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Installing the Mantel
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Installing the Mantel
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" When originally built this mantle with face nailed onto the wall and now that we're reattaching, we're just using a large mending strap as you could see here that they've on to these blocks and that comes straight over to the masonry brick of the chimney, some lead shields there, which will hold it in place, so that, that keeps any new fasteners from going into it, and if it ever has to be removed and worked on again, it can be done so very, very easily. Well, going from the heating technology of the early 1800s back by about 50 or 60 years. Recently, we learned that there's a new house being built that replicates the technology of the 1750s out in Colonial Williamsburg. Garland Wood and I, are gonna hook up and show you some of the those ideas, including the mantle piece. Okay, but now here in Colonial Williamsburg, you're looking at a kind of an earlier about 50 or 60 years technology for making chimney pieces and mantles and fireplaces, and this is a, quite an elaborate chimney piece. There's a lot of masonry to talk about, but Garland Wood, who's the, kind of a builder here at Williamsburg, the head carpenter. Hey Garland."
" Nice to see you."
" This is a very interesting project in that it has archeological roots, right? There once was a big chimney here, etc."
" We started working on this building years before we ever, you know, laid our hands on a piece of wood."
" Is that right?"
" About 15 years ago, the archeologist at Colonial Williamsburg uncovered, what looks like a cellar. and foundations are in very good shape."
" So all the brick courses that are moss covered and dark and are originally 18th ones?"
" That's right. It was about 1755."
" Is that right?"
" And we determined they were in such good shape that we could just build right on top of them."
" Yeah."
" This vault, as it were, was really a cellar, right?"
" Yes, it would have been a wine cellar and there's an original stair at the outside of the building that leads underground into that cellar."
" Okay."
" And of course we have to relieve these joists to go across the vault."
" Which is what Kevin is doing right now with an axe."
" Yes indeed."
" And he is just taking off enough of the timber so that when it lies down over the barrel vault, it will fit snuggly. Typical of 18th century carpentry and joinery, they've got a wonderful huge piece of timber here and then they chop away the notch, better than half of it."
" Yes."
" So that when you knock this over and put it down there, really it becomes more like a 4-inch joist rather than an 8. Kevin are you ready to move this over? Are you ready to flip it?"
" Yeah."
" Let's put it in."
" Watch you're fingers."
" There you go."
" There's something stuck underneath it. Thank you. That's nice. Now, this will be A basic timber frame right? I was just looking at the corner over here."
" Exactly."
" Which already shows the second floor and sway braces in the corners."
" We actually spent the last year making all of these materials."
" Making all the material and letting it dry and get ready."
" Now, so much care went into the frame of these structures, what about the interior, because this was an ancillary building, it wasn't mansion?"
" Yes, but it's close to the house and so it's gonna have a higher degree of finish than many of the other outbuildings."
" And what about the interior finishes?"
" Inside will be fairly plain, will be plastered, but we will have crown molding, we'll have window sash, we'll have panel doors."
