let's see your bar...

R6rider · Dec 21, 2009

I am getting ready to build a bar for the workshop... i would like to see what everyone has done(for ideas). I did a search, but didn't come up with much... even though i've seen some really nice bar setups in other threads. :bowdown:

thanks in advance. :thumbup:

nathank · Dec 21, 2009

I'm in the same boat. I'm about to start building as well. I look forward to seeing everyone's replies.

Gary S · Dec 21, 2009

There's no place for a bar in my garage. When I'm in the garage, I work with machinery, and my beer waits for me in the house when I'm done working with machinery.

Stuart in MN · Dec 21, 2009

Yeah, I think it ceases to be a workshop and turns into a 'man cave' when you put in a bar.

rieferman · Dec 21, 2009

I don't have pics of my own to share, but I do have some items I consider essential to a nice bar.

- The overhang of the bar surfance must be sufficient that you can actually get your legs underneath. 6 inches isn't enough. I think 10 inches is probably about right.
- On the sitting side of the bar, hooks under the bar top (for jackets etc.) are very nice to have.
- If there's no foot rest, it barely even counts as a bar in my opinion.
- Extra points for a brass foot rest, although a simple wooden box is nice.
- Bar top needs a beveled edge for tired elbows to rest on.
- Personally, I'm not a fan of padded edges.
- Chairs should swivel.

edit: You need to see the op's shop in Garage Gallery to understand that his "man cave" is definitely more than enough workshop for anyone. I say, put the bar in, your "garage card" is safe.

R6rider · Dec 21, 2009

rieferman said:
I don't have pics of my own to share, but I do have some items I consider essential to a nice bar.

- The overhang of the bar surfance must be sufficient that you can actually get your legs underneath. 6 inches isn't enough. I think 10 inches is probably about right.
- On the sitting side of the bar, hooks under the bar top (for jackets etc.) are very nice to have.
- If there's no foot rest, it barely even counts as a bar in my opinion.
- Extra points for a brass foot rest, although a simple wooden box is nice.
- Bar top needs a beveled edge for tired elbows to rest on.
- Personally, I'm not a fan of padded edges.
- Chairs should swivel.

edit: You need to see the op's shop in Garage Gallery to understand that his "man cave" is definitely more than enough workshop for anyone. I say, put the bar in, your "garage card" is safe.

thanks for the ideas rief... I appreciate it. and also, thanks for validating this thread with that edit... :beer:

R6rider · Dec 22, 2009

well, i got the frame built last night... i'll have to take a pic tonight.

krusty the clown · Dec 22, 2009

the bar doesn't keep me from using it as a workshop.....

R6rider · Dec 22, 2009

looks good krusty... is the top just plywood with some kind of lip?

krusty the clown · Dec 22, 2009

R6rider said:
looks good krusty... is the top just plywood with some kind of lip?

yes, it's oak plywood with oak trim.

kartracer23 · Dec 22, 2009

Here's mine. The base is 48" gorilla shelves so I have storage on the back. Front side is covered with MDF & painted. The top is 12" x 12" tile on cement board, with a painted wood border. The only thing I wish I had done differently is to cut the shelves down by about 2". I didn't allow for the top / tile when I was doing my measurements and it's a bit high-even with the stools all the way up. I may go back and build a platform for the stools to sit on.

blkhonda1991 · Dec 22, 2009

best way to figure out your bar design is to spend some quality time doing "field" research, thats what we did when we had to design a bar for a project :beer:

BigRed390 · Dec 22, 2009

No bar in my garage. I live in a split level house, with the bottom level being a 2 car garage and a finished basement area. I don't have a bar in the garage because my basement is set up like an Irish pub, complete with a brick based bar, cabinets, fridge, etc. I've even got a John Courage bar mirror from the old pub in town that closed down almost 2 years ago. Bar in the garage? Nah. But I do keep a full-sized fridge full of beer out there! :beer:

I'll try and throw a pic or two up at some point.

Zrexxer · Dec 22, 2009

This one actually belongs to my buddy, but since I did half the work of building it I have a little "pride of ownership" myself.

We constructed a 2-car detached garage next to his house from the ground up, and we decided to make it a two-story and have a bar upstairs. So, the bar isn't actually IN the garage, but OVER it.

One thing led to another and it turned into a huge project. By the time I was standing up on a rickety scaffold in 105 degree summer sun nailing that last course of Hardiplank on the siding, I was about sick of it

We did every lick of the work on the whole place except the metal roof and the float and tape on the drywall.

He and his wife are petroliana collectors, and they needed a place to display all their rusty little treasures. The bar itself came out of an old drugstore soda fountain, and the back bar came from an old building that was being demolished in Dallas.

Joe69 · Dec 22, 2009

Zrexxer, that bar is awesome! I love the old school woodwork.

Joe

R6rider · Dec 22, 2009

Zrex... wow, that's awesome.

Kevin54 · Dec 22, 2009

Now THAT is a bar in the garage :thumbup:

Tazfink · Dec 22, 2009

Zrex... That makes half of the "Real" bars I have been to look like "***** matter".

Wonderful job.

NUTTSGT · Dec 22, 2009

Closet thing to a bar in my garage is the work bench or work table, which is arms reach to the small fridge.

Now, I can't say that if I could latch on to an old bar like the one Zrexxer showed I wouldn't.

justinmc · Dec 22, 2009

Kevin54 said:
Now THAT is a bar in the garage

No kidding.. that place oozes coolness and nostalgia. The type of place I could just camp out in. Then again.. it is a bar! :lol_hitti

Seriously some very nice handywork there Zrexxer

mhm993 · Dec 22, 2009

Count me as another, "I put my beer bottle down on the work bench near the vise" kind of bar keeps.
Bar? If I had room for a bar, I'd have a parts cleaner, a blast cabinet and a welding table, and still put the bottle down on the workbench!

Zrexxer · Dec 22, 2009

Thanks for all the compliments, but the one that deserves them is the money man, he's the one that could afford to build and buy all that stuff, I was just skilled labor that worked for beer

Here's the outside view of the building, the windows over the garage doors are the bar. Access to the bar is entirely through an exterior steel staircase and a second story deck. I did all the design, fabrication, and welding on the deck railings.

R6rider · Dec 22, 2009

Zrexxer said:
Thanks for all the compliments, but the one that deserves them is the money man, he's the one that could afford to build and buy all that stuff, I was just skilled labor that worked for beer

Here's the outside view of the building, the windows over the garage doors are the bar. Access to the bar is entirely through an exterior steel staircase and a second story deck. I did all the design, fabrication, and welding on the deck railings.

so, when are you coming to Decatur? i've got plenty of beer for you...

seriously, the reasoning for the bar:
-b/c i have all the tools that I need(yes, i want a lot of tools) and still have the extra room.
-i've always wanted my own man cave.
-when the fence was put up around the yard... there were 22 2x4's left over. :beer:

R6rider · Dec 22, 2009

edit.......

RbrtAWhyt · Dec 22, 2009

You should be able to find some great ideas on this site:

http://www.bar-gear.com/index.htm

They even have a bunch of plans to build them...

They have a pretty good gallery on that site as well...

http://www.bar-gear.com/gallery.htm

R6rider · Dec 22, 2009

thanks Rbrt...

D KRAGER · Dec 22, 2009

Here's my fold up bar made from old barn siding. Nothing too fancy.

But does your bar FOLD!!!! This one does. It is 32" wide and 10.5' long. I didn't want it to block the shop all the time, so I made it fold up. (It hardly ever gets folded up cause it's the hang out point, and has the garage internet computer on it) LOL! If you look in the pics you can see it folds at the wall and then folds in the middle. The pulley is just below that light above the cardinal sign. I don't have a pic of it folded. I need to work on an electric hoist for folding it, haven't gotten around to that yet. :beer:

escapeewantab · Dec 22, 2009

I like these bars
View media item 2643

The Hot Rod Grille · Dec 22, 2009

Here's mine. It's a "soda bar". 1950's Bastian-Blessing soda fountain in fully operational condition.

Jim

RbrtAWhyt · Dec 22, 2009

R6rider said:
thanks Rbrt...

You're welcome! :thumbup:

rieferman · Dec 23, 2009

d krager, i think we need a picture tour of your place, looks really unique!

hot rod grille, NICE.

D KRAGER · Dec 23, 2009

rieferman said:
d krager, i think we need a picture tour of your place, looks really unique!

hot rod grille, NICE.

Yea I've been meaning to get around to that. I've shown bits and pieces, need to take the time to put all the pics together and start a thread...... Maybe after the New year. Hey a New Years resolution, Garage Journal style!

R6rider · Dec 23, 2009

you guys have some awesome bar areas... wow. thanks for sharing the pics.

R6rider · Dec 28, 2009

ok... i finished building my bar.

pics can be seen here: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=706204#post706204

let's see your bar...

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