Wooden fire guard - don't laugh!

[gidon]

We need to stop our 9 month old from crawling into the white hot wood burner! Now it's not so daft - this is a wood burner not an open fire. It has a slate hearth 85cm x 35cm in front of it - I was thinking of making a slatted hinged (to fold away) fire guard to just surround this fireplace.
Is this a daft idea? Is it any more daft than having a wooden fire surround or a wooden mantle piece above the fire?
If it's ok to do any ideas how it could be attached to the wall (for easy attaching and detaching) - and as invisibly as possible. And any ideas on the suitability of Ash for the task (I have a stack of it at the moment)? Any suggested finish to give it more resistance.
Any advice (however harsh) appreciated.
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Waka]

Definately not recommended, when my siblings were young we had a wire mesh one that attched to the wall each side of the fire place.

 

[Chris Knight]

Gidon,
I second Waka. Go for a proper and very well fixed or fixable, wire mesh screen. Apart from anything else it will permit the transmission of heat better than something that blocks up the area more.

 

[Shadowfax]

With me firefighter's head firmly on...........Gidon, No!!

SF

 

[tim]

Not wishing to put the cat amongst pigeons - but its not that unsual to find firedogs around hearths and woodburners that are upholstered in cloth or leather.

I agree with the sentiment of 'well fixed' but wood should not be excluded for this (otherwide all cots would be steel!) although I can also see that it would reduce the heat output.

Cheers

Tim

 

[matt]

Also bear in mind that it will not be long before your 9 month old becomes quite adept at launching toys across the room. The wire guards have tops on them too (usually...) and would therefore prevent Teddy Bear going all Pyro.

 

[gidon]

Thanks all! Think I will look at alternatives then (fancy getting a response from a firefighter - I feel well and truly told now)!
Tim - maybe it was some sort of fire retardant cloth?
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Shadowfax]

Gidon
There's always chocolate, of course! Makes excellent fireguards, I'm told.
Or did I hear that wrong?

SF

 

[Nick Laguna UK]

Hi Gidon, After reading this thread, I felt compelled to post a picture of our fireplace - you are not the only nutter to have had this idea

In fairness, we have central heating, and our fireplace has not been used since my ‘creation’ - I wouldn’t fancy putting it on with my ‘guard’ in place either.
I worked to a five point criteria;

1) Is it aesthetically pleasing and sympathetic to its surroundings? – Beauty is in the eye of the beholder – it actually becomes more beautiful at night, especially when the lights are off.

2) Did it solve the problem of my youngest daughter eating lumps of coal? – YES

3) – Is it secure? – Numerous randomly placed 3 inch screws hold it in place (I will deal with the subsequent damage to the surround when the times comes – I’ve got loads of filler in the garage)

4) Is it a timeless piece of craftsmanship? – Mmmm, Well I started with 5 off-cut planks of pine I found, then they were jointed, cut, sanded and edge routed followed by a few coats of whichever stain I could find to try and get it as close as possible to the surround - not bad in my view - especially after a few beers on a Sunday! :twisted: I may well pass it on to any future Grandchildren I may have – Look out for it in Antiques Roadshow (the 2094 series)

5) Did it mean I could cross another job of my list, thus pleasing my better half? – YES!! 8)

Cheers all, ccasion5:

Nick
Jet
(Master craftsman of wooden fireplace guards )

 

[matt]

I particularly like the fancy plane on the mantlepiece above the clock. Looks like a classic Sylvester?

 

[Nick Laguna UK]

I particularly like the fancy plane on the mantlepiece above the clock. Looks like a classic Sylvester?

Ha ha - it takes a whisker off on each pass

 

[Taffy Turner]

I particularly like the fancy plane on the mantlepiece above the clock. Looks like a classic Sylvester?

Ha ha - it takes a whisker off on each pass

GROAN!!! #-o

 

[gidon]

Nick - very nice! I don't feel quite so bad. But we do have this on and need something to protect it then also.
SF - chocolate? No - we're trying to keep him off that until he's a least 5 .
Cheers
Gidon