Outdoor bar made from recycled materials with a coin feature in the bench top

[LePallet]

 

I made this Outdoor Bar for friends of ours. I was given measurements and few photos to go off but to use my imagination to create something that stands out.

I used some really nice 5-8mm various hardwood timber cladding which where quite wide in size and definitely not flat but I knew once I glued and tacked them on, clean the edges up, it will all pull in and give it that rustic effect I achieved at the end. With a coat of UV protective Clear Polly it really finished off the look with such a cool look.

The two bar bench tops were made from 40mm recycled Messmate hardwood timber, roughly  2.13x500 for the top and 2.13x450 for second.

Once the benches were glued and laminated together by a heap of clamps, the fun part was then to fill all holes and cracks with black epoxy resin, with also clear in some knots. Sanded right back smooth and as level as I could, starting at 40-80 grit right up to 240grit.

Before oiled we made a last minute decision to add a few $2 collectable coins that I’ve collected over the years which I mentioned would be a cool idea. With no room for error I added coins along a long crack in the timber, drilled down with a spade bit, deep enough for the coin to sit just below the surface and then clear resin epoxy over all the coins, allowing to dry for a day before sanding down.

*A tip when using epoxy resin is making sure the timber is level, wait around and top up if required and use a blow torch to lightly go over the top of resin which removes all bubbles from the heat of the torch. Then finished off with a few coats of UV rated Timber oil which I used the brand “Osmo-Oil” and came up Better then I imagined.

The last feature was the 25mm galvanised pipe and fitting to make the foot rest which you can purchase from Bunnings.

Thanks for looking

 

 

 

 

 

[Stuardo]

Wow @LePallet that timber is beautiful, the bar is incredible and adding the coins is clever and a nice touch. Gives me an idea of what to do with all those ANZAC and Remembrance Day brass badges I buy each year. Just have to decide what to embed them into.

Cheers,

Stuart.

[MitchellM]

@LePallet Fantastic project! What type of resin did you use and where did you manage to find recycled timber of that calibre?

[LePallet]

Thanks so Much. It’s a different but cool idea hey, would be great to see what you come up with @Stuardo 

[LePallet]

Yes hi @MitchellM 

great question. And if you do some research with what’s out there and all the different little things you can do and make with resin you will fall in love. I use the brand Western Systems, there is the resin and hardener which are used to make the mixture. 

I’ll see if I can find the photo 

also timber like this and many more can be sourced all around. It’s of those things where you start to look for it then first time then you will see it’s all around you, but at any timber mill, timber salvaged stores which are a few around Melbourne, Geelong and western suburbs 

[MitchellM]

@LePallet is the western system an equal part system? I've had issues in the past with resins but they have always been the ones with the dropper catalyst. Could just be me but perhaps they can be a bit finicky in different weather temps etc. Or maybe I'm just miscalculating how many drops to put in.

[LePallet]

  5:1 ratio for west system resin the one I was using which plays a major factor in getting this first step right first m.

Then it all depends how big is your pour. As there are so many factors in order to getting your finish as clean and clear as possible. Factors include current temperatures around work area and drying times, temperatures in resin it’s self when pouring. Once you find all this out, you will know how large or thick you can pour each mix. Example in layers of 10mm-50mm. Then it’s the importance of removing all bubbles with heat from blow torch.

Doing small jobs like holes, cracks or  my coin job, I just mix the recommended ratio as each brand is different, 5 parts resin 1 part hardener and 10% colour pigment if wanting colour. 

And just poor it over where it needs it. Always adding more as it does soak in or find voids