Ash mantelpiece

[kev7937]

I have this lump of ash that I've roughly cut, will it be suitable for over the fire ?

 

What's my best approach for preparing it?

 

I've pva'd the ends

 

What are my chances of getting a decent lump out of it?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kev7937]

Did it again

 

This bit

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Big J]

Bit big isn't it!?

[kev7937]

You think I might have to cut it down?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Copford sawmill sussex]

Don't varnish it or it might crack too much, that's if it's green, you could rub an oil into it but lightly so that it can dry in situ slowly.

 

 

Copfordsawmill.co.uk

Follow us on Facebook too

[kev7937]

Yeah it's very wet, it surprised me how much wetter the heartwood was, to be more specific should I roughly cut it to required dimensions before drying and then finish it ?

 

I know an inch a year is a bit of a rough guide for drying but will I have to do anything extra due to the heat from the stove?

 

Tbh I know very little about doing anything constructive with wood and need a bit of a step by step guide.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[nick1854]

Yes rough cut it oversize and leave it to dry somewhere out of direct sunlight with some air flow around it. The timber will be more stable and less likely to cup (dry into a curve) if you quarter-saw the mantle (with the growth rings at 90 degrees to the wide face of the board). Seeing as though it is such a big lump you may be able to do this and get the contrast between the darker heartwood and lighter sapwood.

[delabodge]

kev,,,I ve some lovely stuff for mantle pieces,,,,oak etc,,,when you drop the yew butt off, we`ll mill,plane and cut you a nice one,,,,or if you really want to use the ash bring it along,,,

[kev7937]

Cheers Clive

 

 

I'll Bring it over when I get my bottom in gear and you can let me know if its worth mucking about with, I didn't want to see it burnt, its not often we take down a bit of ash like that and its got a lovely bit of colour.

[agg221]

You've currently got it cut boxed heart, where the middle of the tree is up the centre. Whilst this is the strongest section, it is also the most likely to crack, as shrinkage goes round the rings of the tree, so as the ring shrinks on the outside first (due to drying) it opens up a split which tends to run radially from the centre.

 

If you regard this as traditional and rustic then great. If not, you won't stop it, but you can control which face splits by running a circular saw end to end of one face, in line with where the heart is and as deep as you can get. This makes it very likely that this face will split and the others won't. If the piece will be at all structural then ideally you want the split at the top or the bottom, but obviously in old buildings where they split naturally you can't control which face goes, so it's not critical and you could place it at the back.

 

Although it sounds like this weakens it, it really doesn't that much. In one of the beams I have to install in our extension there is a slit like this in the top. I let it open up naturally (it accelerates drying significantly) and I will then run a chainsaw down it to make it uniform width, using a mini-mill, and drop a steel flitch plate in and bolt it through.

 

Alec