BOX BEAM SPECIFICATIONS AND OPTIONS
E&K Vintage Wood specializes in making 2, 3 or 4 sided box beams. Every Beam is unique because our Hand Hewn Box Beams are made from actual Hand Hewn Beams. We don't try to put together skins from different beams to make our Hand Hewn Box Beam. Nor do we faux the hewning on the beams. All of our Hand Hewn Box Beams are sourced from actual Barn Beams. These beams are then brought to our facility where we saw the 4 sides off the original beam and then after cleaning and kiln drying the beam is reassembled exactly as it was originally. When completed it is almost impossible to tell that the beam is a box beam.
SPECIES Our standard offering for Hand Hewn Box Beams is Mixed Hardwoods. This may include some, none or all of the following: Ash, Beech Elm, Hickory, Maple, Oak, Poplar and others. We also offer all Pine Beams at no extra charge. We can offer all Oak at an additional charge.
SIZING Hand Hewn beams most commonly come in square sizes, 6x6, 8x8, 10x10, 12x12. These sizes are nominal sizes, example: 8x8 will have actual final dimensions of 7 1/2" - 8" x 7 1/4" - 8" The sides are approximately 1" thick.
If the Box Beams are being used to cover an existing beam then please provide us with exact measurements of the beam that is being covered. As a rule of thumb figure that the interior width of the box beam will be 3” less then the nominal width. Example: and 8” wide Box beam will have 5” clear in the beam.
The sizes given are nominal sizes. The face of the beams will vary up to 3/4" of an inch less then the nominal size to 1/2" more. The height of the sides of the beam will be the same for all beams in the order with the same side dimensions. The actual side height normally is approximately 1/2" - 1" less then the nominal size.
Example: For an order of 4 Hand Hewn Box Beams Sized 8x8x12. The height of the sides (the distance from where the beam meets the ceiling and the bottom of the beam) of all 4 beams will be the same, between 7" - 7 1/2". The width of the face of the beams may be different on each beam and will be between 7 1/4" - 8 1/2".
CUSTOM SIZING
LENGTH - Beams 25' - 36' in length are charged an extra 15% and Beams 37' - 50' are charged an extra 25%
FACE - Beams that have a Face width that is less then the height of the sides will have a seam in the face due to the fact that we will have to cut the face section down in size. Example if a HH Box Beam has 10" Sides and a 6" Face, then we will use a 10x10 Beam and we will have to cut 4" out of the face to make it 6". The seam may be visible because the two pieces were not contiguous.
FACE/SIDES - There will be an additional charge of $20 per linear foot for each 1" that the Face and Sides are over 12".
2, 3 or 4 SIDED All pricing is based on 3 Sided Box Beams. 2 Sided Box Beams are charged at the same price. 4 Sided beams have an additional 25% charge. 4 Sided beams will come pre-assembled into a 3 sided Box with the 4th Side cut and finished ready to be attached on site.
PREPARATION All Beams are initially power washed and denailed. Then we resaw the actual solid beam to get 4 skins that will comprise the 3 sided or 4 sided box beam. The skins are kiln dried prior to assembly.
MORTISE POCKETS Many older beams will have some mortise pockets in them from where they joined another beam in the barn with a mortise and tennon joint. We try to not have any mortise pockets on the face of the beam, though there will be some on the sides of the beam. We can patch these pockets.
COLOR The Hand Hewn Beams come out of the barn in a range of natural brown tones depending on the species and unique conditions of each location. When they are exposed to the elements they begin turning grey.
We generally sand the beams lightly, this brings them all to a more uniform brown color though they still range from light to dark brown. We can also leave the beams unsanded, in a completely natural state.
We offer finishing of the beams. The beams can be finished in the following colors: Grey, Medium Brown, Dark Brown, White wash at a cost of $15 per sq.ft. of exposed beam surface. We can also do custom finishes at a cost of $20 per sq.ft.