DIY Network

Manly Mantelpiece: Finishing the Mantel From "Freeform Furniture" episode DFFF-106

Host Amy Devers cuts a recess in the mantel and attaches the panel clip. She applies a tung oil finish and then completes the mantel.

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Amy puts the finishing touches on the Manly Mantle Piece.

Materials:

Walnut
Z-clips (panel clips)
Pencil
Tape measure
Dowels
Clamps
Masking tape
Yellow glue
Cauls
Dowel center pins
Long stick
400-grit wet-dry sandpaper
Tung oil
Damp cloth
Paint
Glue
Flocking
Flocking gun
Small paint brushes
Safety glasses
Screws
Large forstner bit
Small forstner bit
Chamfer bit
Round-over bit
2" straight cutting router bit

Tools:

Table saw
Cross-cut sled
Band saw
Planer
Jointer
Dado blades
Drill
Jig
Mallet
Awl
Drill press
Bevel gauge
Router
Fence

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G
	Figure H

Finishing the Mantel

1. You need to cut a recess (figure A) for the panel clip so the piece will hang flat on the wall.

2. Set the router up with a 2" straight-cutting router bit and a fence along the back of the table to cut the channel for the panel clip. The two pieces of blue tape on either end of the mantel show where to stop and start cutting (figure B).

3. Place the mantel on the table, with the front facing up.

4. Push the back of the mantel into the router bit and cut the recess for the panel clip. Maintain equal pressure against the fence to insure the cut is at a uniform depth (figure C).

5. Repeat the process on the support piece.

6. Glue the support onto the mantel.

7. Run a sparse bead of yellow glue along the top of the support. Center the support and make sure it is flush with the back of the mantel and clamp it down.

8. Use tung oil to apply the finish. It will give the mantel a deep, warm glow.

   FYI: Tung oil is extracted from the nut of a tung tree, which is common to northern and central China.

9. Use a sanding technique to apply the finish. Pour a small amount of the finishing oil onto the mantel, and using a 400-grit wet/dry sandpaper, work the oil into the surface of the wood (figure D). The concept behind this technique is that the oil lifts the grain above the surface and the sandpaper sands it off, giving the wood a very smooth finish.

10. Wipe up the excess oil with a damp cloth. Let the first coat dry. Repeat the process. Let it dry again.

11. While the tung oil is drying, start flocking the interior of the drawer. The flocking process is pretty simple. All you need is paint the same color as the flocking glue, and of course the flocking, which is a microfiber that gets sprayed out of a flocking gun.

12. First, paint the cavity with the paint. Then paint it again with the glue, and then spray the flocking out of the gun onto the adhesive.

13. To begin the flocking process, start by applying paint that is the same color as the flocking (figure E).

    Safety Tip: Whenever you are painting anything, always work in a well-ventilated area.

14. Let the paint dry for about two hours.

15. When the paint is dry, apply an even coat of glue to the painted surface.

16. Be very careful to only cover the areas where you want the flocking to be. If any glue gets where you don't want any flocking, wipe if off with a damp cloth.

17. Spray the flocking on the glue (figure F).

18. To get an even coverage, apply several light coats of flocking to the glue. Don't worry about applying too much flocking. Just make sure that all glued surfaces are covered.

19. Wait 24 hours before tapping off the excess fibers.

20. It is now time to glue the end caps. Put some glue in the dowel holes, apply a little glue to the ends of the dowels and insert the dowels into the holes in the end caps.

21. Add glue to the edge of the drawer.

22. Push the end cap onto the drawer (figure G). Using a beveled block as a caul (which is just a support for clamping), clamp the drawer and the end cap together.

23. The glue won't stick to the oil finish. Wipe off the excess glue using a clean, damp cloth.

24. Screw on the panel clip (figure H).

RESOURCES :

Delta Woodworking Power Tools
Website: www.deltawoodworking.com

Festool
Website: www.festoolusa.com

Gladiator Garageworks by Whirlpool
Website: www.gladiatorgw.com

Stanley Tools Product Group
Website: www.stanleytools.com

Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, Inc.
Website: www.lie-nielsen.com

WMH Tool Group
Website: www.wmhtoolgroup.com

Power Tools (Porter Cable)
Porter Cable Power Tools
Website: www.portercable.com

Hand Tools
Garrett Wade Co., Inc.
Website: www.garrettwade.com

The Peck Tool Company
Website: www.pecktool.com

Biesemeyer
Website: www.biesemeyer.com

Saw Blades
Forrest Manufacturing Company
Website: www.vacupress.com

Jogensen Adjustable Clamp Company
Website: www.adjustableclamp.com

Adhesives, Abrasives and Safety Equipment
The 3M Company
Website: www.3m.com

Klein Tools
Website: www.kleintools.com

Ulmia GmbH
Website: www.ulmia.de

Woodcraft
Website: www.woodcraft.com

Shop Equipment
Eagle Manufacturing Company
Website: www.eagle-mfg.com

Flocking
Donjer Products Corp.
Website: www.donjer.com

Hardwood
Macbeath Hardwood Co.
Website: www.timberproducts.com