“Make it look like Loomis.”

Broad criterion can be a petri dish for creative thought.  Recently The Green Toolbelt was asked to design-build a mantel for a local residence.  It was constructed in collaboration with the artist Kermit McCourt and utilized Doug Fir [age and origins unknown] that was milled over one hundred years ago!*

I can safely say, with marginal bias, that the finished product was breathtaking.  A combination of planing, fine sanding and a linseed oil finish brought out bright rusts and glimmering grain in the 100+ year-old wood.

The brothers McCourt recorded their progress from commencement to finish.  If you have a wrinkle of time, check out the video:

The Green Toolbelt Reclaimed Lumber Mantel Project with Artist Kermit McCourt

*Interesting factoid: This reclaimed lumber was so old that most of the nails had disintegrated within the wood.