Military Bar Build

I just picked up a pair of old army rifle crates. I don't have room to use them for storage in my garage, but I did have room in the living room for a bar. Plan is to disassemble them saving as much as I can and build a useable bar with a historic appeal.

Most of the construction is done. All that is really left to do is the seal it and build a shelf for the inside.

Well no one likes to read anymore so here are some pictures!

Needs cantine cups for serving the brews in.

Rhumbline said:

Needs cantine cups for serving the brews in.

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Didn't think about that. I will have to hit up the army surplus store. Any other themed ear that I should have? I was going to get a .50 cal bottle opener.

serve Ramen noodles with Tabasco. Hell, put Tabasco sauce in each beer.

A half teaspoon of sand in each cup will also add a nice touch of authenticity.

Outstanding build!

An MRE Beer pairing event is in order.

You need PT belts on in order to drink...it's the only safe way to drink.

Browsing EBay will give you some good ideas. How about a Kevlar helmet for a snack bowl? (Wash that f&&&ER really well first) or bar stools inside seabags? We always used ours as handy field expedient seating so we didn't have to haul our tired asses up off the ground with a full pack.

If money is no issue, go with an authentic ejection seat as barstool. A cheaper version might be seats from a HUMMV, which will guarantee that nobody sticks around for long!

Semper Fi...

Well after a busy couple of days, I got the bar finished. Luckily it had just enough room for the mini fridge to fit underneath. Like fractions of inches. Now that the fridge is in, I can build a shelf system for glasses. Anyone have recommendations for that?

Looks great! Simple, but effective!

Table looks cool. But with the mechanism you're using for the legs, which appears to be flipping 3 foot 2x4's up over the top of the bar, hanging or shelving any glassware around the area is asking for trouble.
I like the idea of using tin cups. Maybe you could hang some dog tag chains with hooks that the cups can be stored? Like an upside down bouquet of tin cups and misc items? (Hmm, experiment a bit. this might work against. )

Rhumbline said:

A cheaper version might be seats from a HUMMV, which will guarantee that nobody sticks around for long!

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No s@#t. Those Nomex encased chunks of lumpy concrete were awful.

I actually suggest a replica of the C130 webbing seats as fold up auxiliary seating area. Those were actually pretty comfy.

How about a Molle vest to hold bar accessories.

But you absolutely have to make all patrons wear their reflective PT belt before having a drink.

inventive use of found materials.

I had almost forgotten how much I hated OD green....I was one of those good soldiers that hated the Army. Worst two years of my life.

Maybe an ammo can to serve popcorn out of would fit right in. In fact the ammo can and AR's are the only things Army I still have around the place.....they are just perfect for storing things like ammo! how about an old bayonet for a tap handle? paint your company/division patch or rank on the front might look cool. Gotta stencil your name and SS number on the bar somewhere. Or the ever popular "My soul belongs to God, but the Army owns my ass!"

... and don't forget, before anyone can have a beer they have to spend four hours scrubbing every piece of your brewing gear.

and once a week on Thursday night, they all have to come over and help you pull everything out of the room, disassemble, scrub, wash, vacuum, dust, polish and repair every damned thing before it's put back in place.

If the joint doesn't smell like lemon Pledge and Pine-Sol, you're not doing it right.

You need to have patrons recite the Beer Drinker's Creed on command at random. There should be a daily police call or the area. Everyone must always take their first sip with their left hand. In Ranks inspections....of flights of beer.

Biscuits said:

You need to have patrons recite the Beer Drinker's Creed on command at random. There should be a daily police call or the area. Everyone must always take their first sip with their left hand. In Ranks inspections....of flights of beer.

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"This is my beer, there are many like it but this one is mine..."

Get a bunch of unit patches to decorate it. Maybe some recent vets on the forum would have a spare to send you.

Camouflage netting hung from the ceiling for added effect.

Be sure to greet your guests with enthusiasm. Make them feel welcome.

After a little use, found some things I am going to change.

1. Under bar shelving. It would be nice to have a dedicated storage for glasses and drinks. It would be nice to also have a door to prevent pets/small children from pillaging my glassware!
2. Electrical. It looks tacky having an extension cord in the bar. I am going to wire 2 fixed outlets into the bar. Then the bar will have a dedicated plug to provide power.

Build Update:
Shelving: I assembled the shelves inside the bar. Used left over materials from the original build. The shelf is made of 1/2 in planks from inside the crate. I plan to remove the shelving for paint, stain, and poly. The SWMBO said no painting in the house.

Electric: Just purchased the materials to hard wire the bar. I have never done electrical work before. I am a little nervous, but my buddy who is an electrical engineer walked me through the process while he was over. Plan to have one outlet by the fridge and a second by the top center.

Remember the old field desks? Maybe you could clone those legs for the bar table top.

robert843 said:

Remember the old field desks? Maybe you could clone those legs for the bar table top.

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That could work. I want to still be able to use the top while it is "closed". I wonder If I could make a pair of legs that could be inserted? Just spit balling here. That way I don't have to worry about destroying anything above the bar when I want it to be a table.

I was able to finish the electrical and shelving today, but not the door. All in all it was not as hard as I thought it would be. So far there have not been any fires or outlets shooting out sparks!

Sorry for some of the low quality pictures. My cell phone camera was not cooperating.

Nicely done, but remember... It's supposed to look like it was "designed in a pub and built in a shed".

But if you want to see the upscale version of this kind of thing, look up "British campaign furniture"