# Newly cutt Red oak slab for mantle over fireplace



## spur0701 (Dec 14, 2010)

I picked up a couple of rough cut pieces of red oak last week from a small mill located at a farm down the road.......am planning to use as mantles over the fireplaces in the family room and the basement.  They are 8'X10"X3".....some questions:

I wanted to leave the saw marks but wanted to protect it with some sort of finish....maybe Tung Oil, any other suggestions?  These were cut from an 8' log and are still wet, should I let dry before I install (that might be months if I do) or before I apply a finish?  They are currently sitting in the garage and my wife is complaining about the smell....I think it smells good but she says it smells like dog poop.  Both fireplaces are brick with brick supports built in to support the mantles....how do I attach the wooden matle to the brick?


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## billb3 (Dec 14, 2010)

I'd let it sit for  at least 6 months  to shrink and/or warp  and maybe reveal any cracks.

Too many ways to finish - I like  poly myself.

I don't get why some people  smell dog poop when they smell red oak, some serious olfactory problems , IMO.


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## petersenj20 (Dec 14, 2010)

3" thick wood needs to dry for a while. General rule of thumb is 1 year per inch. I would give it at least a year and would seal or paint the ends with latex paint or wax. My wife's candle warmer works great for when I do it. 

Oak is bad to crack and twist. More so than most woods. Place even thickness 1" wide boards under for airflow and weigh it down. The cracks are inevitable, so people generally leave extra length for the drying process and cut off when made.

We made a 3 inch thick mantel from red oak that dried for two years for my buddies place. It started as 4 inch thick, but by the time we planed the twist out and shrinkage we were left with 3". Tung oil is what we used and was beautiful.


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## spur0701 (Dec 14, 2010)

Thanks for the advice.  I've got a full stand up attic that's 800 square feet and as you can guess it gets wicked hot up there during the summer.  If I put them up there over the summer I'm assuming that would accelerate drying, any down side to drying it that fast?  I'll leave it the current length and cut any cracks off the ends after it dries enough then seal the ends to prevent cracking and checking (did that with some Ipe I used on my deck).  Any way to avoid warping (clamping together, clamping to another pice of kiln dried lumber, etc...) of just suck it up and deal with it?


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## mbcijim (Dec 15, 2010)

My buddy had a 30" wide piece (bar countertop) kiln dried.  We installed it on the bar and 3 years later if you put a bottle/can on it it slides to the middle.  I'd say it cupped a good 1-2".  It's pretty bad.  He is an inspector for Timber Products.  That means he authorizes (or deauthorizes) the guys who grade wood.  He's their boss.  So I'd think he knows how to pick out a piece of good wood.


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## petersenj20 (Dec 15, 2010)

spur0701 said:
			
		

> If I put them up there over the summer I'm assuming that would accelerate drying, any down side to drying it that fast?
> 
> *Are these manageable to drag to the attic? Big wood is heavy. I dunno about downsides as that's what kilns do and I have never kiln dried.*
> 
> ...



Funny this question came up. I got a request to make another mantel today. Waiting for a decision for White Oak(My favorite) or Cedar.
An afterthought: How long was the wood cut at the farm?


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## mayhem (Dec 15, 2010)

billb3 said:
			
		

> I don't get why some people  smell dog poop when they smell red oak, some serious olfactory problems , IMO.



I cut about 6-7 cords of red oak from a "free to employees" pile here at work this past fall.  It does have a very distinctive oder when cut fresh and it does have a dog poop-ish resemblance...to me it smelled like money in the bank.


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## smokinj (Dec 15, 2010)

I would sand. (need pic's to know what grit to take it to) Poly does very well.


All with a chain saw. One coat of poly on the bottom 7 on the top. One way is to really bust down the to to maybe 280 grit and the side to a 60 grit. That will give it a rustic but finnished look.


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## semipro (Dec 15, 2010)

I'm a big fan of water-based poly and use it on most projects.  However, after doing a little research on what to finish my solid cedar mantle with I decided to go with a modified tung oil (Waterlox).  Polyurethane is basically a plastic and does not hold up well to heat.  Penetrating tung oils are reported to handle heat well.


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## My_3_Girls (Dec 17, 2010)

dry it as slowly as possible - throwing it up in the attic is a sure way for splits and checks to develop - coat the ends, as the moisture will leave the wood quickest this way.  The rate of water leaving the wood is what causes it to shrink/check/split/twist, so if it leaves the wood to quickly, the fiber does not have a chance to move at the same rate.  In kilns, steam is added to the air to bring the humidity of the wood and air down at the same rate to 'ease' the water out of the wood, control shrinkage, and reduce cup/check/split..... and after all that, it's still wood, and it's stilll going to move.  There's no fooling Mother Nature!


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