Was wondering if anyone knows of a website that would have information on fireplace mantle designs.
Thanks for any input!
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For the real fancy stuff try Raymond Enkebol Desighs.
http://www.cambiumbooks.com/books/finish_carpentry-joinery/1-56158-385-5/
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Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
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I flipped through tat book while browsing Lee Valley the other day. Had about 6 mantles in it and how to build them. A couple of them were just wierd and one was just simple. I can't exactly remember the rest.
I didn't like the book.
I remember that.Gord
St.Margaret's Bay NS
Several books listed that link.It takes awhile studying all kninds to get the principles down. The height of the craft is mantles and staircases.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I get ideas for mantles from magazines. Those little ads in the back have some amazing woodwork. In the end its all up to the customer. Some just want a log hung on the wall and others want Greek Revival.
You're right about staircases being the height of the trade, technically its carpentry, but really a trade on its own. I dunno about mantles, most of the work is just crown and mouldings although one of those Victorian behemouths might qualify.
Cutting roofs are on the list
Gord
St.Margaret's Bay NS
Posted this in the Techniques, but it looked like a good book. Chapter on mantles.
http://www.compoundmiter.com should get it in the next week, will let you know.
Don't forget to check the code book for clearances to the firebox opening. The code is pretty specific on this issue, although it defers to manufacturers specs for manufactured fireplaces.
Andy
Andy Engel
Senior editor, Fine Woodworking magazine
Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value. --Robert M. Pirsig
Andy, Shouldn't you be over advising the Knotheads on how sharp is sharp enuff?
Joe H
OOOOOHHH OOOOOHHH!
:)
Mr T
I can't afford to be affordable anymore
Andy,
Thanks for the note. The mantle I'm doing is for and existing fireplace that has a marble surround already in place. But you are correct in the warning, here in Harford County (Maryland) the code requirement not only deals with the distance from the fireplace but also with how much the shelf will project.
Thanks again!
Phil Powell (buildit4you)
A book called "The Elements of Style" not the one about writing shows all kinds of period trim, molding, and mantle design.
I just went downstairs and took a couple of pics for you...
I made a mock up (actually several) before I got the OK, and started building. Also, I found some designs in my BROSCO book
David
took a couple of pics
That's nice.
I've taken to stopping flutes a bit "shorter" (think golden section, but vertically), and I've, by way of great trim carp, grown to like a slightly narrower spacing (width of flute as "long" GS dimension, flat between the shorter--by eye).
Great proportions on your example, too. What wood species?Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Thanks, this is my first mantle so I just took a guess as to the length of the flutes. I'm pretty sure the flute spacing OK because I made several samples and this is what my wife liked best (pretty smart!!).
Were you refering to the centerline dimensions of the flutes or the radius of the cutter? I made them on 7/8" CL with 1/4" R cutter. I would have tried 3/16"R but I didn't have one avail.
The whole mantle is red oak.
The proportions is just luck, made the columns long, and then kept trimming until it looked good.
made the columns long, and then kept trimming until it looked good.
There's a working strategy (worked for me, at any rate <g>).
No, the flute spacing I was taling about is gap to flat. So, for a 1/4" flute, a spacing of 3/16" can be cool looking (that's 4/16+3/16, or 7/16" O.C.). I had always detailied them to be at least the width apart. My new trim & millwork guy showed me a mock-up with the narrower spacing, and I was sold. (This guy is good, and I'm Not Sharing--he was bored, andmocked up a sample reeded-flute detail, just-in-case.)
Thought that looked like RO--I'm guessing it's getting stained. Will look sharp.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I did a mantel out of MDf (of all things!) - it was cheap, easy, and painted really well to end up with a good looking piece....
...by the way, Andy is right about the code clearances...check it out first.
Justin Fink
FHB Editorial
(sorry about the huge picture, I took it with one of our magazine cameras and the file size is enormous)
Edited 12/8/2004 2:13 pm ET by JFink
I did a mantel out of MDf (of all things!)
Looks sharp.
When I was at the cabinet shop, we offered 4 out of our 6 "stock" mantles in MDF. We shot two coats of sanding sealer on any "paint grade" mdf jobs--that surface took paint like it was going out of style.
The only thing sharper was our two "box" mantels we melamine coated in house. When we changed the engineering just a bit to better suit the laminetd parts, it was slicker than eels in 5W oil.Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
now we have to do the editing besides giving the mderator a ruff time....
good looking mantle...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
IMERC,
Thanks to you and all who replied, I would responded sooner but the blasted cable was down. On the legs of your mantle, are the panels done with molding planted on or are they true panels, it is hard for me to tell from the picture. It looks really good! I am building a paint grade piece, my client brought me a little catalogue that had numerous styles with their selection circled. It also had a price from the home center where they first went. I do a lot of commercial trim work for them and they just asked if I could build something similar. When completed I will try and post a picture.
Thanks again!
that's JFinks work..
I just resized the photo...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Gary Katz has quite a few photos at his site and he does a decent slide show presntation too.Some of these are mine, some not.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Here's mine. A better photo than one previously posted.
The left over granite from this job went up to WorkShop Jon.
Hey Jon, got pics of the finished granite on your countertops??
And a view from an angle.
Resizing these things for posting seems to hurt the clarity a bit.
I didn't know they tolerated work that nice down in Florida.Beautiful grain you brought out in the wood. What kind?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Mahogany with ordinary oil based mahogany stain and several coats of satin poly.
Kathy was very happy I didn't spill any of that stain on her dining room carpet. It was the only place I had room left to assemble and finish the project before putting it on a trailer to take to its final resting place.
Nice work Ralph.....you design it yourself?J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
More or less.....
Homeowner looked through photos of various mantles and pointed out features she liked, such as the corbels. That was the one thing she insisted on - corbels.
So I made a couple of rough sketches, she picked one and a mantle was born.
Three cheers for the Kreg pocket hole jig.
Here's photo of the original mantle in her house.
Piffin
Opened up that last picture and it bout blinded me!
I built a set of kitchen cabs for a bar owner down here in Austin, TX, we painted them fire engine red. Your mantle reminded me of them.
I thought the color was to stark at first but the guy did sort of a retro look with all chrome appliances, looked kinda cool, will probably be a hard sale though.
Also, your mantles with the the use of the overmantle, really like those, nice. Nothing like paint to bring out the profiles of the mouldings.
Doug
Doug,
Nice stuff! Wish we could get back to that class of work. But some of us have to fill the other void. 93 so far this year, but all more of the same.
sometimes an interior designer can reallly ruin a good job with his colour choices.But my taste is all in my mouth anyway.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Here is the finished mantle I posted earlier, all ready for Christmas.
The last two pics are smaller versions of the first two.
Looks nice David, and I see the kids are ready for Santa!
Here's about the biggest "thing" I ever did...the over mantle was kreg jigged mdf panels, a little over 20' tall. We trucked it in one piece, a real treat standing that baby up in place<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Too cool billy
Nice workGord
St.Margaret's Bay NS
It was fun making it, it just doesn't fit in too many houses<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Cool, what's the two openings up above?
Art niches, or are they private balconies, like at the opera.
Doug
I posted these before, but since we are showing off mantles I will re-link to them.This is a whole different style. Inspired by Greene & Greene/Craftsman.It orginally have rough cedar post sticking out and a slab of cedar for the mantle.http://forums.taunton.com/n/docs/docDownload.aspx?guid=27E5CD8C-DFDC-4C93-8AD4-B96F166588C4&webtag=tp-breaktime
http://forums.taunton.com/n/docs/docDownload.aspx?guid=EDAD4385-8B87-4B5C-AD2D-E32833E856AE&webtag=tp-breaktime
Bill
That's nice, I'm more of a traditionalist, my brother is doing his whole house in Tulsa in the Greene & Greene style.
I remember seeing Norm(TOH) doing some work in California once, was at a Greene and Greene house, was very cool.
I like the way the exposed beams and the exterior soffit is done.
Any style done well is always pleasing to me.
Doug
HO worked for a big security company, had statues with cameras in their eyes<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
that's impressive....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Impressivly pretensious?<G> Like I said, it was a blast to make, but I'd have to add another two stories to my trailer to make something like that fit...be hell in a hurricane<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
nice...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
J
Is the reason that you have the wide space right under the mantle, above the fire box, have to do with code?
Just trying to figure out why you decided to do it the way that you did.
Doug
Sorry to let this thread go so long without replying Doug....as far as the mantle goes, you happened to notice the part that I am most annoyed with. It looks very tall and narrow on that particular hearth. To answer your question, I did leave that large space to keep to the fire code originally, but that became a moot point later because after the homeowners put the doors back on, they are close to the sides - which is probably breaking some code or another, or close to it anyway.
The point of posting that pic originally was to show that I built that entire mantel out of one sheet of MDF, some crown, some bullnose-type molding, base cap and a bunch of nails and glue. Then some BIN sealer and a couple coats of regular white paint and it there you have it - a mantle for about $50. Now just think what you can charge for it......that's a lot of profit as far as I'm concerned, and the homeowners love the look of it, so it was a homerun.
Justin Fink
FHB Editorial
Justin
Thanks
I thought that code probably had something to do with it, I was more curious than anything.
I understand the annoyance, compromising aesthetics for function, but I guess we have to live with the code!
Doug
Heres a few I've done.
Gord
St.Margaret's Bay NS
Here's a few that we did.
Picture qulity sux, all scaned.
Edited 12/9/2004 9:34 pm ET by Doug@es
I built this for a client a few years back. I will attempt to post a picture or two. This is the first time trying to post pics.