Bar rails!! anybody else want to know how to make your own? Well, I have the answer. If you have:1)router 2) a few wood clamps 3) Table saw 4) a 1/2″ 1/4 round router bit 5) wood glue – you can make your own bar rail to whatever specificaitons you want for less than 1/4 the price of buying one. There are only a couple items that standing in your way. 1) how do I get wood the right hickness? – well you glue 2 pieces of 1″Xwhatever” thick oak available from home depot or Lowes. You get a 2″ thick oak board to make a rail out of.
2) how in the world do you make the concave cut down the length of the board? The cut is called a “cove cut” and is a complex cut made with a table saw. I wont bother explaining how to do a cove cut because if you search for “cove cut” on google, you will find many nice sites explaining – with pictures . I will offer 3 suggestions though. First of all – do the router cuts on the rail before the cove cut (if you cove cut you lose a flat place to put the router). Secondly – practice on a piece of pine a couple feet long first – you could use a 2X4 if you wanted. Lastly, raise the blade only a little at a time – 1/16″ at a time or less for hardwood (saw blades arent really designed to cut from the side, so take your time)! Making a good, safe cove cut takes a little practice. Once you got that down pat – move on to your expensive oak. Then enjoy all the money you just saved. If you want to get rid of the cut marks in the cove quick – use a belt sander belt taped to a piece of PVC – use 40 then 60 then 100, then 150 grit and it goes fast. If you start with high grit it takes FOREVER.