advice on building a chunky fire surround

Kierran.M

i am in 5th year at school and for my construction project i would like to build a chunky fire surround that will be used at home. i would like to build it from elm or ash, i have a sawmill nearby that would probably have the wood but the wood from there would probably not be seasoned. could i make the fireplace from unseasoned wood or would it have to be seasoned, if so any ideas where i could get and seasoned wood in the mayo area, cheers

zebrano.96

if you get it from a mill it will need some form of machineing elm is expensive
you can dry it yourself if you have time. it will split and crack more the thicker it is .a chunky surround is heavy if made from solid do u have to move it?
i usually make these surrounds/ mantle from french oak beams 3.0 by 250mm by75mm. hope this helps .:)

galwayrush

A way to make it look chunky and save a lot of money would be to fabricate it out of 1" wood using a lock mitre joint so the joints are almost invisible and the centre can be filled with a cheaper wood.

Qwerty?

As Galwayrush has said, it would be better to make it from 1" timber. It would make it cheaper, lighter and less likely to split/crack.
This guy is in Mayo and supplies schools with project material.

zebrano.96

yes 1 " would be the way to go .edge it square and mitre it .u could use figuared wood such as spalted beech to make it more interesting dry it well if its for a fire place .

recipio

Kieran, as all the advisers on here suggest, don't even think of using unseasoned wood. It will warp and split as it dries.
All the major chains like Chadwicks carry American ash. Elm is now a rare wood and you will struggle to find it.
One tip to avoid using expensive and thick wood is to make up a 'torsion' box' to simulate a thick board. Buy a cheap flush panel door if the dimensions suit and cut it down to size. Glue in a wooden batten into the cut end - you will expose the 'eggbox' interior so it needs supporting at the cut edge.
Then glue on the outer skin of real wood. It can be anything from a veneer to 1" of wood, depending on the design.Best of luck.