I have been looking forward to this day for a while. This is the part that will bring everything together. Originally I was going to use simple 2X6 treated boards but, at my wife’s suggestion, I went back to Home Depot to look again. I ended up finding this nice outdoor decking material that matches my deck. It even came in 6 inch wide by 8 feet long boards, the same as my original design so I did not have to change the original design.
This part of the project went very fast. I used some galvanized deck screws and my screw gun to rapidly attach the planks. Starting with a middle row aligned to the center of the cross pieces, I attached them like I would install a hardwood floor, alternating the joints.
Since I started from the center of the bar and worked my way out, I didn’t bother to cut the boards to the exact length because I knew I would be trimming them later.
I used a screw and my 4 foot T square to draw an arc at each end. I then used my jig saw to trim along the mark. I really like the radius I picked.
Once I trimmed the edges, I ran my belt sander along it to smooth it out and round it off a bit to match the front and back edges.
Here is a picture of the final bar. Pretty nice, huh? When I am ready, I will install two shade umbrellas supported by the 2nd and 4th leg sections. I just have to find the right size umbrellas.
This was a really fun project that really added to the look and usability of our deck. Now we just need to get one more barbecue in before the end of the summer so we can use it.
by Trevor
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