Preparation of rivets for a barrel. Wooden barrel: DIY

The barrel in our time not only has a practical function. Today, for storing liquids or something else, they are used in warehouses, in wine cellars and so on. For decorative purposes, they began to be made relatively recently. With skillful processing, they can be used to decorate a garden plot, as well as in the form of furniture: chairs, tables, bar counters, etc.

Even a well-worn barrel can be restored and used for other purposes. For this, of course, you need a fair amount of imagination. You also need to take into account its condition so that the material is not too dry from time to time, otherwise all efforts will come to naught in the very first time of its operation. There are actually quite a few ideas on how to turn such a container into something more functional or beautiful. For example, in the garden you can break a mini-flower bed on it, and on several levels. Or make an interesting table or bench. You can even organize a fountain in them, only it will not last long if the wood is not properly processed: under the influence of water, it can quickly lose both its aesthetic appearance and strength. Some craftsmen adapt the barrel for a washbasin: for this, a sink is inserted into the upper part, and a pipe is installed inside the barrel.

How to make a wooden barrel with your own hands

Before you start making a barrel with your own hands, you need to decide on the material. Usually used for this purpose? do-it-yourself barrel

Before you mount the barrel, you must first make the frets. These are wooden boards that are sawn from a tree trunk. They can also be made by splitting wooden blocks. Sawn, as a rule, are stronger than chipped because it is not always possible to split the log correctly, and because of this, part of the strength may be lost.

It has long been customary to fasten the frets into a single structure using metal hoops, which are made of durable sheet steel. To make the barrel even more durable, you can additionally nail them. The number of hoops depends on the height of the barrel, but, as a rule, there are at least three of them.

The last stage is the installation of the bottom. After it is installed on the owl, a hoop is put on for fixing, which is also additionally nailed for greater strength.

How to make a bar at home from an old wooden barrel

In fact, there are a lot of options for barrel minibars. It can be a variant with a front door, and opening from the top, and with an open interior space with shelves for storing drinks. Which one is considered the best is hard to say. It all depends on taste preferences.

barrel bar

Before proceeding with the manufacture of a bar from a barrel, it is necessary to clean the old wood. This must be done both inside and out. Before that, you need to remove all hoops, except for the one that holds the bottom. They then put on quite simply, and you can move them down to the desired level with a hammer. Then the edges are aligned on the side of the bottom, on the other side. We leave one part open for now. Further, the hoops are treated with a special compound so that subsequently the metal does not rust. If you need a front hole, mark the location and cut it out.

Ecology of life. Life hack: In the household, barrels and tubs are in great demand. They keep lard, hams in brine, ferment cabbage, and soak apples. What can be compared, for example, with a cucumber or a tomato pickled in an oak tub.

In the household, barrels and tubs are in great demand. They keep lard, hams in brine, ferment cabbage, and soak apples. What can be compared, for example, with a cucumber or a tomato pickled in an oak tub. And in a linden barrel, honey, apple juice are perfectly stored, you can cook kvass in it. Finally, an oak tub with a lemon or laurel tree even today will not spoil the interior of even a city apartment. Just do not find these simple products either in the store or on the market. But you can do it yourself, and although this task is not an easy one, an amateur master is quite capable of coping with it. We will tell you more about the manufacture of these containers needed in the economy.

First of all, you need to choose wood. Oak and pine are unsuitable for storing honey - honey darkens in an oak barrel, and smells of resin in a pine barrel. Here we need linden, aspen, plane tree. Poplar, willow, alder will also come down. But for salting, pickling or urinating, there is nothing better than oak - such a barrel will serve for more than a decade. For other needs, you can use blackberry, beech, spruce, fir, pine, cedar, larch and even birch.

This table will help you determine the size.

External dimensions				Width and Depth morning groove	Distance from morning groove to the end
Drum capacity (l)	Height	Bundle Diameter	in my head
	345	295	262	3*3
	420	340	300	3*3
	535	420	370	3*3
100	670	515	450	3*3
120	770	525	460	3*3

Note that here are the dimensions of the barrels, in order to choose the size for the tub, the height and diameter of the head remains the same. The diameter in the bunch of the barrel (diameter in the center) for the tub goes into the diameter of the bottom.

When the size is selected, you need to proceed to the blanks of the riveting, the main component of the barrel.

I will give the dimensions of the rivets

Capacity	Riveting width	Riveting thickness	bottom thickness	Bottom width
	40-90			50 or more
	40-90			50 or more
	40-90			50 or more
100	40-100			50 or more
120	40-100			50 or more

There is another way to determine the size. The ratio of the diameter of the height of the tub or barrel should be in proportion, for example, 350:490 mm (Fig. 1-6). Increasing or decreasing the height, change the diameter of the container. The number of staves for a barrel or tub is calculated according to the formula 2 * Pi * R / W, where R is the radius of the tub in the lower section (for a barrel - in the middle); "Pi" is a constant value equal to 3.14; W - the width of the stave along the bottom of the tub (for a barrel - in the middle).

Rivets.

Usually, the lower part of the trunk of old trees goes to riveting, it is called “riveter”. But a lover of tinkering will choose blanks from ordinary firewood, and adapt a thin trunk to the job. It is best to make riveting from raw wood. First, the chock - it should be 5-6 cm longer than the future riveting - is split in half, gently tapping the log on the butt of the ax. Each half is then again pricked into two parts, and so on, depending on the thickness of the chock, in order to ultimately obtain blanks 5-10 cm wide (for sweet clover - 15 cm) and 2.5-3 cm thick. You just need to try to split went radially - this will save the riveting in the future from cracking.

The chopped blanks are dried in a room with natural ventilation for at least a month. You can use a dryer to speed up the process. The dried workpiece is processed with a plow or sherhebel and a planer.

Rivet marking.

They take a plank with a width of 30 to 100 mm, draw a line along the outside, dividing the riveting in half in width (for a barrel - and in length). For the taper of the tub (barrel), it is necessary to withstand the taper of the riveting. It should be around 8°. This means that if the width of the stave along the bottom of the tub (for a barrel - in the middle) is 100 mm, at the top it should be 8 mm narrower, i.e. 92 mm. And for the barrel at the top and bottom - 92 mm. Fix the set width of the riveting with dots and connect 4 dots with lines - for the tub and 6 dots - for the barrel. These are the riveting planing guidelines that determine the taper. The plane of the segment of the radius on the template, its direction towards the center, together with the already defined slope of the future skeleton of the barrel or tub, is the main requirement for the fit of the riveting one to the other during the sharpening. Therefore, it is necessary to apply the template to the riveting being processed more often, checking the correct planing.

Riveting point.

They plan the riveting with a planer, adjusting each in thickness, and immediately determine which side will be the outer one. To do this, the left and right sides of the riveting are semi-halfed along the length. With a sherhebel with an oval base and a piece of iron, they plan the inner side cleanly according to the template (Fig. 5) and draw a line with a pencil dividing the riveting in half along the length. Then, with a hacksaw, the riveting is trimmed along the length and the dividing line is drawn to the ends. A semi-joiner (joiner) cleans the outer and sides of the riveting, the correct planing is checked with a template. It is made along the radius of the assembly hoop for the tub, and for the barrel - along the radius of the umbilical hoop, made in advance. For a barrel with two bottoms, two pairs of hoops are prepared - 2 stubborn and 2 umbilical. The umbilical hoop should pass freely through the stubborn one.

Especially carefully check the correctness of the sharpening of the sides of the riveting for the barrel. The template should fit snugly against the side and outer sides of the riveting, especially at the center line dividing the riveting in half along the length. When planing the sides, deviations from the line drawn to the end and dividing the riveting in half should not be allowed.

HOOPS

Barrel hoops are made of wood or steel. Wooden ones are not so strong, and a hundred times more hassle, so it is better to use steel ones. Hot-rolled steel tape with a thickness of 1.6-2.0 mm and a width of 30-50 mm is used for hoops.

Having measured the barrel at the place where the hoop was stretched, we add to this size the double width of the strip. With hammer blows, we bend the workpiece into a ring, punch or drill holes and put rivets made of soft steel wire with a diameter of 4-5 mm. One inner edge of the hoop must be flared with blows of the pointed end of the hammer on a massive steel stand.

Skeleton assembly.

The assembly hoop is made in the middle between the top and bottom of the tub and a slightly smaller diameter along the middle line for the barrel. On a clean wooden base, we put the assembly hoop vertically and put 5-6 rivets inside it with the outer side to the hoop. On the left, we clamp one of the rivets and the hoop with a clamp. Slightly lift the hoop and spread out the rest of the rivets. Let's get a hoop. The snug fit of the rivets along the entire length (for tubs) and up to the midline (for barrels) is the result of careful sharpening and fitting. In the same way, we assemble the frame for the barrel, but here we remove the assembly hoop after fitting the umbilical hoop, then we fill the stubborn hoop. If it is stuffed tightly, then we planed correctly and correctly selected the last riveting in width.

The skeleton for the barrel from the middle or a little higher fan-shaped diverges to its bottom. To tighten the loose end of the skeleton, various methods and devices are used. The end of a steel stranded cable with a diameter of 6-8 mm is fixed to a fixed support. The second end is thrown onto a hot, steamed loose skeleton, put on a ledge of a pillar made of earth, dug in for this purpose, or a raised part of a log and using the “stranglehold” method, using a strong stake inserted into a loop at the end of the cable, “twist” the skeleton and put it on umbilical, and then stubborn hoops.

After assembly, the skeleton is checked for horizontality and verticality, and all hoops are finally upset. On the inside of the core (barrels or tubs), the sag is cleaned, and at the ends of the rivets they are cut off by 1/3 of the thickness (Fig. 6) and by 2-3 mm from the outside. The outer and inner sides of the skeleton are finally cleaned, the upper and lower ends are half-filled.

Installation of donets in the skeleton.

To do this, several operations are performed.

1. Cutting the morning groove in the skeleton. Morning cut the morning groove. The width of the teeth of the steel nail file is 4-5 mm. Therefore, the width of the cut morning groove should be 4-5 mm. The nail file protrudes 4-5 mm from the half-fallen bar of the morning time. Therefore, the depth of the groove of the chime cannot be different. The thickness of the chime bar is a limiter for the distance of the chime cutting from the top of the core to the bottom of the plank on which the bar is fixed, i.e. 40-50 mm. Be sure to chamfer 2-3 mm or a little more on both sides of the morning groove to prevent chipping of the core riveting when inserting bottoms and compressing them with hoops.

2. Assembly of bottom shields. They are assembled on wooden or metal (preferably stainless) studs-nails from 4-6 planks. The extreme ones are called shoals, the middle ones are called grouse. Planks are taken on the jambs, which is wider. We don't yet know the diameter of the circle from the chime. We take a compass (Fig. 4) and spread its legs approximately by the radius of the intended circle along the chime, insert the tip of the compass leg into the chime, divide the circle into 6 parts. Thus, we will determine the radius of the circle by chimes for the bottom. We transfer the resulting radius to the bottom shield and draw a circle.

3. Cutting out donuts. With a bow saw or a circular saw, we cut out the required bottom. In this case, the cut should be along the inner side of the line drawn by the circle when the saw teeth are set 2-2.5 mm. This will reduce the diameter of the circle by 0.14 constant "Pi".

4. Donets processing. We put the bottom circle on the workbench, sharpen it cleanly on both sides, draw a line 3-4 mm thick at the end with a pencil in the middle. With a radius 25-30 mm smaller than the bottom, draw a circle on its two sides. These are the borders of chamfering. With a chisel or planer, we will chamfer and make sure that the mortise groove and chamfered bottom fit well. The line at the end of the bottom is left untouched.

5. Donets installation. This is the final operation for the manufacture of a barrel or tub. We turn the skeleton of the tub with the wide part up and slightly knock down the lower hoop. We knock down the stubborn at the barrel, and shift the umbilical hoop so that the bottom enters the morning groove. To keep the bottom in a horizontal position when installed in chimes, a nylon thread will help to cross-tie the bottom. When the bottom is set in chimes, the thread is pulled out, the hoops are put in place. Before installing the second bottom into the skeleton of the keg, two tongue and groove holes are drilled in it opposite each other and 4-5 cm from the inner side of the skeleton with a diameter of 20-25 mm, into which tongues are placed so that debris does not get into the keg. After installing the second bottom, the hoops are finally stuffed and make sure that the bottoms are crimped with rivets in the chimes, and the rivets between themselves would not have gaps. If the rivets were planed correctly and the slope was maintained according to the pattern, the bottom was carefully sawn out, the product will be of high quality.

Take note.

1. Before assembling the frames for a barrel or tub, the finished riveting must be dried to 17-20% moisture.
2. It is necessary to soak oak, spruce, pine, aspen barrels and tubs for at least 10 days, changing the water after 2-3 days. At the same time, jambs and planks are soaked, which press the fermented products.
3. To reduce the formation of mold on the staves of the tub, when stored in the cellar, it is wiped with a swab dipped in calcined vegetable oil. Jambs, planks and pressure stone are washed once a week with hot water.

HOW LONG DOES A BARREL SERVE

First of all, it depends on the operating conditions. But it is important to remember that you should not paint jellied containers with oil paint: it clogs the pores, which contributes to the decay of wood. It is desirable to paint the hoops - they will not rust. For decorative purposes, a barrel, a flower tub can be treated with mordants.

The brown color of the oak is given by slaked lime mixed with a 25% ammonia solution. A black solution of iron sulphate or an infusion for 5-6 days of iron filings in vinegar.

A decoction of the rhizomes of the fragrant woodruff (Asperula odo-rata) turns linden and aspen red. Red-brown color gives a decoction of onion peel, brown - a decoction of walnut nibs. These dyes are brighter than chemical ones and more stable.

It must be remembered that wood is better preserved with a constant humidity regime. Therefore, dry products must always be kept dry, and bulk products filled with liquid. Both of them cannot be placed directly on the ground. It is better to substitute a brick or plank under the barrel than to subsequently get rid of the rot by cutting the chimes.

But no matter how long a barrel made by one's own hands serves, all this time it will be a pleasant reminder to the owner of the difficulties overcome in comprehending the secrets of the ancient cooper's craft. published

Preparation of moonshine and alcohol for personal use
absolutely legal!

After the demise of the USSR, the new government stopped the fight against moonshine. Criminal liability and fines were abolished, and an article prohibiting the production of alcohol-containing products at home was removed from the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. To this day, there is not a single law that prohibits you and me from engaging in our favorite hobby - making alcohol at home. This is evidenced by the Federal Law of July 8, 1999 No. 143-FZ "On the administrative responsibility of legal entities (organizations) and individual entrepreneurs for offenses in the field of production and circulation of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products" (Collected Legislation of the Russian Federation, 1999, No. 28 , item 3476).

Excerpt from the Federal Law of the Russian Federation:

"The effect of this Federal Law does not apply to the activities of citizens (individuals) who do not produce products containing ethyl alcohol for the purpose of marketing."

Moonshine in other countries:

In Kazakhstan in accordance with the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan On Administrative Offenses dated January 30, 2001 N 155, the following liability is provided. Thus, according to article 335 “Manufacture and sale of home-made alcoholic beverages”, illegal production for the purpose of selling moonshine, chacha, mulberry vodka, mash and other alcoholic beverages, as well as the sale of these alcoholic beverages, entails a fine in the amount of thirty monthly calculation indices with confiscation of alcoholic beverages , apparatus, raw materials and equipment for their manufacture, as well as money and other valuables received from their sale. However, the law does not prohibit the preparation of alcohol for personal purposes.

In Ukraine and Belarus things are different. Articles No. 176 and No. 177 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of Ukraine provide for the imposition of fines in the amount of three to ten tax-free minimum wages for the manufacture and storage of moonshine without the purpose of sale, for the storage without the purpose of sale of apparatus * for its production.

Article 12.43 repeats this information practically word for word. “Production or purchase of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), semi-finished products for their production (mash), storage of devices for their production” in the Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses. Paragraph No. 1 states: “Manufacturing by individuals of strong alcoholic beverages (moonshine), semi-finished products for their manufacture (mash), as well as storage of devices * used for their manufacture - entails a warning or a fine of up to five basic units with confiscation of the indicated drinks, semi-finished products and devices.

* It is still possible to purchase moonshine stills for home use, since their second purpose is to distill water and obtain components for natural cosmetics and perfumes.

A wooden barrel is the best container for storing wine and various pickles, because wood is an environmentally friendly material that preserves the taste and usefulness of products. This indispensable item in the household can be purchased ready-made, but if you have free time and desire, then using our tips, making a barrel with your own hands will not be difficult.

Masters involved in the manufacture of barrels are called coopers, and the process of creating containers is called cooperage. This is a kind of art that originated in ancient Greece, but, oddly enough, the technology has changed little since then, and wooden packaging is still popular, especially among winemakers. Today we invite you to get acquainted with the basics and some of the subtleties of this craft.

Choice of wood

The first responsible task is to choose the right type of wood for the manufacture of containers. Consider the main varieties used, as well as their pros and cons.

First on our list is oak. It is rightfully considered the most suitable, so to speak, classical material used in cooperage. Its wood is strong, flexible and saturated with special tannins that act as an antiseptic. It is noteworthy that under the influence of moisture, oak barrels only become stronger over the years, so their service life is quite long. Another feature of oak is a pleasant aroma with hints of vanilla, which it gives to the substances stored in the barrel.

Oak is the best material for barrels

Spruce and pine can also be used to make barrels. These are soft woods that are easy to cut and process, but their strength indicators are average. The main disadvantage of such wood is the characteristic resinous smell, due to which it is not often used to create food containers.

Of the conifers, cedar is also popular in cooperage, although it is more widely used in those parts where its plantations are extensive. According to its characteristics, it is similar to pine and spruce, but there is practically no foreign smell from cedar barrels. Containers made of this material are suitable for storing food; it is believed that it is especially good to store dairy products in them.

Another material from which you can make a barrel is linden wood. It belongs to the fibrous varieties of wood and, due to its structure, lends itself well to cutting, chiselling and processing. The material is durable, practically does not dry out and has no smell, so barrels made from it have won recognition as one of the best for transporting and storing honey, caviar, pickles and other delicacies.

A budget but durable option is aspen. This tree is durable, resistant to moisture and has antiseptic properties. Aspen barrels are ideal for storing various pickles. A feature of aspen is a tendency to strong swelling, but in cooperage this is rather an advantage, since it allows you to achieve a very tight closure of the rivets.

Making staves

The next thing to do after you have decided on the type of wood is the manufacture of barrel parts. You should start with rivets. They are tapered at the edges or rectangular boards that can be chipped or sawn. The former are more durable, since the structure of the fibers is not destroyed when splitting a solid wood.

Barrel parameters according to their volume

In order not to be mistaken with the number of staves, you must immediately determine the size of the barrel. After that, you will need to make a life-size pattern for the riveting and the bottom. Then a simple calculation should be carried out. The required amount can be determined using the formula: 2 * Pi * R / W, in which "Pi" is a constant value; R is the radius of the bottom of a barrel with smooth sides or the middle of a container with convex sides; W - riveting width.

Making a barrel with your own hands from chipped staves is a laborious process and requires certain skills. The main task is to split the workpiece into even fragments and at the same time get as little waste as possible.

The split can be carried out in the radial and tangential directions. In the first case, the split plane passes through the core of the deck (this method requires less effort), and in the second it does not touch it. When working with hardwood, the second method is not recommended, as this complicates and slows down the process.

The scheme of splitting the deck into rivets

Raw material is most easily processed, it is optimal if the tree for making the barrel is freshly cut. However, not everyone has the opportunity to purchase such wood, and as an alternative, you can look for suitable blanks among the firewood that goes on sale for furnaces. In urban conditions, sawn poplars can become a material. These trees often lie in the yards for a long time after they have been cut down, waiting for their removal to the landfill. In the absence of other options, you can use the boards. When choosing them, pay attention to the fact that the annual rings go along the plane of the board and are not sawn.

The shape of the rivets depending on the type of barrel

Having pricked a sufficient number of rivets, they are left to dry. In the summer, you can lay out the material under a canopy and leave to ventilate, this process will take about 3 months. If there is no possibility or desire to wait, use another method. For artificial drying, paper is glued to the ends of the blanks with carpentry glue and the riveting is placed for a day in the oven of a well-heated Russian stove. After this procedure, the material will be suitable for further processing.

Making a hoop

Another important component of the barrel, which allows you to collect all the rivets into a single whole - hoops. According to the material of manufacture, they can be metal and wood. Iron has more strength, but it also has a drawback - a tendency to rust, which over time significantly worsens the appearance of the product. Therefore, metal hoops are used only if increased strength is required.

Usually a modern wooden barrel, purchased or made with your own hands, has 4 hoops. Those that are closer to the center are called farts, and the extreme ones are called mornings, if the barrel has a significant volume, there can also be additional cervical ones between them.

Hoops with tie-lock

The thickness and width of the hoops are directly related to the volume of the container. If its displacement does not exceed 25 liters, then they have a thickness of 1.6 mm and a width of about 3 cm, for a 50-liter width it increases to 3.6 cm, and for a 100-liter to 4-4.5 cm. If the barrel holds 120 liters or more, then the hoops for it should have a thickness of 1.8 mm and a width of 5 cm.

Even if you use wooden rims for the barrel, you will also need the ability to make them out of metal, since the assembly cannot do without the so-called working metal hoops. To assemble a barrel of these hoops, you will need four. In terms of structure and characteristics, they are identical to permanent ones, and are made as follows:

1. Strips of the desired size are cut from sheet steel. As a cutting tool, you can use locksmith or chair scissors.
2. Holes are made at both ends of each strip with a punch and fastened with rivets.
3. To make the hoop easier to put on, one of its edges is forged.

In working hoops, instead of rivets, the use of bolts is allowed, and if the capacity of the barrel is small, then steel rims can be replaced with wire ones. The diameter of the wire in this case should be 4-5 mm. For those who do not want to mess around for a long time, making hoops on their own, ready-made designs with a tie-lock are on sale.

Barrel assembly

Considering how to make a barrel with our own hands, we came to the next stage - assembling the skeleton of the container. It consists of rivets tied with hoops (at first temporary).

The assembly of the barrel begins with a smaller hoop. Inside it is inserted at regular intervals and fixed with clamps 3 support rivets. Further, other rivets are added between the two supporting ones until the entire space is filled. Then the hoop is upset using a hammer and a wooden block with a flat end so that all the fragments close together more tightly. After that, a larger hoop is put on the rivets and also upset.

Assembly of the skeleton

Before putting on the rims on the bottom of the barrel, it is recommended to immerse the material in boiling water for half an hour. To carry out further work, you will need 1-2 assistants. After steaming, the barrel is placed on a flat surface, the remaining free end of the rivets is wrapped with a rope, the ends of which are tied to some firmly fixed object.

Further, a crowbar is inserted between the stretched parts of the rope and scrolled so that they are intertwined with each other. At this time, your assistants should keep the barrel in place. When it is possible to achieve the desired bend and seal of the rivets, the remaining hoops are put on and fixed. The finished structure should be trimmed and hardened by treating with a burner or blowtorch.

Manufacturing and installation of bottoms

Bottom manufacturing

As a bottom for a barrel, it is better to use a single piece of wood or wide and durable planks (it is desirable that the number of joints between them is minimal). Selected boards should be planed so that they can be overlapped and then stapled together. From the resulting workpiece, cut out 2 circles of the required diameter and sharpen their edges until small bevels form.

To fix the bottom, you will first need to loosen the tension of the hoops at the bottom of the barrel, slightly pulling them up. Then the bottom is placed inside and the hoops are upset in place. If the top of the barrel is not removable, then the procedure is repeated for the second side, not forgetting to pre-drill the filling hole. After making sure that the bottom is tightly connected to the frame, the working hoops are replaced with permanent ones, and the container is ready.

Soak

Now you know how to make a barrel yourself, but there is one more important nuance - putting your product into operation. Before use, the barrel needs to be processed, otherwise the products stored in it may acquire an unpleasant aftertaste or even deteriorate.

To begin with, the container must be thoroughly rinsed to get rid of sawdust, small debris and excess tannins. Rinsing is continued until foreign odors disappear and the water becomes clear.

Before use, the barrel must be prepared

Next, the barrel is steamed to disinfect it and improve the sealing of the staves. To do this, the container is filled with boiling water by about a third and scrolled so that the water "walks" over the entire surface of the walls from the inside. Then the water is left inside until it cools, drained and the process is repeated again.

After steaming, the barrel should be soaked. Usually this procedure takes about a month, and every two days the water in the tank needs to be updated. In the first days of soaking, there may be leaks in the product, this is a variant of the norm, but the flowing water needs to be replenished.

Before laying the products, the container must be doused with boiling water from the inside. This will protect the wood from absorbing odors and allow it to be used for different foods without mixing its flavors.

A container treated with boiling water before laying food will last longer

Summing up, we can say that a do-it-yourself barrel is an excellent solution for storing homemade pickles, as well as for wines and other alcoholic beverages. By making such a container yourself, you will not only save money, but you can also be completely sure of the quality of the product, and, consequently, of observing the proper conditions for storing your products.

Vegetables are salted in barrels, bulk products are stored, and water is kept in reserve. They are needed in the pantry, on the site, in the bath. How to make a wooden barrel with your own hands so that it is strong, reliable, durable, does not let water through and does not rot? What tools and skills are needed for the job, what will need to be studied and taken into account? This guide will help you master a useful craftsman and even start your own tub making business.

Wooden barrel for household needs

Cooperage - how to become a master

If the mood is resolute, there are skills in woodworking, and hands grow from where they should be, why not try to realize the idea of ​​​​becoming a domestic cooper (cooper)? Bondar is a difficult craft that came from antiquity. Now there are very few masters of this business, and there are only a few high-class masters. Therefore, cooperage products are rare on the market, and if you can find them, then either the price or the quality does not please the buyer.

barrel assembly process

What tools are needed to assemble barrels

Having decided to make your first barrel, barrel or tub, you need to equip the workplace and stock up on the necessary tools, fixtures, and materials at hand. In addition to the usual carpentry kit, you will need to stock up on special cooperage equipment, fixtures and tools. This:

• carpenter's workbench, equipped for cooper's work;
• cooperage long jointer, circular humpback planer;
• a device for planing the edges of the boards from which the product is assembled);
• devices for tightening rivets (frame gate, chain tie, pole gate);
• plow, skobel, skobelka;
• hand-made patterns, templates;
• metal or wooden clamps for assembling the skeleton of the barrel;
• morning time (device for cutting the morning groove into which the bottom of the product is inserted);
• heels (metal, wooden, combined), tightness for a hoop;
• cooper's brace.

Fixtures and measuring tools

It should be borne in mind that coopers make a significant part of the devices and tools on their own, “for themselves”, ensuring that the handles of the tools are held in the palm of their hand, like a glove, and the machines and workbenches were tall.

On the left is a two-handed, on the right is a one-handed morning service and how to work with it

What you need to know for the manufacture of cooperage products

A distinctive feature of cooperage utensils is that they are assembled from specially prepared wooden planks called staves (in other words, frets). The shape and dimensions of the product are completely determined by the configuration of the planks, which are pre-made by the cooper. And the consumer qualities of wooden containers depend on the type of wood used.

Therefore, it is not enough for a cooper just to be able to master the tools perfectly. He must feel the "soul" of the tree and know the properties of each type of wood from which he plans to make this or that household item.

Staves are the main element for the manufacture of barrels

An experienced cooper will not make an oak barrel for storing honey - when stored in it, the honey will darken and acquire an unusual aroma. But oak barrels are indispensable for aging wine and other spirits: oak wood gives them new aromas and flavors.

The second element, without which cooperage products are inconceivable, is a hoop that holds the elements, tightens them tightly, so that wooden barrels do not leak. Hoops are made of metal and wood. There is an opinion that metal hoops are stronger, and the hassle with their manufacture is much less than with wooden ones. However, some masters think differently and make the most beautiful products using wooden hoops.

Tub on wooden hoops

Main details and manufacturing principle

One might get the impression that the task of becoming an amateur cooper is too difficult, and one can only quietly dream about how to make a barrel out of wood. But if you're serious about making your dream come true, it's time to roll up your sleeves.

First of all, you need to choose the type of product that will become your firstborn. With all their diversity, there are three types: with a conical, parabolic and cylindrical core. As already mentioned, the shape of a cooperage product is completely determined by the configuration of the staves from which it is assembled - the more complex the shape, the more difficult it is to make the treasured wooden barrel.

Influence of configuration on product type

The figure above shows the types of cooperage utensils and the corresponding types of staves:

• Grooved, made in the form of a quadrilateral, the long sides of which have the form of parabolic curves. They are used in the manufacture of cooperage utensils with convex sides: barrels, barrels. Such staves are the most difficult to make, which predetermines the complexity of manufacturing barrels in general.
• The base of the tank is a cylinder. They are easy to manufacture, as they are rectangular grooved planks. It is easy to make such frets, but it is difficult to connect hoops with a constant diameter. When the wood dries out, the hoops no longer hold the rivets. Therefore, cylindrical cooperage products are practically not found.
• From straight grooved frets in the form of an elongated trapezoid, dishes are made, the skeleton of which is a truncated cone. When stuffing the hoop on a wide part of such containers, a very strong contraction of the rivets is achieved. This feature has found application in the manufacture of various tubs, tubs, jugs.

By the same principle, a mini-bath is built.

For the first experiment, it is desirable to choose the manufacture of a small tub, often called a barrel in everyday life.

How to make a garden tub for pickles

The barrel is the simplest cooper's product with a conical core. Having achieved success in the construction of the tub, it will be possible to try on how to make a more complex barrel at home. The creation process consists of three major steps:

• production of blanks (component parts) of the product;
• construction assembly;
• finishing.

Tub for beginners

Self-preparation of rivets for tubs

The reliability and durability of a wooden barrel depends on how carefully the staves are prepared. The most suitable are considered to be blanks, knocked out with an ax from logs and logs of sawn wood. Only the lower part of the trunks of old trees is suitable for this.

Oak wood, most often used for the manufacture of barrels, is very durable. But oak logs (blocks) are quite easily split with an ax in the radial direction. In general, the process of harvesting staves from different trees is approximately the same. There are single-row and double-row punching methods. A single row is suitable for splitting thin logs, a double row is suitable for massive decks.

Double row punching

The procedure for knocking out staves from the ridge:

1. Split the ridge into 2 parts so that the split line passes exactly through its center.
2. Each chopping block is also split in half - you get quadruplets.
3. Split quarters into 2 parts, getting octagon. For a thin block of wood, the knockout process usually ends there. It is the eighth part that will serve as a rough blank for future riveting. This is a single row punch.
4. If the ridge is thick, make a two-row punch: split each octagon in half along the annual ring (perpendicular to the core rays). The resulting logs are called gnatinniks.
5. Split each gnathinnik in the radial direction. In this case, 1-2 riveting blanks will be obtained from a smaller gnathin and 2-5 blanks from a larger one.
6. Perform a small processing of the blanks: chop off the wedge-shaped protrusions from the side of the core and sapwood (weak young wood from the side of the bark).
7. Send blanks to dry. In the summer they need at least 3 months to dry in the open air or resort to artificial drying.

The sequence of making rivets

Making rivets from blanks

Prior to the manufacture of rivets, it is necessary to make templates and patterns in accordance with the shape and dimensions of a particular product.

To make staves for tubs or barrels, you need:

1. Make markup.
2. Perform roughing of each riveted blank: slightly round the outer surface, and mow the edges with an ax.
3. Start finishing the outer surface with a straight plow or planer, controlling the process with a template.
4. Plane the inside side with a fillet or a humpbacked staple.
5. Use an ax to cut the narrow edges of the frets, controlling the accuracy with a template.
6. Align the surface of the edges with a jointer.

To determine the required number of rivets, you need to find the largest perimeter of the tub: multiply the diameter by 3.14. This value will be equal to the sum of the widths of all elements. For simplicity, in order not to measure the width of each part (and it can vary), you can set aside a straight line segment on a flat surface equal to the largest perimeter of the barrel. Lay finished rivets across the line until it closes.

Sheet metal hoop

Production of metal hoops for the tub

The cooper has to deal with both wood and metal, because the hoops that tighten the dishes have to be made independently from a metal sheet. But it is easier to make hoops from hot-rolled steel tape. For this you need:

1. Determine the perimeter of the tub at the location of the hoop, add to it the double width of the strip.
2. Using a hammer, bend the strip into a ring, overlapping the ends of the strip. Drill or punch 2 holes with a diameter of 4-5 mm, install steel rivets.
3. From the inside, flare one edge of the hoop with hammer blows.

Skeleton Assembly Steps

To make a small barrel at home, two hoops are enough, corresponding to the perimeters of its upper and lower parts.

Stages of assembling the skeleton of the tub

Rivets-sidewalls, pulled together by hoops, form the skeleton of a barrel made of wood. The skeleton should be assembled like this:

1. Attach 3 supporting rivets to the small hoop with clamps at approximately the same distance from each other, which will allow you to install the structure vertically.
2. Alternately inserting frets, fill in the sector between the two supporting rivets, fill in the space around the entire perimeter of the small hoop.
3. Using a hammer and a heel, upset the small hoop so that the parts are securely closed.
4. Put the lower hoop on the skeleton and also besiege with a heel.
5. File the ends of the skeleton along the line drawn by the thickness gauge.
6. Remove the irregularities inside the skeleton with a stapler.
7. Plane the ends with a humpback planer.
8. With a straight plow, chamfer inside the core from the ends. This will prevent them from chipping and make it easier to insert the bottom.
9. Using a chime, cut a groove (chime) where the bottom will be inserted.

Cleaning irregularities with a bracket

Assembly and installation of the bottom of the tub

The fewer joints in the bottom, the higher its reliability. Therefore, for the bottom you need to choose the widest and thickest blanks. The procedure for making the bottom of a wooden barrel with your own hands is as follows:

1. Cut off the edges of the boards, temporarily rally them on a workbench.
2. To determine the radius of the bottom, put the legs of the compass in the groove-chime. Using the sampling method, select a compass solution that divides the perimeter of the chime into 6 equal parts.
3. On cohesive rivets, draw a circle with the resulting compass solution.
4. Within the circle, make marks at the places where the studs are to be installed.
5. Release boards. Drill holes in the edges in the marked places and drive in wooden or metal studs.
6. Tightly join the boards on the studs.
7. Plane the bottom on both sides.
8. From the center again draw a circle of the same radius as before.
9. Cut out the bottom with a circular saw, leaving a small margin outside the circle.
10. With a straight plow, chamfer on both sides so that the thickness of the wood at a distance from the edge equal to the depth of the chime remains equal to its width.
11. Knock down a large hoop with a heel, loosening the fastening of the rivets. Insert the bottom into the chime.
12. Carefully turn the tub upside down, upset a large hoop.

Now the homemade tub is almost ready. It remains to make a lid and a circle. It will not be difficult - you can focus on the manufacture of the bottom. After checking the barrel for leaks, you can start cooking pickles in it.

You may also find it helpful to watch the tutorial video.

Video: How to make a wooden tub

Using the techniques described, you can make tubs for indoor plants or flower beds for landscape design.

Potted flower beds will decorate the garden landscape

How to make a reliable wine barrel

Having mastered the manufacture of tubs, you can proceed to the construction of a wooden barrel for aging wine with your own hands. And if homemade wine is not the subject of your interests, then the acquired skills can become the basis of a profitable business. After all, the demand and prices for cooperage products on the market are quite high.

The choice of material and the manufacture of rivets

The material for the body of wine barrels is exclusively oak wood. Rivets for them are prepared in the same way as for tubs, that is, split rivets are used. For the experiment, you can make a wooden barrel from boards (oak, of course). In this case, the barrel will last less than the one made of chipped frets. It should be borne in mind that boards for riveting blanks should only be straight-layered, otherwise the walls will crack.

Selection of boards for riveting blanks: a) such boards are unsuitable; b) these boards will fit

The frets for the barrel have a complex configuration. Each of them is thinner in the middle than at the ends, the outer surface is convex, the inner grooved. And the side edges look like gentle parabolas. Accordingly, it is more difficult to make barrel frets than barrel frets.

Steps for making barrel frets

First of all, you need to make a template, a pattern. Stages of making staves for a barrel:

1. Rough extrusion with an ax with a semicircular blade to give it the shape of a prism. Reducing the thickness of the middle part by 15-20%.
2. Beveling the side edges with an ax. Rounding of the outer face (control with a template). Measuring the width of the riveting in the middle with a template, determining its dimensions at the ends, drawing marks.
3. Beveling the workpiece to the ends along a slightly curved arc. Chamfering on the side edges with pattern checking.
4. Planing the outer plate with a planer or straight scraper.
5. Treatment of the inner surface with a humpback planer or a humpback scraper.
6. Edge jointing.

Assembling a wooden barrel

The beginning of the assembly does not differ from the assembly of the tub

Stages of assembling a wooden barrel

The beginning of the assembly does not differ from that for the tub until the moment when all the rivets are inserted into the upper (the barrel has 2 bottoms!) Hoop. Next, you need to do the following:

1. Stuff the second hoop, called the neck hoop.
2. The lower part of the unraveled core is steamed to increase flexibility.
3. Steaming time depends on the hardness of the wood and the size of the cross section of the frets. When constructing a thin-walled barrel with a slight steepness of the sides, steaming is not required.
4. Pull off the steamed rivets with a chain tie or a cooperage collar, put on the upper hoop, then fill the neck and middle hoops.
5. Harden and dry the core in an accessible way, for example, gently rolling the core, in which a layer of burning chips is embedded. You can use a gas burner, a blowtorch. The main thing is that the wood, as it were, “tanned”, but not charred. This procedure fixes the shape of the barrel, and the taste of drinks from it only improves.
6. Perform the same operations as with the skeleton of the tub: trimming, cleaning surfaces, cutting chimes.
7. Make and insert the bottoms by performing the same operations that were performed for this purpose for the tub. Only when installing the bottoms, in addition to removing the top, you also need to loosen the neck. In the upper bottom, pre-drill a hole for the bay, make a cork for it.

Tempering (firing) wooden barrels

You can get acquainted with the process of making wine barrels visually by watching a short video.

Video: How to make a wooden barrel

Video: Barrel for wine from boards

The construction of a barrel for a bath is similar

You have received some information on how to make a wooden barrel and tub with your own hands. If you have any questions, please consult an expert.