Home Bar Project

[jheu02]

Sort of spirits related anyway. I'm finally getting to a project that I started years ago (with the base platform of pressure treated lumber), but that got stuff piled around it, life got in the way... My temp controlled freezer for lagering/holding kegs was continuously running so needed a new one. The one I purchased was too long by about 2" to be placed where the old one was, so I was forced to be motivated to finish this project. Layed more flooring in the area contained by the bar (was originally planning tile, but decided to use some leftover cork from when I did the basement). Area is still a bit of a mess, but the big purge will come after the bar is complete. Anywho, having a blast and got to buy a new tool (table saw) in the process.

Area as it sat for several years. Original idea was to screw premade cabinets to the framework.

Basic frame up for external surface area.

Interior frame for sink.

More to follow...

 

[usedto]

SWEET!!!

 

[bobabode]

Lookin' good, John.

 

[jimfet]

When are we all getting invited over to pop the cherry.

 

[squirrelnest]

Make sure it has a brass rail.

 

[jheu02]

Latest progress after a recent work trip.

Lauan cabinet interior lining and nail strips to insure sturdy shelving.

Electrical boxes in 1/2" Birch cutouts for other small shelves (shot glasses, coasters, etc). Extra top rail provides a sturdier surface for main bar top. electrical line run off of a GFCI protected outlet in the wall (not shown).

Sink opening and recessed area for backsplash. Surface will be Corian with a marble-like pattern. I'll fabricate it myself from a single sheet. Extra for shelving and back bar.

Shelving cleats. Shelves with electrical boxes will be trimmed with the birch ply. Trying to decide what wood to have the bar rail made from...Maple might match the Birch OK.

 

[jimfet]

That bar ain't going nowhere.

 

[jheu02]

Yeah, a bit overkill, but,....

 

[jheu02]

Electrical is roughed-in.

Some trim work done prior to working the Corian. Since I don't do this for a living, I was thinking about the box shelves as units vs. trimming everything as a whole. So, a "seam" line could have been hidden. Oh well.

 

[jheu02]

Finally got a chance to do some work on the bar top and sub assembly. I needed to get working on it since the bar rail (solid Maple to get close to the grain of the Birch ply) was scheduled to get here today, which it did. Another new tool...biscuit joiner, so that the drink rail would be firmly attached to the sub-layer of plywood.. I also ended up pulling all the above trim work back off so that I could make sure all seams were coveered as appropriate. Had some intervening work trips, hence the delay on some of the progress. Still need to put edge banding on the sides that face the bar rail and decide whether to glue and screw the two bar panels together before screwing to the frame or not. Anywho, here's where it stands after today...

 

[jheu02]

Though not screwed in place yet, bar rail is cut... It definitely adds a bit of class to the project.

 

[jimfet]

Planning on staining it only, or are you going to put alot of coats of varnish. We have a couple bars down town, that used the multi layers of clear and they look very classy.

 

[jheu02]

For now, a medium brown in red/orange tones (Cognac sort) stain/dye and several coats of Danish Oil. I'll wet-sand the bar top with the oil to make a little bit of paste which will fill in some of the small gaps. Still trying to decide whether to make everything the same tone or have the top and rails one color, while the rest of the physical structure is a little darker. There's several woods in use, and I've read that the dyes can help to marry the colors a bit better than just stain alone. But, I don't want to muddy the grain. Anyone with tips on this it will be much appreciated.

 

[jheu02]

Well, I made a slight change to the corner of the bar in the interest of safety. The 90 degree corner looked hazardous, so I cut out part and added a 45 deg bend. Wasn't easy (since one edge was already glued/screwed to the bar), and isn't the prettiest right now since there's a bit of wood patch drying in the photo. But should clean up nicely. Also got the back edge of the drink rail cut, routed, edged, and attached. Last piece clamped in photo.
Some other trim work is done too...the outer 45 trimmed as display shelves for some steins I have, and a couple other areas not shown.

 

[jimfet]

Good move.

 

[jheu02]

Latest update after getting some trim done and the rough cut of the counter. Solid oak trim I got through CL...large, rough boards I ripped to the correct width, cut to length, and then sanded down since I don't have a planer. Super hard wood...my brad nailer wouldn't shoot the brads through, so I had to resort to pilot holes and hammered finishing nails.

I still need to cut out the sink opening and build up the edges so I can rout the edge for a nice quarter-round, then sand it all smooth and affix it to the frame with silicone caulk. I'll stain the bar prior to doing that though. Also will need to nail the front face of the main side to the frame and do some trim work on that too prior to staining; plus cut, build up, rout and sand the Corian for the shelf section. But it's finally starting to really look like a bar. And on a stereo related note... we had our bulk trash pickup this week. I was cleaning out the garage and one of the items was a Magnavox tube console. I had rebuilt the amp and pre, but the pre was still inop and I don't really have the time to troubleshoot...so the amp will be standalone. The console itself was in nice shape, so I hated to just junk it. Since I had to pull the electronics before setting it out, I decided to get rid of the internal bracing/shelving for the components so that it's an empty shell. The top of the unit has sliding panels, so it will become part of the back bar as wine storage or some such thing. Not sure yet what kind of internal shelving I'll make out of my leftover scrap wood, but nice to repurpose it.

 

[jheu02]

Today I built my DIY solid surface epoxy gun. It's based on a large caulk gun since the specialty epoxy guns run > $70 and this is most likely a one-off Corian project. Though who knows, I may do similar countertops for some bathroom remodels once this is complete. Anywho, here's some pics of the gun and clamping. Neat thing about solid surface products is you can use your scrap pieces and bond them together for something else. In this case, I wanted to leave a remaining piece whole for a potential back bar shelf, so I took a couple of the leftover pieces from cutting the shelves to make the last shelf I needed. The photo is them lined up prior to gluing. The epoxy is also used to build up thicker edges for routing and appearance since the material is only 1/2" thick.

DIY Epoxy Gun

Shelf Pieces to make a Whole

Clamped Edge Pieces

 

[jimfet]

I see some pretesting going on there. Looking great.

 

[jheu02]

Dry fit prior to sanding and staining the bar. Got all the trimming and routing done and cutout for the sink. 2nd pic is of the three-piece shelf pictured prior to gluing. 3rd shows one of the seems. The swirl pattern of the Corian made it a bit tougher to conceal the seems...a more random pattern probably wouldn't even be noticed. It'll be a bottom shelf for better support anyway. I do need to sand the end of it though...just slightly too long to fit in the space, which is why it's sitting on top of the bar for now.

 

[jheu02]

Been awhile since I posted an update. Life has a way of slowing projects down, but I'm finally at the finishing stage. 1st stain coat (to set a base tone) is done and some "interior" 2nd coat is done.

Here's where I stand on this project: