First Place, Midwest Region
Ronald Orban and Troy Trammel
Brighton, IL

Antique-Inspired Mantle is Impressive Centerpiece to Room Addition

Troy Trammel and his wife collect antiques, and wanted a fireplace mantle to match the old-world feel of their home. When they built an additional room, they installed a ventless gas fireplace. They started shopping for an antique mantlepiece, but discovered most of them were just too big for their fireplace.

It just so happens that Troy's father-in-law, Ronald Orban, owns a Wood-Mizer LT40 Hydraulic sawmill. Together, they decided to build the mantle that would be a perfect fit for the home.

They started by gathering red oak logs, which they cut, then dried in a home-made kiln. While the wood was drying, the two sketched out a mantle design. A large part of that design included making foursided raised paneled columns, trimmed out with hand-made moulding. The crown moulding was made using six different router bits in multiple passes. The entire project was put together with biscuit joints and mortise and tenon joints.

Troy said, "When we finished the project, we were speechless. We sat in the room in silence looking at the project in amazement."

And guests to the home seem equally amazed.

"When guests come to our home, they go straight through the sunroom to admire the mantle. When we start talking about how we made it, including cutting our own wood on the Wood-Mizer sawmill, the look on their face is priceless. They are in such awe that someone could make that from a log."