clad beam in Oak, advice please

happyhero

Hi I have a steel beam with rough timber each side and I would like to clad it in Oak to match other Oak bits I have done in our house, which is basically smooth light American/European Oak with a chamfered/routed edge.

The beam is approx. 3.4m long and the existing beam size to cover is about 16cm x 16cm.

I was thinking of getting 3 planks of Oak about 25mm thick but I don't want it to be obvious it is 3 planks, I would like it to look like a proper single beam.

I was going to drill holes for screw fixings so I can fix it to the existing rough beam and then plug the holes with Oak plugs, I have some of the right type to match.

Can anybody give me any tips, i.e. best way to do it and best way to hide the fact it is 3 planks rather than a solid beam?

Should I put the bottom piece inside the 2 uprights or cover the bottoms of the 2 uprights by placing the bottom so it covers the bottom edges of the uprights to get the best look?

I will chamfer the edge of the relevant piece/pieces before I fit it up, for ease.

Incidentally I am after a smooth Oak finish not a rough dark pub like one, so I always plane and sand to achieve that, just thought that worth mentioning for a mental picture.

Any help info appreciated.

leveller2911

happyhero wrote: »

Hi I have a steel beam with rough timber each side and I would like to clad it in Oak to match other Oak bits I have done in our house, which is basically smooth light American/European Oak with a chamfered/routed edge.

The beam is approx. 3.4m long and the existing beam size to cover is about 16cm x 16cm.

I was thinking of getting 3 planks of Oak about 25mm thick but I don't want it to be obvious it is 3 planks, I would like it to look like a proper single beam.

If you have a router you can buy cutters called "mitre lock".You would need to have the router mounted in a base. You can disguise the joint between the 3 pieces of timber.We use the same type of thing but in a spindle moulder which works on the same principle as a router but much larger and far more dangerous.

You could try a local Joinery workshop to help you and they wouldn't charge much for mitre locking the Oak. American white Oak is very hard and a bit boring so I would go for European Oak.

PS: Once you have the cutter you can use it to make allsorts of things like drawers,boxes,shelves , small picture frames etc etc.

http://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Mitre_Lock_Jointer_143.html

tony6403

Provided that the boards are straight, it would be fairly easy to butt join/glue the oak and reinforce with biscuits. You would need to have quite a few clamps to do this.
The router bit and biscuits can be bought for less than £15.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Router-Cutter-Bit-straight-template-flush-rebate-biscuit-metric-kitchen-1-4-1-2-/400683205832
With 25mm thick boards you could just rely on the glue alone as there is plenty of surface area and modern glues are very good indeed. You probably would however have a ball acher trying to keep the boards aligned without the biscuits.
I would put the bottom board(s) inside the the verticals.

hels234

There's an ebay seller that does oak covers for steel beams which look really nice, maybe have a look at theres to give you some ideas?

Gloomendoom

You could do what I did and hollow out a solid oak beam.

Not for the feint hearted though. A bit like making a dugout canoe.

Kiran

The mitre lock joint would be pretty strong. You can do it if you have access to a table saw or a circular saw and a guide on a stable flat surface. Cut a 45degree bevel and glue the 2 faces. You can add all the fixings/battening on the inside so there is no need to make repairs.

The key to making it look like a single beam is in grain matching your boards and colour matching if you don't intend on staining them. If you do need to fit plugs make them from an off cut of your beam timber and also fit them in the same orientation as the grain. Also when you glue the faces apply plenty of glue to both faces as a glue starved joint will open up as the timber acclimates.