Stories, insights, and craft wisdom from one of America's great furniture makers. Stephen Robin has spent over 60 years working with fine wood in Woodstock, NY — here he shares his knowledge on custom furniture, cabinetry, materials, and the art of making things built to last.
Terrapin restaurant in Rhinebeck, NY came to us with a challenging commission: replace the bar top in their bistro. The bar runs about 40 feet long and curves all the way around the room. They had chosen reclaimed oak to match their dining room tables and give the space a cohesive, warm look. The original bar top was functional but worn, and some elements were broken.
A curved 40-foot bar top is not something you can make twice. We started by producing a sample for client approval, then went to the restaurant and meticulously measured every inch of the existing bar. From those measurements we made templates that we matched over the existing top to confirm the fit before a single board of new material was cut.
The reclaimed oak we sourced had lived previous lives as barn boards and floor joists. It came with nails that had to be removed by hand before milling could begin. Once clean, we milled the boards flat and sliced them into veneers for laminating the new bar top. Every piece had a history, and every piece required individual attention.
After lamination, the surface needed filling. The voids and imperfections inherent in reclaimed material were filled with a dark epoxy chosen to complement the oak's character rather than hide it. The result was a smooth, cleanable surface that still reads as honest, aged wood.
The laminated blanks were then cut to size on our CNC router, which allowed us to execute the curves of the bar with precision that hand cutting simply could not match. The edging material was bent and laminated to the front and back of each section, held with many clamps to ensure clean, tight joints. The edges were then rounded and the sections joined together for finishing.
Once finished, we carefully packed and delivered the sections to Terrapin. Installation required trimming the front edge of the existing bar structure to receive the new top, then assembling and joining the 8-foot sections in place, about a foot above the bar, using glue, fasteners, and tenons spanning each joint. The result was a seamless 40-foot curved bar top in reclaimed oak, ready for many more years of use.
Commercial and residential countertop and bar top work is a specialty of our shop. If you have a project in mind, contact us at 845-679-8527 or visit our gallery in Woodstock, NY.
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