Starting The Mantle Install

BuiltByMAC

Wow. That's impressive, guy. Nice job!

Total noob questions: you have two hoists and hoist up one end enough to set the blocks (cribbing?),
then hoist up the other end, set blocks and seesaw the mantle up?

How do you transfer mantle from cribbing to final resting place
- hoist one end over, then the other?

Mac

MALCO.New.York

Alternating end to end is the story that the pictures tell me. Tis the reason for the cribbing.

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CJKarl

Yes, correct. The smaller pieces (300-400 lbs) we built a gantry out of scaffold and I used a "lug-all" to lift them to finish height. We built the cribbing and shimmed the last pieces so they were exactly the right height with strips of AZEK. Then we just slid the stones into place.
The mantle was too big and heavy to control with the lug-alls so we just jacked one end at a time 4"-6". Did the same AZEK shims and 4 guys just pushed into place. AZEK is great stuff.

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CJKarl

Here you can see the AZEK shims. The whole 1400 lbs is sitting on 2-3"X10"X3/4" pieces. we had 4 guys CAREFULLY push it in. Slid in like it was riding on snot.

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genecarp

NICE, thanks, looks great

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thom

What holds the mantle in place, gravity?

neolitic

They rarely turn it off.

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CJKarl

It's wedged between the lower pieces and the upper stone work. The joints were carefully and fully filled. We let it set up 24 hrs then removed all the cribbing.

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CJKarl

Let me know when they're going to...I want to be ready.

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CJKarl

The back side of that chimney, the sun room.

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CJKarl

The great room coming along,





Notice the symmetry of everything, the guy is wacko about it.

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trav007

This has been a fun project I'm sure. The symmetry you pointed out works great. I am a fan of symmetrical architecture....when it's done right. I love that mantle by the way.....and I thought ironwood was heavy. 1400lbs.(just for the op piece?).......how thick is the floor beneath all that? Nice work.

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CJKarl

The whole thing is sitting on it's own walls and footing.

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PA woodbutcher

Wow that's a lot of stone! Absolutely beautiful

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denver 2

I see you live up to your motto, " There's always a market for quality". Beautiful job! What was it like laying up a soapstone firebox? Did you use a fireclay of some kind of special mortar? Is Southbay Quartzite a regional stone in your area?