This bar will be an entertaining center and a 30 cubic feet of shelf space for bottles, bowls, glasses showplace in your home. It will enable you to and mixing gadgets at your fingertips. And you can play bartender to your guests, with more than explain, with modest nonchalance, how you achieved the rich finishes, indirect lighting, the slideaway action of the front bar unit, and its other modern features.           

The bar in the model project is built inside a housing of 3/4" plywood partitions. When the bar is not in use, the front bar unit slides into the wall and hides behind accordion-type folding doors. Construction of these partitions and folding doors is discussed in the chapter titled three-in-one wall unit.

All basic pieces of the bar are 3/4" Weldwood walnut plywood and the top and apron of the front bar unit are covered with matching walnut plastic laminate (Micarta). And, as in all of the author's projects in the book, all plywood edges are covered with matching Weldwood wood trim. The top and bottom cabinets of the back bar have both piano-hinge and sliding-type doors. The center doors in the top cabinet are decorative plastic, many types of which are available at hardware or department stores. The plastic used in the model is Acrylite, with butterfly and fern inlays. Instead of plastic, smoked or clear glass doors, or matching walnut 1/4"plywood doors may be used.

An indirect light, which illuminates the top back cabinet and shines through the plastic sliding doors, and the indirect lighting above the bar housing are fluorescent-type lights, controlled by a single switch, Before beginning construction of the housing and bar, place electric outlets in the wall near the floor to take care of the lighting and appliances you may wish to use in the bar.

Fig. A. At top is floor plan of entire bar. At bottom are side and front views of front bar unit.

Before beginning construction, spread a large sheet of paper on the floor area which will be occupied by the bar. Draw a full-size floor plan of front and back bars from dimensions shown in Fig. A.

To make front bar unit, cut the bar top from a piece of 3/4" plywood to size shown in floor plan. On both front corners, make a circle with 8" radius and cut off corners with a bayonet or keyhole saw.

The apron of the front bar unit is made of two layers of 1/4" plywood, which are bent around corners and attached to bar top, one at a time. To make first layer, cut several strips of 1/4" plywood, 4" wide and 4' long, against the grain, so plywood will bend more easily, At points where  plywood will be bent around corners, cut 1/8-deep kerfs, which are parallel grooves, 4" long and about 1/4" apart.

Using glue and 4d coated nails, attach first layer of plywood. Pieces for the second layer should be cut at different lengths than the first layer so joints will not coincide. Again, 1/8" kerfs must be cut where second layer bends around corners. Press second layer tightly over first layer, and attach with glue and 4d nails.

To give matching finish to apron, cut a piece of plastic laminate to size and glue to apron, holding firm while bending on curve. Micarta was used here with Weld wood contact cement.

Trim off excess plastic laminate. A router jig with plastic laminate trimming attachment is being used here. If you have no router jig, a sharp plane and file can be used.

Cover the bar top with matching plastic laminate, using contact cement. A professional technique for applying plastic laminate is to place a newspaper between laminate and wood surface, after cement has dried. Then remove paper, piece by piece, as the laminate is pressed slowly into place.

With pencil and a square, carefully mark cutting line (see Fig. A) for the end of bar top, which will fold back. Cut through bar top with a very fine-toothed saw, cutting inward so rough edges will be on inside.

To attach invisible hinges, first place each hinge on edge of bar top and edge of fold-back, and mark location. Then chisel out depth and length of hinge flanges and attach hinges with screws. This type of hinge will allow a smooth surface where fold-back joins bar, with no protruding hinge shoulders.

To make base assembly of front bar unit, cut front and side panels from 3/4" plywood to sizes shown in Fig. A. Attach sides of bar to front panel with glue and 1 1/4 No. 8 flathead screws through countersunk holes. Keep sides flush with front edges.

Cut three pieces of 3/4" plywood, 71/2" wide and 56 3/4" long. Use one piece for middle shelf, and, if you wish; cover with matching plastic laminate. With a square, mark lines on both side panels 12" from top and attach middle shelf with glue and screws. Keep snug against side and front panels.

Using glue and screws, attach second piece at top of base assembly, keeping flush with top edges. This piece will be used to secure bar top to base assembly.   Third piece is attached to side and front panels to become bottom of base assembly. This piece will have a caster at each end. Depending on casters used, recess bottom piece so wheels of caster will not extend more than 1" below base assembly (see Fig. E).

Cut 4"-by- 7 1/2" side support for third caster from 3/4" plywood and attach to wider side panel on exact level of bottom piece, and at right angles to it.

Attach casters to bottom of base assembly. In this project, 2 3/4" flat mount, stationary casters were used.

Fig. B. Front view of back wall unit.

To assemble entire front bar unit, place bar top upside down and attach base assembly to bar top with glue and 1 1/4" No. 12 flathead screws. Keep back edges flush and be sure fold-back is clear of base assembly. To attach front bar unit to wall so it will slide in and out, see instructions and pictures 54-58.

Next, begin back wall unit, which will consist of a top and a bottom cabinet. Now is the time to put up two 3/4" plywood side partitions 27" wide and 7' high, and a 3/4" plywood ceiling piece, 27" wide and 7 6" long, if you wish to enclose your bar behind doors, as in the model project. After side partitions are mounted in place, a 6" plywood mounting strip is nailed flush with the top of the inside of each partition. The ceiling piece of the bar housing is then attached to the side partitions by driving nails through the bottom, up into mounting strips.

Draw a full-size layout of the back wall top and bottorn cabinets on wall, following dimensions in Figs. B and C. The bottom of the top cabinet should be at least 3/4" higher than the top of the front bar unit.

Make bottom cabinet first. Cut 3/4" plywood to sizes shown in Figs. B and C. Before assembling, cut notches 2" long and 3/4" deep in top of back edges of vertical partitions. These notches will enable 2"-wide back support to be mounted flush with back edge of cabinet (see photos 18 and 19).

Fig. C. Cross section, top and bottom back bar cabinets.

Assemble cabinet frame, using glue and 6d nails, keeping all back edges flush. After glue has dried, plane front edges flush. Place 2"-wide back support into notches and attach with glue and nails. This back support will be used later to mount cabinet to wall.

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