Take a look at our new Hall Coat Rack Bench, sometimes called a ‘hall tree’, but we didn’t want to confuse it with the furniture we make out of actual tree branches.
It’s tall and narrow and designed custom to fit a specific space at the side entry of a residence. 18″ deep x 23″ wide and 76″ tall (over six feet). The seat height is 17″. It include a shoe shelf underneath the plank seat. We wanted something a little more elegant and ornate and the client selected a rich walnut color to contrast with the bright surroundings and window. We gave the spruce design our Prairie Bench storybook treatment and turned it into a period piece perhaps from a castle or ancient church. This is what we do with reclaimed and recycled wood.
Hall Coat Rack Bench
#20-09-14-BL
18″ deep x 23″ wide and 76″ tall
Reclaimed spruce with 3 brass coat hooks
Prairie Bench Storybook Stain
At the request of a client, we found a local piece of parkland birch harvested by a certified cutter. The log was cut into two slabs, then one slab was cut again into posts. Next, ten months to dry.
Inside we found some luxurious dark chocolate heartwood. We decided to preserve the birch bark, sanding it lightly to apply an even poly finish.
inlay gravel adds natural depth
The surface was ground, then sanded. The core of the heartwood had some deep crevices, which we filled with river gravel and applied a layer of 2 stage cold poly to create the look of water.
Installation was easy using a flat steel bar moored to the wall studs. The mantle was predrilled with 4″ lag bolts and the lock nuts aligned with the thickness of the drywall. The result is an eighty pound log floating on the wall securely. The pillars were fit to cedar shoes and pegged. The mantle was set on top, clicked into place, and then the lock nuts were tightened. This allowed us to install the mantle with minimal destruction to the drywall. We only had to cut a three inch strip to mount the flat bar.
The client now intends to fill the area inside the mantle with stained glass. We’ll post pics when it’s done. Wood source: hawleyscape.com
live edge on birch pillar
sizing up the mantle slab for the back cut
inlay gravel adds natural depth
poly resin is poured into crevices containing river gravel
Steel flat bar is measured for drilling holes to bolt onto studs. This was the only worry, opening up the wall and confirming the studs were to code.The mantle was predrilled at the shop. It worked and the result is a solid, snug fit.
The pillars are set on cedar shoes with a 2×3 stud back. They sit out from the wall 2″ allowing the homeowner to paint matching trim lines and mount the stained glass. The mantle is set onto 1″ hemlock pegs on each pillar. The cedar shoes lock into a space between tiles. The pillars are 51″ tall.
finished mantle awaiting stain glass insert
birch has identifiable horizontal bark with white and red tones
birch post lightly sanded with layer of polyurethane
mantle is 4″ thick, six feet long and varies in width, about 9″ at the narrowest
