Round Corner Bar

[mnagy]

Just wanted to ask when the round corner bar plans might be up and running

thanks in advance

Lee

[mckdelbu]

Lee:

Thanks for posting here!

I am working on this project right now.

I’m not sure if I’ll do a full plan with BOM (bill of Materials) and cut lists or just publish the technical drawings and tips for building this type of bar.
I’m trying to move away from TMI plans (too much information) since advanced builder’s usually only need a drawing to get the job done. Let me know if you prefer the fully detailed parts lists & such.

The real trick to building a round corner bar is starting with a 3.5″ wide base and top plate for the curved sections. This is cut from a 3/4″ sheet of plywood. The curve is drawn just using a pencil & string. Once you have the two matching top & bottom plates, you connect them with 2×4 studs, forming the skeleton frame of the curved section. The tricky part comes in when you apply the sheeting. Start with a 3/8 thick sheet of a good grade plywood with minimal knot holes. Usinga 48″ fence made with a 2×4 stud, mark & cut “kerfs” at about 2″ intervals along the width of the sheet. The kerf cuts should be about 1/8″ deep only. These will allow the sheet to bend around the skeleton frame. once you have this sheeted, you can cover with a finish later of paneling. Paneling is usually quite flexible and should wrap around without the kerf cuts.

That’s really all there is to it.

[mnagy]

Hi many thanks for the quick reply.

I think you are right a TMI plan is too much info . The few tips you posted here have given me a good start. I think i will be building a round corner bar, two straight parts joined by the round part.

I will be looking out for the finished plans and keep you posted.

once again many thank for the efforts sofar.

Lee

[mckdelbu]

Here’s a quick top view – the brown line is the 3.5″ wide “wall” that supports the bar top.
Note: the studs have not been placed in their proper orientation yet. They will follow the face of the wall as it curves around.

[mckdelbu]

And here is an isometric view that shows the top and bottom plates in brown.
The cabinets have been removed for clarity (BTW, they can be purchased premade & unfinished from your local home center…it’s probably
cheaper and better quality than the average “Joe the builder” can manage).
The lime green board is the beer gutter.
Again, the studs are not yet properly oriented, but I think you’ll get the idea.

For the plate curves, I simply started with a 48″x96″ (4×8) sheet of CDX treated plywood, then secured a string at one corner, pulled it out to the full width of the sheet, attached a pencil, then drew the arc upwards to the middle of the sheet. Next I backed off 3.5″ and repeated. For the design shown, I needed four whole sheets just for the plates. The scrap is used for the cabinets and top. I’ll include an overlay showing the sheets next.

[mnagy]

looks fantastic

[mckdelbu]

Here is a simple overlay showing the three sheets of plywood that define the footprint of the bar.
We’re talking 16 feet at the base! It’s a pretty big bar.
It has to be to allow plenty of room inside for a bartender… or two.
The plywood is shown in grey and you can see how the plates are cut from it. Flip the sheets and you’ll get two more. You then need four more plates (and two more sheets) using the same method. Again, the scrap will be used. The middle sheet is outlined in purple, so you only need (two) 3.5″ wide strips from it. The rest of that sheet is used for the rough bar top layer.

[attachment=0:2jj0nry1]EHBP-08_top_sample3.jpg[/attachment:2jj0nry1]

Once you get to the point where you have constructed the wall, you will need to sheet it with 3/8″ plywood.
The plywood won’t bend easily until you “kerf” cut the back side. I have not yet tested this with any type of plywood, but since we are working with a large radius, it shouldn’t be a problem.
I suggest first cutting the sheet to the proper width (38″ down from 48″), then marking the back every 2 or 3 inches. Next using a straight 1 x 2 as a guide (a 2×4 will probably interfere with the saw motor) cut the kerfs about 1/8″ deep…maybe 3/16th…I’d test your wood for splintering with the 10″ piece you cut off) It might also help the bending process if you hose down the sheet after the kerfs are cut and let it sit in the sun for a bit….this can help soften the wood. Don’t get it too wet or the glue could start to come apart. Doubtful, but possible.

Once the base later is firmly attached (use glue & screws), it is recommended that you cover it with a flexible paneling. Most 1/4″ paneling is easy to bend around a large radius.

Bar top tips are next…

[mckdelbu]

Ok, now for the bar top. It’s not particularly easy because it consists of seven individual sheets.
Why? Simply because it’s huge!
It’s all made from 3/4″ CDX (the cheap stuff) and it does not have to be pretty. That comes later.
This is just the rough base support layer.
You’ll’ need the following size panels:
2 – 32″ x 60″
4 – 45″ x 60″
1 – 26.5″ x 60″ (yeah, it shows 26.43, but that’s pretty darn close to 26.5)

Study the following drawing. It might take some time to soak it all in.
The grey lines are simply construction lines…the can be disregarded.
The brown color is the bar top, the squares around them are the panel perimeters.
[attachment=0:3na8iavf]EHBP-08_top_sample4.jpg[/attachment:3na8iavf]
So how would you go about cutting & assembling this mess?
1. Cut out the prescribed panels.
2. Lay then out exactly as shown, with the good side down (this will be the top of the bar)
3. Determine the origin point for the arcs. The origin point (center) of the arcs is shown as the red dot.
The distance between the two light blue dots in 60.14″ – 60″ is close enough, so the origin pint is halfway between the two light blue dots or 30.07″ – 30″ is close enough.
4. Starting with the left side / out side (customer side) arc, place your pivot point at the red dot, tie a string to it and extend the string up to the top left corner of sheet 4, right were the arc begins and draw the line down across all three sheets ending at the bottom of sheet 3. You will repeat this procedure for the left side / inner side (bartender side) starting at the top blue dot and continuing down to the bottom blue dot.
5. Repeat this procedure with the right side arcs.
6. Before you move any of the sheets, mark each piece with it’s sheet number and mark the floor at the top and bottom blue dot locations so you can line up the pieces after cutting
7. Cut each arc as shown.
8. Now arrange the pieces on the floor, good side down again, and line them up as best you can.
9. Start by working with only sheets 1,2 and 3. At each seam, place some wax paper underneath then apply a generous about of PL-200 construction glue at the meeting face of each section. From you scrap, cut four 4″ x 24″ seam plate supports, they will need to be angle cut approx 1/3 to allow for the top base plate connection > (IMPORTANT! make note of the locations where the bar top plate will contact the bar base. At those locations you will need to angle cut the 24″ seam supports so they do not interfere with the top plate.) then glue them in line with the seams, with 2″ covering each side of the seam. Screw them in place with 1 /1/4″ screws.
10. Repeat this for sheets 5, 6 and 7. (note, you should only work with these smaller sections, not the entire bar top at once. It’s too difficult to handle)
11. Now for the fun part…test fit the sections to the top plate. The biggest problem you might encounter is with the seam plates I should probably elaborate on those in a new drawing.
The top will be wobbly at first, but once end support are in place, it will be solid as a rock.

The floor is now open for your questions – Is everything clear so far? what other info would you like to see?
I’ll proceed once we have a few good questions posted. Thanks!

BTW – thanks goes out to Lee for lighting a fire under this project!

[mnagy]

well i must say it looks great and i cant wait to give it a go. Thanks for your time and effort and ill keep you posted how things go with this project.

once again many thanks

lee

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