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So long time coming but I finally got this patio bar done for my sister. I found an old cedar barn door and some 4×8 posts at the yard debris drop off one day and thought it looked like some table pieces. A year later waiting for it to dry out and ta-da - a table.

Since I had gotten the top and legs from the dump basically, I decided to make all the rest from reclaimed or recycled wood as well. That gave me some oak baseboards, ripped down and box joined for the top banding and the kick plates for the tenon pegs, poplar pegs, fir feet and mounting brackets from some reclaimed 2×6 and 2×4's, reclaimed cedar 1×6 for the brace, and some pine from my daughter's switchback book case scraps to round out the mounting bracket.

Thanks to a Christmas present of some chisels and cool new mallet from my sister and bro-in-law, I had made my first through tenons for the brace, slowly chipping away and squaring up. The legs were too big to fit in my drill press so I did it the old fashioned way. Took some time getting through all that 4×8 for the tenon, then another spell to build the bigger mortise for the inside brace to fully rest into, but it makes a really strong knock down joint. I loved it. Thanks Lis and Kirk!

Warm cherry from General Finish and I top coated with their Arm-R-Seal, a wipe on urethane and oil finish that is the smoothest and best finish I've ever used to date. Can't recommend it highly enough. sanded between coats with 400 - 600 grit and final buff with some brown paper bag, a trick I read here on the LJ forums. Thanks guys.

The top is a cedar and one of the edge board was very prone to splinter. Left some rough spots. Also since it was an old door, not really square so the edging had a few gaps that needed filling. After reading some LJ posts, I picked up some of that nasty looking "Plastic Wood". It looks terrible out of the tube, but since it can be tinted with oil stains it worked great filling in the gaps and leaving a darker but otherwise unnoticeable fill. After the topcoat all that blended in and the splinter effect was sealed in as well.

The last pic is at my sister's house with her son, Eli, showing how to properly stock a great patio bar.

Gallery

Comments

· Registered
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1,833 Posts
Nice rework, Looking good!
 

· Registered
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982 Posts
Great looking build, nice work. Now, enjoy the bar.
 

· Registered
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7,502 Posts
Fantastic. Looks really good. Time for a few cold pints
 

· Registered
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462 Posts
Excellent project! The finish looks great. You are my new reclamation maestro.
 

· Registered
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7,023 Posts
Nice work, it is amazing what one can make from anothers junk.
 

· Registered
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2,984 Posts
Great looking table/bar! Looks like your sister and her family will get lots of good use out of it!
 

· In Loving Memory
Joined
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10,077 Posts
Nice job. It looks very professional. I've never tried the plastic wood .
 

· Registered
Joined
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259 Posts
Beautiful patio bar! Like the design especially the legs. The finish is amazing, makes the grains really pop. Great recycle of the beautiful wood. Will be enjoyed for many more years.
 
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