Finally finished that curved bar top for the Jackson Ave diner

Started this 12 foot walnut bar top back in early March, the bend was giving me fits for weeks. Last Thursday I clamped the last laminate strip and it came out dead flat, even the owner's wife said it looked better than the shop in Detroit. It took three tries on the form and I burned through a whole sheet of 3/4 plywood before I got the radius right. Anyone else struggle with curved glue ups or is it just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

lilya761mo ago

Talked to my buddy Dave about this exact thing, he builds custom van interiors and said his first curved cabinet door took him four tries before he stopped fighting the grain. He finally figured out that soaking the strips overnight and using a tighter clamp pattern made the bend way more forgiving. Your persistence paid off though, that dead flat result is what everyone remembers.

dakota4151mo ago

So did Dave ever try explaining the grain thing to the wood, or does he just threaten it with a bigger clamp? lol Glad you got it flat finally, sounds like the wood knew you meant business.