Bar Pulls

As promised, I wanted to break down for you all how I made my bar pulls on my hallway console. In a way they are kind of self-explanatory, but I think dimensions and tips would be helpful so you can learn from my mistakes. This is the second time I made these pulls. The first was for the kitchen in the Angler. I think the console pulls came out better simply because I had learned a few tricks from the kitchen pulls.

Although I stained mine, you could use spray paint to give them almost any look you want.

This is a project of precision. The inserts need to be perfectly lined up and centered on the dowel so that the screws will fit and so that pulls will be level. Therefore, although you can do this with a handheld drill, I used a drill press. It’s important to get the holes straight and centered. Here is the press I have. (Economical, great reviews… and now I try to find things I need to use it for.) Additionally, I would pick up a few extra dowels that you are using for the bars, just to give you some room for error.

While making my template, the third try was the charm for me. Once I got the holes perfectly aligned, I was able to use that dowel as a template for the remaining 5 without a problem.

Supplies

Here are the supplies used to make my blue rast console pulls. Adjust for your project needs.

12 threaded inserts – #8-32, .375″ long

12 #8 screws, 1 1/2″

1/2″ dowels: 6 @ 17″

3/8″ dowel: 12 @ 1/2″

Steps

1.Cut your 1/2″ bar dowels to size. Center one onto the drawer to mark your holes. If you are doing this on new cabinets, I would recommend using a common pull size, such as 3″ center on center, so that you can easily replace them in the future. In this case, a cabinet hole template will be quite helpful. These are the ones I have.

2. Tape off your drill bit at the same length as the insert to ensure you don’t drill too deep. Drill your insert holes into your first dowel.

3. Install the threaded inserts. For way better instructions than I can provide here, head over to you-tube for some video tutorials. Here is a decent one.

4. Test it out. Try to install the pull onto the drawer. Can you install both screws? Is it square and level? If so, congratulations, if not, try again! You can see how close I was below.

5. Once you have a good template, use that to make the remaining pulls.

6. For the standoffs, cut the 3/8″ dowel into 1/2″ pieces. Use a speed square to mark an x from corner to corner on the end of each dowel to find the center, then drill holes using a 5/16″ drill bit.

7. I stained my pulls in Minwax Puritan Pine, then applied a couple of thin coats of Polycrylic. If these are in a kitchen or high-traffic area, definitely do not skip this step!

8. Thread your screws through the holes, through the standoffs, and into the threaded insert.

And that’s it! I feel like the pulls totally make this piece. And considering these are 17″ pulls, I’m pretty stoked I made them for about $2.75 per pull!!

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