deal with. if it was me i would have it cut up and stack to dry then ask the miller if he has some slabs you can look at for a mantle he would probably give you a decent deal to get a new client. use the drying lumber in the future. sass dont rush it remember you cant force a square block into a round a hole and the wood dictates the rules for building with it. green wood will twist no matter how well you hang it, or protect it with sealent, and you said that you wanted it to be a little ruff well what are you going to do when it splits half way down the middle from the heat of the fire. i understand you want this and you want it in this lifetime while your inturested in doing this. but with the situation you have and if you want a large slab mantle then you have 3 choices 1- hang it up have it crack twist, chip, and cup on you 2-wait till its dry (speed that up and rent space in a kiln) 3-buy some dry wood from a mill that is dry and hang it and in the mean time save the walnut for a project eather as a slab or boards or try and sell it to pay for mantle 4-do what you want because its your life and you have to live with the decision as well as the consequences often its cheaper to buy a tree have miller quarter it square and build something rustic like this http://www.bing.com/...t=0&FORM=IDFRIR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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