400 year old barn beam reclaimed

Rich Soby

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Cape Cod, Ma.
This is a beam I just resawed for a project Im doing. Its going to be the shelf for a mantel.
This came out of a barn built in the 1650's I got it out of a demo pile. It didn't have a single saw mark on it. All axed square


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Awesome piece of timber.

The story always adds to the appeal of something like that.

You should take your best shot of the original timber and frame it and put in on the mantle.

Also, you could write a well composed story of how the mantle came to be and frame that also.

Perhaps a picture folder with 5x7's of the process in easy reach, just in case someone is interested enough.
 
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all milled and ready for final size and finishing.
going to finish with waterlox satin.
i also have two more beams i salvaged from another old barn. this one from the 1700s. going to make a counter for this same job.
pics and progress to follow
 
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no its pine.
the grain and color is beautiful and after almost 400 years of holding up a barn its hardenned up pretty good.
i wad amazed at how aromatic it was wwhen i cut it.
 
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i have one face as well as almost 2 feet of beam left. gonna do something with it just not sure yet. thinking small table with a turned base.
if im brave enough to spin it lol
 
Nicely done.

It is a shame that the hand hewed axe marks could not have been left and incorporated into the face of the mantle. That would have preserved some history and sparked stories of it's past.
Did you mill off the axe marks in a planer or did you resaw it off and save it. Just curious.
Rob
 
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