Coffee Bar Cabinetry

When I first started working at the co-working office space, Battery 621, there was a somewhat falling apart overcrowded table that served as a coffee bar. I didn't question it until a few months later when I was asked to design and build a new coffee bar. I took this project with a lot of pride as I knew over 50 people would be using it everyday. However previous to this I had very minimal experience with either cabinetry or countertop design.

I started with researching cabinet designs and standards, and taking note of existing cabinets in the kitchen space. Because of the tricky angles of the wall the full thing had to be custom made and with its size I determined it would be best to make one piece for install.  From a general CAD design I worked to include specific features, such as built in trash and seamless joinery. After approval of the design from the building manager I cut the entire piece on a 5x12' CNC router. For this I broke the SolidWorks Part into individual bodies which I moved to a CAM software, HSMWorks. I then created toolpaths, selecting the best cutting methods for the various materials involved, including the countertop. As the operator of the CNC router I got to watch how the design was cutting and make any small tweaks necessary during the process. After the cabinet and countertop I got to assemble the entire thing, making note of what joints were easy to assemble and what I could do to improve the ones that provided some challenge.

From this project I gained significant experience in cabinetry design and design for difficult materials (the countertops). Now the coffee bar gets near constant use everyday and is holding up great. I get compliments on it every week!

Below are photos of the finished bar in place, CNC cut path simulations, XXXX, and the CAD model.