Designer + Maker + Team Player = Engineer
WALL-MOUNTED BAR
Overview
During the summer of 2020, while working for a start-up in Somerville, I realized that I didn't have anything very interesting to do during my free time. We were in the midst of a pandemic, restaurants were closed and it was advised for people to stay at home. Thankfully, a year ago I applied for a grant to create a maker space in my coed fraternity. After a detailed document explaining why we needed this, the machines and tools we wanted to buy, and how we would make sure to keep everyone safe, they awarded me the grant to start the project. Hence, since I had the perfect maker space I decided to build my own wall-mounted bar. Honestly, I had so much fun while failing in the process and learning from my mistakes.
Phase 1
Starting was anything but easy. First I had to sketch and design my bar, taking into consideration the weight it was going to carry, bottle sizes that would need to fit in, how tall regular wine glasses are, how I was going to attach it to a wall, stresses the beams would have to endure, type of wood, the thickness of wood.. A LOT TO consider.
After making some assumptions about the maximum weight this bar would need to carry, I was able to quickly do some back-of-the-envelope calculations (cantilever beam and some quick shear/moment and FBD diagrams). Thanks to this, I was able to determine the thickness of wood needed and how long would each shelf need to be.
With all of these sketched out, I went to Home Depot and bought all of the materials needed (mainly wood, sandpaper, screws, driller, drill bits, and a jig-saw). Worst part: taking a bus and walking back home carrying all of this because Ubers were not working due to the pandemic :D.
Phase 2
Having all my materials ready, the next step was to start cutting the parts with the right dimensions. I used a ruler to keep track of this and some calipers for the rods to make the holes where they were going to fit a bit smaller so that they would have a tight fit (this type of wood compresses when needed).
Phase 3
Now it was assembly time. Before this project, I had not realized how important it is to plan ahead of time the assembly process: what pieces to put together first and what last. This is extremely important! I had to unscrew some things in the process since I had not taken this into account but I learned from my mistake. Deciding when to use nails and screws and superglue was also an interesting aspect that I was able to explore.
Phase 4
Painting time! I learned a lot about wood prep for painting. How important it is to first sand the wood and then put a layer of primer so that the wood absorbs the paint evenly (no dark spots). Applying the wood stain was also not that straightforward. You need to use a dry cloth to take the residue left out before it becomes sticky and you need to keep count of the time you leave the stain on to make sure that all of the parts are of the same tone (the longer you leave the wood stain on, the darker the wood will look). Finally, it is important to apply a final layer such as gloss to protect the wood from humidity and liquid spills. I had to be very patient during this phase since it is vital to wait for the painting/gloss to dry completely.
Phase 5
Add lights and enjoy finished bar!!!!!!!!!
