I'm working on a fireplace surround and mantel and will be making the mantle out of walnut. Problem is, the mantle needs to be 9 - 1/2 or 10 inches deep, 72 inches long and 2 inches thick minimum. You'll be able to see the top and portions of the bottom. I have a stock of walnut in different thicknesses and widths that are certainly long enough. However, I don't have any that are 9 - 1/2 or 10 inches wide. The thickest boards I have are 8/4 rough cut.
Has anyone tried gluing planks edge to edge as well as on top of each other to get a block thick enough in this length? I could glue like a long cutting board with the boards standing on end-grain but that doesn't exactly give the look I want. I could go buy a slab thick enough to use in one piece but that would be expensive and seems silly since I have around 500 board feet of the stuff in my shop. I'm thinking of planing 4 boards down to about 1 inch thick by 4 - 1/2 inches wide, and then gluing the 4 together to get my thickness and width. At that point, milling a trim band to go around the edges and hide the seams so that it finishes off the slab.
Has anyone tried this and what success or failure have you had? I know expansion and contraction is a concern but it will be free floating off the front of the fireplace surround and only attached near the back. Thanks for any comments, suggestions or words of experience.
Has anyone tried gluing planks edge to edge as well as on top of each other to get a block thick enough in this length? I could glue like a long cutting board with the boards standing on end-grain but that doesn't exactly give the look I want. I could go buy a slab thick enough to use in one piece but that would be expensive and seems silly since I have around 500 board feet of the stuff in my shop. I'm thinking of planing 4 boards down to about 1 inch thick by 4 - 1/2 inches wide, and then gluing the 4 together to get my thickness and width. At that point, milling a trim band to go around the edges and hide the seams so that it finishes off the slab.
Has anyone tried this and what success or failure have you had? I know expansion and contraction is a concern but it will be free floating off the front of the fireplace surround and only attached near the back. Thanks for any comments, suggestions or words of experience.
