Hardwoods Blog
At Hardwoods Incorporated we’ve recently added two new curved bar rail molding corners. Pictured below are our BR158 – 135 degree radiuses available in a 6” or 12” version, suitable for small commercial bars, home bars and drink rails. We make these bar rail corners from a solid block of hardwood precision machined to match our BR158 Bar rail straight lengths and 90 degree radius corners. Also recently added is our BR475-S–135 Degree Radius Corners available in both 6″ and 12″ versions. This “bar top rail” is known as the original “Chicago Bar Rail Molding”…
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New item just added to our DIY bar building products; 21″ wide Main bar top kits tongue and groove offered in 6′, 8′ and 10′ lengths. This item can be used with or without our glass rail and drip edge option for a wider bar top surface. Suitable for commercial bar tops and home bar tops alike. Combine various lengths for our 21” wide or 16” wide main bar top kits to make a continuous bar top of any length by simply alternating the joints. See our “How to assemble and install bar top kits” for details. Be sure to…
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Remove the bar top parts from the box and lay them out on your work bench to familiarize yourself with how they go together. Prepare the tools needed to complete the job; a drill, drill bits and countersink, 1-1/4” x #6 or #8 wood screws, wood glue, bar and C clamps and a clean damp cloth. Determine if you want to cut and fit all the planks first or cut, fit and install each plank as you go; whatever way is easier for you. Next, miter and or cut to size the 6” wide plank and place it 1-9/16” from…
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At Hardwoods Incorporated we’ve been making our bar rail moldings and matching radius bar rail corners to the same design specifications for over 40 years. Our double notch bar rail system accepts (2) layers of ¾” bar top material sandwiched one on top of another for a solid 1-1/2” thick bar top providing stability and strength. (As shown) All of our Chicago style bar rail moldings BR475, BR550, BR650, BR475-3CM and BR475-S lay at a perfect comfortable angle displaying their 3 dimensional qualities ideal for use on home bars, commercial bars and pub rails. When choosing a bar…
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Pictured is a recently completed custom home bar for a client in Fort Myers Florida; this bar features a natural edge bar top custom crafted from a 2″ thick slab of figured bubinga and finished with a pre-catalyzed acrylic lacquer. Visit our completed bar gallery to view more home and commercial bars & bar tops. Save
Bar top wings are blocks of solid hardwood made from the same wood type as the bar top and bar rail molding and are used at the junction where the glass rail, drip edge and bar rail molding meet. This situation usually occurs at the end of the bar top or entrance to go behind the bar. They are 1-1/2″ thick x 4-5/8″ wide and 12″ long cut on a 45 degree angle on one end as shown. The wings are easily attached to the edge of the bar top with bisquets and glue spanning the lamination between the plywood…
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We recently launched our new website and webstore which includes a few new bar rail offerings for home and commercial bar building projects. Pictured below is our BR475-3CM Bar Rail Molding We make our BR475-3CM bar rail molding with a 3CM top notch to fit over standard thickness granite or any other material suitable for a bar top including hardwoods, tile or metal. A 3/4 bottom notch is provided to receive the plywood sub top under the granite necessary for attaching the bar rail. BR475-3CM is available online in our standard wood species and can be customized in a variety…
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PRE-FINISHING YOUR BAR RAIL MOLDING PRIOR TO INSTALLATION IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA AND IS NOT RECOMMENDED. Once you have viewed our installation video and have properly installed the bar rail molding we suggest the following steps. Mask off and protect the area where the bar rail meets the main bar top and begin the sanding process with 100 grit sand paper moving on up to 180 grit. Higher grits of sandpaper may be used but keep in mind the higher the grit and polish on the wood the less the stain will penetrate. Natural/clear finishes are not affected as…
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What are standard bar dimensions? How tall is a standard bar? How wide should you make a bar top? How do you build a home bar? How do you install Chicago bar rail? How do you cut and install curved radius bar rails for corners? These are the questions we receive all day, every day by wood workers, architects and contractors building home bars and commercial bars alike. Hardwoods Incorporated is now introducing our Bar Building Resources. Visit our new Bar Building Resource Center to learn how to install bar rail molding standard bar dimension and specifications how to cut…
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How to Install Bar Rail A short guide to installing Chicago style bar rail: The tools we will be using to fit and install the bar rail molding are a drill, glue, screws, spoil board, biscuit joiner, and biscuits. The sub top should extend out beyond the main bar top 1 and 9/16″ as shown. We first set up the spoil board to hold the bar rail up in position while cutting. We set the miter box angle at 45 degrees and position the bar rail on the spoil board to make the first cut. Next, we reset the miter…
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