I received a call from a client to take a look at a small project. A big TV-screen had been mounted on top of a fireplace, and the screen was exposed to a lot of rising heat from below. The concern was that the TV could be damaged by the heat over time. Some of the stone veneer had already been removed, to anchor a mantel piece between the fireplace and TV-screen and redirect the airflow. Here are some pictures of the process of making a mounting bracket and the mantel piece.
The space between fireplace and TV to receive the mantel. The stone veneer has been removed to allow the mantel to slide in place.
After some CAD drafting and CNC plasma cutting, I started to weld the mounting bracket together.
The mounting bracket in place.
Another picture!
Initially I planned to weld all the pieces for the mantel together.
Setting up to tack weld!
First tack welds in place!
Next piece! I love my welding table and the fixtures I can use to set it up nicely for tack welding.
Testing the unfinished mantel piece for fitment.
I was unhappy with the mantel after welding because of destortion, so I had to rethink the process and decided to cerf the material befor bending.
Here is the setup for the first cut.
After cutting a piece on my plasma table, I got ready to cut a kerf with the skill saw. A close up of the cutting line!
All the cerf cuts are done!
It was a still a chore to bend it!
But it turned out well!
A closeup after bending! a like the crisp edges!
The manteloiece installed after powder coating.
The mantel will get warm, but it redirects the heat away from the TV-screen. The client loves it!
