Hapa Haole Hideaway Rebuild Again! - Open

On 2010-10-27 13:40, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Looking good! I wish I was that good with a router.

Hell, I wish I had ever TOUCHED a router.

On 2010-10-26 06:04, Swanky wrote:

My lower back is the sorest. The work required leaning way over to be able to see under the router. It surprisingly made most of me sore. Legs, back, arms...

Tim, very nice work on these!

If you can get or make a high table or workbench, then get a height adjustable chair or stool it will help you loads. I clamp my work down and try to get the piece at chest level while I carve it. Easy on the back and easier on the arms the higher you can go, and you can get a good look at what you're doing.

On 2010-10-28 00:11, Lake Surfer wrote:

On 2010-10-26 06:04, Swanky wrote:

My lower back is the sorest. The work required leaning way over to be able to see under the router. It surprisingly made most of me sore. Legs, back, arms...

Tim, very nice work on these!

If you can get or make a high table or workbench, then get a height adjustable chair or stool it will help you loads. I clamp my work down and try to get the piece at chest level while I carve it. Easy on the back and easier on the arms the higher you can go, and you can get a good look at what you're doing.

Good advice... but I am about done! I just have to finish the rafters piece and do one more, and it's all over for a long while. Can't wait to install the trim on the bar front this weekend. It's been about a year and a half with the quick fix in place...

https://tikicentral.com/uploads/112/4a91ee7a.jpg

I've wanted to do some hanging tiles in my bar but can't seem to find them anywhere. They came out looking great on your bar. Where did you find them?

On 2010-10-28 08:08, claq50 wrote:
https://tikicentral.com/uploads/112/4a91ee7a.jpg

I've wanted to do some hanging tiles in my bar but can't seem to find them anywhere. They came out looking great on your bar. Where did you find them?

Many many hours searching Ebay...

Love it. Great work.

Ok thanks for that info. I've looked on eBay to but gabby had any luck. Thanks again for the help. By the way what was your search? I've been trying ceramic tiles.

On 2010-10-31 06:33, claq50 wrote:
Ok thanks for that info. I've looked on eBay to but gabby had any luck. Thanks again for the help. By the way what was your search? I've been trying ceramic tiles.

That's the trick. Try Garden Tiles, Asian Tiles, Chinese Tiles... It takes a LOT of time to find those needles in the haystack of Ebay.

Hey Claq This guy has 10 available.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Square-Shape-Green-Tile-Chinese-Porcelain-Jar-Vase-12-w-/400150141748?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d2ace9b34

Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels..... Frank Sinatra

[ Edited by: BigDaddy772 2010-10-31 14:58 ]

That link bombed on me. Try this if that fails for you too. Thanks for the tip. Those are hard to find!

On 2010-10-31 18:42, Swanky wrote:
Those are hard to find!

ebay? I had to fly to California to get mine! (Seriously) :D

I know this wouldn't be the "original" tiles, but if you can't find them, have you considered getting some made? There are several artists on TC (like MadDogMike), who do ceramics and may be able to do something like that...... Just a thought....

More carved trim for the bar front.


Hope to have this installed by Saturday for some special guests in the Hideaway.

Now, if you REALLY want a high-toned bit of decor, you could buy these tiles. Ming Dynasty, $695:

:down: The eBay posting, mentioned earlier, still has 10, at $27.50/ $12 shipping:

It doesn't look like they are all identical, though; look at the other pics.

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2014-04-17 11:12 ]

Been a long while since I posted anything here. A couple of recent updates:

A little hard to see, but I moved the rigging and cargo net full of vintage rum jugs and barrels to be more visible.

Finally got around to this one. I moved the Hawaiian Village Tampa collection over to its own space. Still need the Nui Nui mug if anyone has one to offer.

And I moved the Hawaii Kai collection to the top shelf and staged it a bit.

Working on my water feature and just hung my PNG slit drum, but no pics.

Ms Swanky took some insulation and created a faux wood frame for my PNG tapa cloth and it is now a TV cover.

Out of site when not in use.

Here is that trim I was working onin my last posts here. Used it to cover a plain rafter and Tiki 65 added lettering to say Okole Maluna Headhunter Lounge.

Front of the bar trim.

Great work Tim.

So much detail and texture.

Your bar front is wicked!Love it!

Note to self, must practice with the plunge router.....

On 2012-10-02 10:15, Dagg wrote:
Your bar front is wicked!Love it!

Note to self, must practice with the plunge router.....

The background is a large drop cloth. We drew out the lines of the trim and then used coffee and tea bags to tea stain it.

The diamond shapes behind the masks are charger place mats we picked on clearance at Target. The other side is a traditional matting beige color.

One last thing to do is light the back of the masks. They are mounted with a 1/2 inch or so of clearance and I will paint the back of them white and put a light in the center to get a glowing edge... I hope. That is to be figured out.

Building a home bar is years of hording and then a year of building. We can now stop hoarding at least!

Mai-Kai Memories Series Custom ceramic mugs!

[ Edited by: swanky 2012-10-02 11:25 ]

Definitely no shortage of talented creative people here! And I'm not just saying that to suck up OR get my post count higher :wink:

LOVE the bar Swanky & Ms. Swanky! Everything looks fantastic - the huge bar, the routed trim, all the tikis - everything! thanks for posting an update and allowing me to read about the build from the start. Great building tips and photos too. Well done! :)

Lookin swanky Swanky.

Our visit to The Hapa Haole Hideaway defined the very essence of what Tiki has come to mean for me: the juxtaposition of opposites that is the signature of life itself: sophistication and savagery, the graceful feminine and the virile, the accession of the spiritual through the material. To enter The Hideaway is to come face-to-face with the uncanny, and to be lulled into complete surrender within its womb. And that’s even before the first sip of precision mixology.
Before our visit, however, we had accidentally stumbled upon Swanky’s stone “Tribute to Witco” in a small downtown Knoxville park. When I quizzed him about his anonymous contribution to the public arts, Swanky quickly and modestly changed the topic of conversation to his unique collection of Tiki Farm California Raisins shot glasses.

[ Edited by: White Devil 2012-10-09 08:13 ]

So what's the deal with “Tribute to Witco” Tim?
Nice job on the bar.

There are about 3 or 4 things left on the original build out that are undone. THis Sunday I decided to knock out one of them.

The rafter in the bar I have wanted to be trimmed out in carved panels. We did one side a bit ago. I did the other yesterday.

Got a 1 x 12 x 12 and ripped it to the right width and cut to length.

Used my trusty pattern and rolled it with paint and pressed it on the wood after marking a center line.

Startign to route out the swirls. I used a 3/8 inch round bit, but I think 1/4 inch would have been better.

Finished the middle.

A finished section.

Used a V bit for the edges. This all went way faster this time because I had done it before. I made the mistakes and spent hours planning and figuring already. I went to the store for the wood about 10:30, and the whole thing was done by 4:30.

This is the piece just after torching it.

And this is after rubbing it out with a tire brush.

A long view during torching.

It is all installed, but my camera flash was not working, so no pics. The bar is too dark, even with the main lights on and the blinds open to get a picture.

I need to look back at the original To Do list, but I think all that is left is to light the back of the masks on the bar front.

I totally dig those monster pieces of trim.

They have such a great impact when they are installed.

Nice execution. Glad we were routing simultaneously this weekend.

whirrrrrrrr....... the buzz of the router.

On 2012-10-15 09:11, Monkeyman wrote:
I totally dig those monster pieces of trim.

They have such a great impact when they are installed.

Nice execution. Glad we were routing simultaneously this weekend.

whirrrrrrrr....... the buzz of the router.

What? I can't hear you? I was runnign a router for hours this weekend... :wink:

The crappy thing is how little you notice in the bar. Super dark bar, with dark trim up on a rafter... So, next project is to add another light or two to illumintae the trim. :wink:

Its all a matter of personal choice but I find a nice buffed out satin or semi gloss finish make the light reflect nicely off the curves and cuts even in low light.

I know that shiny is not tiki but it sure makes a difference in the evening. You can see all the detail.

The router work looks amazing! How long did that one take you to finish from the beginning to the end?

I wish I had some talents like that. I guess I should go to a carving event.

On 2012-10-15 11:45, lunavideogames wrote:
The router work looks amazing! How long did that one take you to finish from the beginning to the end?

I wish I had some talents like that. I guess I should go to a carving event.

I'd say, if I exclude setting up the saw horses to get ready, and forgetting the time I spent waiting to see if it was going to rain, I spent 3-4 hours or less on it. Hard to say exactly. You spend a lot of time setting up, sweeping up, goofing around, eating lunch... I got started around noon and had the pieces installed by 6.

I don't know why I crave beer when I do this work, but I know I will blame Bamboo Ben...

Mai-Kai Memories Series Custom ceramic mugs!

[ Edited by: Swanky 2012-10-15 12:22 ]

"And this is after rubbing it out with a tire brush." Damn Swank, u like it ruff :)

Looking good Swank-Master!

The routering and trim work looks fantastic Swanky!

Sooooo... Back to this Witco tribute piece. Where is said tribute? I feel I need to visit and pay homage. White Devil, Can you weigh in on this matter?

By the way, I could not have stated any better than White Devil what it feels like to enter the HH Hideaway. It assaults your senses (in a really good Tiki way) and transports you to another time and place before you even raise a glass!

Keep living the dream Swanky. Cheers!

Got the flash working, so here are pics of the trim installed.

No flash, with the lights on and the blinds open...

With flash.

Next I want to cover the post there a bit as well. Probably just this side. It is really not very visible except the bar side.

Experimenting with HDR photgraphy in the bar.

Lookin really great! Hopefully you have some time now to sit back and enjoy it!

Outstanding

A beautifully done hideaway Swanky!

Tim,

The rebuild of the Hapa Haole Hideaway is magnificent! It is truly a work of exotica beauty...

-Tom

One more of the Coon Tiki project by Basement Kahune and Tiki Diablo mostly, but also Crazy Al and many others. A couple of Doug Horne pieces and the Hawaiian Village Tampa collection.

The Hideaway looks great Tim!
I think I even took a few hits at that TIKI, Man I was wasted though.

Swanky dude, ur place is kick ass! But where did the top of the blue door go? Sorry if you already answered this (couldn't find it) and can you access that space with the stairs?

The door is boxed in. You can see the edge of the box in this pic:

Under the TV, right of the big guy:

We made a box and then took a mess of stained bamboo and drilled holes and glued it in place. This just sits on top of the door frame.

The space is technically accessible. If you move everything out from in front of the bar, you can roll back the vinyl flooring and unscrew the sub-floor panels and then lift out the floor joists and then take away the two boxes that frame them and you get to the stairs again. Oh, and remove the rail post and asian tiles...

We do not ever want to have to do this...

There are inside stairs to the basement, however, they are much narrower and more obstacles, like the door frame. That means, so far, large furniture and the washer and dryer are too big to get back up stairs... We intend to open up the door frame when the time comes that we have to get something out and hope it is big enough. We have a lovely bamboo framed couch down there we wanted in the bar, but it is just too huge to get out now!

That might be the greatest PNG statue I've ever seen, outside of the 20ft abelam.

If you ever need a kidney, you come to me first with that statue, and we'll work something out. Hahahaha.

On 2012-12-12 11:20, Hale Tiki wrote:
That might be the greatest PNG statue I've ever seen, outside of the 20ft abelam.

It may the world's tallest Oratory Table. I think it has a brother in PNG that is for sale. Getting it here is the issue... It is 75-85 years old from the Korogo Village.

The space is technically accessible. If you move everything out from in front of the bar, you can roll back the vinyl flooring and unscrew the sub-floor panels and then lift out the floor joists and then take away the two boxes that frame them and you get to the stairs again. Oh, and remove the rail post and asian tiles...

We do not ever want to have to do this...

I hear ya.. would have made a great wine/root cellar..

On 2012-12-12 11:53, Swanky wrote:

On 2012-12-12 11:20, Hale Tiki wrote:
That might be the greatest PNG statue I've ever seen, outside of the 20ft abelam.

It may the world's tallest Oratory Table. I think it has a brother in PNG that is for sale. Getting it here is the issue... It is 75-85 years old from the Korogo Village.

Amazing. Now to hit the lottery.