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Fold-Down Wall Bar Table[8/4 Wide · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 bar table + 1 bar shelf
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 Wide · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths / 6-8"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A solid hardwood bar table that folds flat against the wall when you need the floor space — for a small kitchen, a basement bar or a balcony door nook. Three wide 8/4 boards edge-glue into a 44" × 16½" top on two locking folding brackets. A full-length cleat screwed into three studs carries the brackets, and board 5 becomes a bar shelf above for bottles and glasses.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table top pieces | 3 | Boards 1–3 | 44" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Wall cleat | 1 | Board 4 | 44" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Bar shelf | 1 | Board 5 | 40" × 5½" × 1¾" |
| Bracket spacers | 2 | Board 5, rest ripped in half | 6¾" × 2 11/16" × 1¾" (trim to fit) |
Top: three 5½" boards edge-glued → 44" × 16½" × 1¾".
Cleat: board 4 flat against the wall, top at bar height minus the top's thickness, two #14 × 3½" (or 4" structural) screws into each of 3 studs.
Brackets: 2 locking folding shelf brackets, 14"–16" arm, rated 100 lb+ each, on the outside studs; uprights across the cleat and a spacer cut from board 5. The brackets are the hinge.
Bar shelf: board 5 at 40", on 2 steel shelf brackets screwed into studs 14" above the table.
Finished size: Table 44" W × 16½" D, top surface at 42" (or 36" counter height); sticks out about 18¼" open and about 3½" folded. Bar shelf 40" × 5½".
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 Wide · 4ft (6–8" wide, S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 2 heavy-duty locking folding shelf brackets, 14"–16" arm, rated 100 lb or more each
- 2 steel shelf brackets, 5"–6" arm, for the bar shelf
- 6 × #14 × 3½" wood screws or 4" structural screws (cleat), plus 3½" and 3" structural screws for the brackets
- #10 × 1" pan-head screws (up into the top and shelf)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide)
- Track saw, or circular saw + straightedge
- Jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
- 6 bar clamps, 24" or longer
- Router sled, hand plane or belt sander
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- Stud finder, 4ft level
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
Why S2S only? The 6–8" wide 8/4 boards come S2S: both faces planed, edges rough. Plan on losing about ¼" per edge when you straighten them.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · 6–8" wide 8/4 S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (5½" clean at the narrowest), planned at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S2S Lumber Pack (6–8" wide)
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance).
- 2 Cut the parts. Square one end of each board. Crosscut boards 1–4 at 44": boards 1–3 are the top, board 4 the wall cleat. Cut board 5 at 40" for the bar shelf, then rip the 6¾" leftover in half for two bracket spacers.
- 3 Glue up the top. Joint the mating edges of boards 1–3 until no light shows along the seams. Edge-glue them into a 44" × 16½" top, long grain to long grain. Use cauls at the ends and clamp every 8", alternating over and under. Leave overnight.
- 4 Flatten and square. Scrape off the glue and flatten the top with a router sled, a hand plane or a belt sander. Trim both ends square with a track saw or a circular saw and a straightedge.
- 5 Shape and finish. Round the front edge and corners of the top and the shelf — hips and elbows bump them. Sand 120 → 180 → 220. Finish every face of the top, cleat and shelf equally with hardwax oil or water-based poly so the top stays flat.
- 6 Mark the height. Find and mark the studs. For a 42" bar height (30" stools), draw a level line at 40¼" — the height minus your top's thickness (1¾"; measure yours after flattening). For counter height (24" stools) use 36" minus the thickness.
- 7 Mount the cleat. Hold the cleat flat against the wall with its top on the line, centred where the table goes. It should cross three studs. Pre-drill and drive two #14 × 3½" wood screws or 4" structural screws into each stud.
- 8 Mount the brackets. Use the two outside studs (32" apart). Screw a spacer to the wall under the cleat at each one so the bracket's upright lies flat across the cleat and spacer; trim the spacers so they don't show below the bracket. Set each bracket with its arm level with the cleat top and screw it through the cleat or spacer into the stud. Fold each bracket down and up to check it locks.
- 9 Fit the top. Lock both brackets up. Set the top on the arms, back edge about ⅛" off the cleat so it can swing, and centre it. Pre-drill and drive #10 × 1" pan-head screws up through the arms; enlarge the front hole in each arm so the top can move. The folding brackets are the hinge: fold the table down to check that the top hangs flat.
- 10 Hang the bar shelf. Draw a level line 14" above the table top. Screw two steel shelf brackets (5–6" arm) to the studs on the line with 3" structural screws. Set the shelf on them, back edge to the wall, and screw up into it with #10 × 1" pan-head screws.
- 11 Use it. The table takes about 50 lb spread across the top: plates, drinks and elbows. The shelf takes about 15 lb of bottles and glasses. To fold, clear the top, lift it slightly and release both bracket locks.
Why no piano hinge? A piano hinge on the cleat swings from a different point than the folding brackets, so the two would bind, and the folded brackets would push the top off the wall. Locking folding brackets pivot right at the top of their upright, so the top folds down with them and hangs flat.
Why a full-length cleat? It spreads the load into three studs, gives the brackets a flat, solid face to screw to, and keeps the back of the top level from end to end.
Does wood movement matter? Yes. The top grows and shrinks about ⅛" front to back through the year. Leave the ⅛" gap at the cleat and enlarge the front screw hole in each arm so the top can move.
Make It Yours
- Counter height: mount it at 36" for 24" stools, or 30" for a fold-down desk.
- Bottle opener: screw a wall-mount bottle opener to the end of the cleat.
- Glass rack: rout two ¾" slots in the bar shelf to hang stemware upside down.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Mount into wall studs (or rated anchors sized for the load). Check for wires and pipes before drilling.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
- Rated for about 50 lb spread across the top — plates, drinks and elbows. Never sit, stand or lean your full weight on it, and don't let kids hang on it.
- Check that both brackets are locked every time you open it. Keep fingers clear of the bracket joints when folding.
Frequently Asked Questions
The 6–8" wide 8/4 pack comes S2S (faces planed, edges rough). Straighten the edges with a jointer, a table saw and a straight-line jig, a track saw, or a hand plane.
42" is bar height and suits 30" stools. 36" is counter height for 24" stools. Measure your stools: you want 10"–12" between the seat and the underside of the top.
About 50 lb spread across the top when the cleat and brackets are screwed into studs. That is a full place setting for two and your elbows. The bar shelf holds about 15 lb.
The cleat only needs to reach two studs, so 24" spacing works too. Put the brackets on the studs, even if they end up closer to the middle, and keep them at least 24" apart.
Planned offcuts only: about 3" off boards 1–4, and the end of the spacers once they are trimmed to your brackets. All 5 boards go into the table and shelf.
A 2ft wide pack is too short for this table. It makes a 22" fold-down table for a single stool: three boards for the top, one for the cleat and one for a short shelf. It still needs two studs.
