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So this summer as I was going through my wallet I noticed that my man-card had expired. When did that happen?
Not being okay with that I decided to get my man on. I took apart the dryer, annndd, put it back together. Did outdoor solar lighting, hung pictures, TV’s, started making beer mugs out of old craft beer bottles, and then I got really ambitious and decided I wanted a rustic backyard cooler/bar.
Well, my journey was as follows.
I went to Home Depot and bought a cooler, what I thought was enough wood (so very, very wrong), a T-Square, a Circular Saw, Orbital Sander, Jigsaw, nails, and Wood Glue.
I then sketched out the basic design I wanted (which I later flipped and altered as I progressed).
First I set the cooler on the 3/4 inch thick plywood sheet I had and measured out how wide I wanted the cooler compartment to be. I didn’t want the cooler to be permanently fixed into the bar so I left about and inch and quarter clearance on all sides.
Once I had the measurements set I cut the plywood and started to frame the cooler.
I kept the cooler side about two inches below the top of the box.
My carpenters appreciate operated by the tried and true axiom, “Measure 32 times, hit things with a hammer, and unplug everything.
Once the frame was done I cut 5.25 x 0.75 inch boards to cover the outside.
With the cooler done I moved onto the bar.
I was going to add an upper level to the bar per my original design, but I then realized that I am not 7 feet tall and it would be extremely inconvenient to try to do anything except hang from the top and do pull ups. So I nixed the second level. I made the bar top two inches lower than the cooler top for some aesthetic contrast.
Same procedure. Once framed, I covered the outside.
Mind you no nail gun here folks. I’d say about 200 nails were hammered into this bad-boy by Your’s Truly. I did put liquid nails between each connection as I went as well.
I put a flat-top edge around the cooler so that people could set drinks on it, and I just thought it looked cool. After that I framed and built the lid.
Legs. Oh the legs. Stupid… Stupid legs. Finding the right height was a process that required setting the now 100 pound bar on anything I could find to get a sense of where I wanted it to rest. I am also very OCD and indecisive/second guessy so it took a while for me to feel satisfied.
Cut the legs to the height I wanted and attached one side then used the workout bench (which was the height I agreed on) to prop up the other side to attach the other two.
Once the legs were on I got to sanding. I used my orbital sander and course grain paper and went to town. Evened out the rough spots (and to be honest the spots where my measurements mayyyy have been a little bit off). I also added accent pieces to completely frame the bar top and sides.
Then I started the polyurethane varnish process. 4 coats for me. I liked the natural color of the wood so I didn’t stain it.
Finally I put on my hardware, knobs, hinges, etc. Lightly sanded it with fine grain paper, put one more UV protectant coat of varnish, and that’s a bar.
1.5 weeks, three smashed fingers, 20 splinters, about $150 in, and four trips to Home Depot. But I have a cool bar that is sturdy, quality made, and a conversation piece.
Hope you like it. Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Also feel free to share this post.
Cheers!
It looks awesome my friend…man card definitely activated again LOL
Great result, beats the hell out of a coolbox on the ground. I guess the next step would be to get a keg and pump installed 🙂