How To Assemble Bar Rail

 The first thing you want to do before attaching the bar rail to the corner is to cut your straight rail and dry fit the bar rail and corner sections. This will ensure that you have the right sizes and fit for all of your bar rail pieces.
Typically you will want to leave the bar rail longer than your finish cut, and then check to see if there needs to be any adjustment of the mitered cut, even for 90 degree cuts you might need to adjust a little bit. Then you can cut the rail to length using that adjustment so that the joint is fitting tightly. You will want to make sure that you do not cut the bar rail short of your finish length needed, and this is why you check the miter and shave the angles accordingly before cutting to final length.

The next step you want to do after getting all the sections dry fitted and meeting up tightly is to attach the corner to the straight rail. For this we recommend using a pocket hole jig to pre-drill holes, and then use pocket screws and glue to connect the rail and corner. When you are ready to screw the pieces together you will want to use the wood glue for the joint and screw the sections together creating a tight glue joint.
 

Below are a series of pictures showing the tools and methods needed to put the bar rail together with the corner. You will want to have a drill, pocket hole jig, pocket screws, wood glue, small clamps, and a square drive bit. We  also offer a clamp block that will help hold the pieces of rail together with the corner for alignment. You can get a pocket hole jig at a home store for around $20.00 and a small box of pocket screws for a few dollars. Usually pocket screws require a square head drive bit to drive the screws in.

After pre-cutting and fitting the bar rail and corner on your bar top you are ready to attach the sections.

Below, this picture shows the tools needed and our calmp block to help hold the sections together when pre-drilling the pocket holes.

Clamp the section of bar rail and corner together holding it tight and aligned.

The next step is to pre-drill with the pocket hole jig for a pocket screw. Line up the end of the jig right on the edge of the joint and clamp it on.

Then, drill the pocket hole and repeat the same step for the other side of the bar rail on the edge that sits on the top.Drill from the other direction so that you have a screw going in from both directions on the joint as shown in the picture above. You should put the jig closer to the outside edge of the rail in order to get the drill head in freely. Then proceed to drill the hole as shown below.
 

This picture below  shows where to position the pocket jig for pre-drilling the hole from the corner to the straight rail. The jig goes right up against the clamp block.

Before screwing the sections together you will want to use a good amount of wood glue for the joint. The pocket hole jig makes a pilot hole into the next section so that it lines up when you screw it together.

The next step is to screw the two sections together with your pocket screws. Be sure and set the clutch on your drill so that you do not strip out the screw. You might want to use the clamp block for this step as well to ensure that the sections are held tight and in line.

This picture below is an example of what the finished joint should looke like after being glued and screwed together.

After this corner assembly there might be a slight variation from the corner to the straight rail, usually about 1/16". This is easily sanded out to make the great finished joint. You will want to make sure it is completely sanded out though, in order to have a very smooth finished joint. You can sand it so that it is smooth with no edge or bump on the joint etc. Start with a heavier grit sand paper, like 80 grit, and work you way down to 150 or 220 grit.

Make sure and go all around the whole joint to get everything sanded and smooth for finishing. You can even use a power sander to get the rough sanding done quickly, but be sure and not make any flat spots or distort the profile.

This a picture of the finished joint, after hand sanding with the progressive grits of sand paper, it should be ready to be installed on your bar top and ready for a fine finish.

Here is a picture of the clamp block that we offer for helping with the assembly of the bar rail corners and straight rail. These are available with the order of your bar rail and corners as needed. They sell for $10.00.