At Last This Bar is Done

[Per Swenson]

Well not really,

I still do not have the correct wall plates or thermostat cover.

We also have about two hours tweaking the tiny stuff.

Then we need to polish the top.

But for all intensive purposes the money is in the bank.

I have never done a job that took so long.

But the fault is not ours.

Any way now its on to the next one.

Here is a boat load of pics.

Per

[Per Swenson]

Some more views.

The bar is to big for my lens.

[Per Swenson]

One more and why not.

[Todd Solomon]

Per, that is spectacular! Just beautiful. My wife and I always talk about some day doing something like that in our home. The home'd have to get a little bigger, as would the pocket-book, and my woodworking skillset! That's gotta be one ecstatic customer.

Tell us about the place. Is this part of a restaurant, or Hugh Hefner's mansion, perhaps?

Todd

[Per Swenson]

Thanks Todd,

It is a Elks Lodge in Livingston NJ.

They are non-profit, but we aren't.

Ya see the elks lodges are a marketer's dream.

Per

[Dave Novak]

That's crazy good. I can't even begin to describe how impressed I am. I thought I was a pretty good woodworker until I joined this forum. I'm not just jerking your chain here, that's the coolest bar I've ever seen. How humbling. I'm going to have to buy more tools.

[Jim Becker]

That is just so major elegant, Per!! (And um...quite a contrast from the "before"... ;) ) Wonderful work! I hope you can take a few days to relax before the next adventure. You and your crew have certainly earned it!

[Per Swenson]

Thanks Jim,

This is the before...

Aptly called ....say goodbye.

Per

[glenn bradley]

The time spent was well worth it. that is beautiful.

[Tim Malyszko]

Thanks Jim,

This is the before...

Aptly called ....say goodbye.

Per

Wow. What a transformation. I wish I had 10% of your talent. You are a remarkable craftsman.

Very nice work.

[Don Bullock]

Per, that is outstanding. I can't begin to comprehend how much work that is, nor would i even know where to start. Your expertise and presence on this forum is greatly appreciated.

[Kevin Smith]

Per,

Beautiful work!

Would you please share how you did the ceiling grid? I think this really sets the space off.

[Dave Malen]

beautiful work. I hope you got a boatload of money for all that work. The elk on the bar top is a great touch.
Dave

[Mathew Nedeljko]

Congratulations Per, that really is fantastic work! Far, Far cry from what it was before!

How did you create the columns? Did you make an octagon first and then turn it round? How did you do the fluting? I've done fluting on square columns, but never tried it on round....

Also, I love the elk in the bar top... did you create this marquetry?


Again, fantastic work!

[Per Swenson]

Kevin.

Cieling?

Oh, that little thing.

Just kidding.

Clicky here......http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=42264

Per

[John Timberlake]

Wow! I love everything - the bar, the back bar, the columns, the elk - everything. Great job.

[Per Swenson]

The collumns.....

Bob, my very own ole geezer whipped those together here.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=48083

The elk in the bar top.....

Hold on I'll go look.....

You still there ? OK, Its here.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=48330&highlight=carved

Per

[Ben Grunow]

You mean to say that you and your crew (how many?) did that work AND did the finishing?

I am impressed. Great design (yours too I imagine) and execution.

How many man hours into a job like that for you guys? (500-600 ?)

Wow. Make me thirsty.

[Roy Wall]

Per -

That...........is pretty sweet! What a terrific JOB!

You make great use of the super safety table saw and the black & green guided saw / sanders / et al....stuff........:)

[John Miliunas]

Oh my word, Per! That is absolutely stunning and you're right..."The money SHOULD be in the bank!" Wow and again I say, "WOW"! :) :cool:

[Per Swenson]

Ben,

There is no crew.

Just my 82 year old Father and yours truly.

And its nothing to brag about, but, I don't work well with others

when it comes to this stuff.

Per.

[Joe Mioux]

How long did it take a week? maybe two, don't tell me three?:eek: j/k

Per, That is a very handsome bar and room! I can see some serious drinking and smoking going on in there.

Joe

[Mathew Nedeljko]

Thanks for answering my questions by posting links to previous threads. I missed those !

What a great resource this is! Beats any magazine subscription!

[Jesse Thornton]

(*Long slow whistle*) Wow. That is simply stunning, Per. Maybe if I keep this woodworking thing up for another forty or fifty years I'll be able to pull off something like that too.
Thanks for sharing your phenomenal work.

[Zahid Naqvi]

Per, that's some fantastic work, talk about a makeover.

[Per Swenson]

Jesse,

Everybody else too.

Listen up. Go back and look at the pictures and break it down into

subassemblys. It is just finish carpentry. It isn't even a chair.

So, it a little less then 3000 board feet of Mahogany.

And gallons of finish. It is just big and seems really hard.

It ain't. If you can hang and trim a door, know your way around the tools

you allready own, (plus, get someone to pay you alot of money)

You could do this too. Each and every one of ya.

Except maybe the elk in the bar.

There are no secrets here.

Per

[Joel Ficke]

Mind boggling. Simply awesome!

[John Schreiber]

Jesse,

Everybody else too.

Listen up. Go back and look at the pictures and break it down into

subassemblys. It is just finish carpentry. It isn't even a chair.

So, it a little less then 3000 board feet of Mahogany.

And gallons of finish. It is just big and seems really hard.

It ain't. If you can hang and trim a door, know your way around the tools

you allready own, (plus, get someone to pay you alot of money)

You could do this too. Each and every one of ya.

Except maybe the elk in the bar.

There are no secrets here.

Per
Combine that with Per's signature line from T.E. Lawrence (That's Lawrence of Arabia to you and me.) "all men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night....wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible."

Per, you may be right that we are all capable of it, but your eyes are open and most of the rest of us are afraid to look.

[Ron Brese]

Per,

The before and after are in stark contrast to one another, but then again I'm not telling you anything you don't know. I have a firm grasp on the obvious.
Truthfully these kind of things can get overwhelming if allowed. I am sure you had to break this down into small jobs that had to be accomplished in order to get the whole of the thing done. If one tries to do a job like this without a plan of sequences you tend to find yourself overwhelmed, chasing your tail and never catching it. In other words you get nothing done trying to get everything done. You really did manage this thing well and the results were awesome!

Ron

[Per Swenson]

Thanks Ron,

But this is what I do.

When I say that, I really mean it.

I haven't gone to movie since Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opened in '64


Per

[Tommy Emmons]

More props from a novice. Outstanding job. I like Dave Novak's idea, "I need to buy more tools." In my case, a boat load of tools would not produce such a nice bar.

[lou sansone]

fatastic work. the proportions and the details are just great. would you consider this one of your best jobs so far?

best wishes
lou

[Alan Turner]

Per,
Outstanding work. Making it all come together is a nice skill. I trust the barkeep will keep your mug filled.

[Philip Duffy]

I hope you took the time to put a 4inx4in brass plate in the middle of the top that says you made this incredible bar! BZ! Phil

[Glenn Clabo]

Per...That is awesome. You and Pops done real good man. Now...what's on tap?...sort ta speak.

p.s....DrLOML says "Santa Maria"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Karl Laustrup]

Per & Bob,

There's not anything I can add to what's already been said. I'm sure you're glad it's finally done, well except for the tweaking.

Now, as I recall, there is a vacation at hand for the craftsmen involved in this work. Enjoy the rest and relaxation.

Karl

[Jim Dunn]

My 02 Simply awesome. By the way you can get a coke at the show palace nowadays:)

[Richard Wolf]

Great work Per. Take the rest of the day off and be in at 7 am tomorrow.

Richard

[Tyler Howell]

Cool ones all around on me.
Awesome transformation.

TJH

[Mike Holbrook]

I have a few questions:

Does the Elk's lodge need a bartender?

Need any help cristening the bar?

Can we make a pre school forum so I can post pictures of the building project I just finished?

Is there anyway to keep wives of SMC members from seeing Per's pictures?


Beautiful work! I am sure others will find it the same inspiration that I do.

[Aaron Montgomery]

Incredible work Per! When will you be available to do that to my basement? (1/10th scale) :) Thanks for sharing!

[Dave Hale]

I agree with Mike. My first thought was, 'Wonder what it takes to join the Elks?'.

Beautiful work Per and awesome craftsmanship Bob!

[Jim Becker]

Is there anyway to keep wives of SMC members from seeing Per's pictures?

Yea...he's such a handsome guy and handy with tools, too...danger, boys!! :D :D :D Oh, you mean of the bar? Well...there's danger there, too...you may be remodeling your houses for the next couple of eons...

[Mark Singer]

Great Job! Exellent looking bar....great finish as well! I would like to raise a cold one wth you Per and Bob......unfortunatley you built in in NJ on the wrong side of the country:rolleyes:

[Rich Torino]

Per,
just an amazing piece of work. You are turely a craftsman superior.....

[Derek Jones]

Per,
As you can see from my counter haven't posted a lot, but I had to say that the bar is incredible. You do excellent work, a true craftsman. It is also refreshing to see someone who takes the time to complete a job from demolition to sheetrock to finish. You don't find many people like you any more. Once again incredible work.
Derek

[Ron Hedrick]

You should be very proud of this project. It is absolutely beautiful. I'll bet the "Club" is ecstatic with the finished project.

[Scott Halverson]

Per,

You surely are a talented carpenter. I think you found your calling!

Really enjoyed the pics. Thanks for sharing!

Scott

[jeremy levine]

I've actually been following some of it on another web site. Make me want to join the Elks just to see it. How may gallons of Zinsser went in it ?

[Scott D Johnson]

Wow. You are truly a master. Thanks for sharing. I find it inspiring that other mere mortals can accomplish this kind of work.

[Mike King, Sherwood Pk., AB]

Per, this is awwwsome work! I'm stunned. And your wood supply 'from the back yard'? wow again..

I'm not familiar with Royal Mahogany. What is it? I've just quoted on a mahogany job, needing to match 40 year-old Central American ribbon Mahogany and dark brown satin finish. Needless to say I have concerns on current availability of such wood.. To me, 'African Mahogany' doesn't seem to have the same colouration as the older wood.. And ply- wouldja believe $255/sheet for A1 3/4" 4x8?

[Ted Miller]

Per, Nice work, how many hours would you say you both have invested in this job...

[Jesse Thornton]

Per, I like the way you break it down. Like Henry Ford would say, "Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." It's true that none of the individual pieces would seem as daunting as the whole, but concieving of and designing such an aesthetically pleasing whole, then breaking it down into its simplest steps and executing them so well takes an admirable amount of knowledge, experience, and passion. But it is a very encouraging way to think of it for those of us that have almost got hanging and trimming a door down!
A few curiousities:
Who did the carvings?
How many hours went into it, start to finish?
Was the cove in the long bar moulding/arm rest cut on the tablesaw?
Thanks for your insights,

[Sam Shank]

Per- Question on the floor. I see a regualr pattern. Tell me they didn't put down some flavor of 'pergo' after all that beautiful work you did.

Nice work.

Sam

[Jim O'Dell]

Per...BEAUTIOFUL! BRAVO!! Man that looks like the private bar a posh resort. Stunning. Jim.

[Jules Dominguez]

Awesome, Per.

[Eugene A. Manzo III]

That is very nice looking work !!! You and your crew are very talented.

Thank You
For the Pics

[Belinda Barfield]

Can't say anything that hasn't already been said about this gorgeous bar! The bartenders have to be ecstatic to have such an exquisite place to work. Hopefully no one will slide a mug down that beautiful expanse! Kudos to you and your dad!

[Hank Knight]

Per,

I don't have anything substantive to add either to what everybody else has said except to add my voice to the kudos. Great job. Simply beautiful.

Hank

[Neil Lamens]

Swenson & Swenson.......persistantly.....gett'in er done!!!!! Great man!!!!!!

Hey Per.......did you ever see that John Wayne movie with Jack Elam playing the side-kick with the shotgun....after reading all the posts(never put it together as one job before).....Bob reminds me of that Elam character.

NIcely, nicely done........Neil

[Don Bergren]

Per and Bob...... WOW, what a fantastic project that is not just a woodworking job. It's real craftsmanship and the passion to create a work of art that makes this project magnificent. Without that passion, it would never look as great as it does.

You ain't the average woodworker, and neither is Bob.

[David Wambolt]

Wow. Beautiful work Per. Talk about an upgrade. I wish I could have watched that being done because that would have been one heck of a learning experience. :)

[John McCall]

That is stunningly beautiful. You should market the plans.

[Per Swenson]

Wow!

Thanks everybody.

You guys are amazing, almost 1700 views and 60 something replies

in less then 24 hours. Stop.

Keep it up I am gonna have to put in 4' x 9' doors to get in to the house and

shop. Maybe just the top half so our heads fit through.

The general question. How long did it take?

Forever. Long story there. I can build this in Ideal conditions in

4 to 5 months. Lets just say, due to circumstances way beyond our

control. That didn't happen.

The floor,

Sam, no it is not pergo, and yes there is a pattern.

It is hospital grade lino, similar but better then Armstrong Medentec.

It is 100% not slip, even when covered in blood and beer.

It comes from Japan. Took 6 weeks to get. Cost a mint.

and we installed it ourselves.

Jesse,

Bob hand carved the elk in the center of the bar.

The carvings above the door, ceilings and pilaster, done with

the Carvewright. The carvings above the back bar are purchased

and were left over from another job, as was the bubinga.

All the moldings and the Bar rail were fabricated on a woodmaster 18

planer, molder.

Mike,

Royal Mahogany is a rotary cut mahogany ply (1/4) we used

on the ceiling. A bargain at 87 clams a sheet.

The walls however are true Honduras ply at $147 a sheet for 1/4.

The finish is all Target coatings WB.

We used Target's wb shellac to spray and all hand work was with

Zinsser seal coat.

All of the combined finishes comes to about 25 gallons.

The top is 4 layers of MAS epoxy with 5 coats of Behlens

rock hard table top varnish on top of that.

Thank you all, you guys are great.


Per

[Dan Forman]

Per---oustanding work and design. The before/after pics don't even look like they are from the same planet.

Dan

[Cary Swoveland]

Did you sign it? You should. Maybe, "Pop 'n Per".

Very nice job.

Cary

[Per Swenson]

Cary,

Thanks.

Sign it? Why that would be pretentious.

You would have to have one of them there super ego's, no?

Awe heck why not.

And I can't leave out Bobalouie.

He looks grand for a Geezer his age.

Everybody thanks again.

Per

[Glenn Clabo]

Hey Per...It's amazing that Pops looks as good as he does with a son like his! I'd a figured you would have plum worn him out by now.

[Bill Eshelman]

Humans rock!

Per and Pop, you are super humans.

Who would do something so flippin' awesome?

Are you guys from the future?

Great work!:D:D:D

[Aaron Koehl]

Wow, impressive display! Makes me want to saddle right up to it. I'll have a Crown and ginger.

[Bryan Somers]

Awesome indeed. That is some beautiful work.