How to make barrels from wood. How to make a bathhouse - a barrel from boards

What can be compared to, for example, a cucumber or a tomato pickled in an oak tub? And in a linden barrel, honey and apple juice are perfectly stored, and you can make kvass in it. Finally, an oak tub with a lemon or laurel tree today will not spoil the interior of even a city apartment. You just can’t find these simple products either in the store or on the market. But you can make a barrel yourself, and although this task is not an easy one, an amateur craftsman is quite capable of handling it.

Rivets

First of all, you need to choose wood. Oak and pine are not suitable for storing honey - honey darkens in an oak barrel, but in a pine barrel it smells like resin. Here we need linden, aspen, plane tree. Poplar, willow, and alder will also do. But for pickling, pickling or soaking better than oak there is nothing - such a barrel will serve for decades. For other needs, you can use sedge, beech, spruce, fir, pine, cedar, larch and even birch.

Usually the lower part of the trunk of old trees is used for rivets; it is called “riveter”. But a tinkerer will choose blanks from ordinary firewood and adapt a thin trunk to the job. It is best to make rivets from raw wood. First, the block of wood - it should be 5-6 cm longer than the future rivet - is split in half, gently tapping the log on the butt of the ax. Each half is then again split into two parts and so on, depending on the thickness of the chock (Fig. 1), in order to ultimately obtain blanks 5-10 cm wide (for sweet clover - 15 cm) and 2.5-3 cm thick. You need Just try to keep the split radial - this will protect the riveting from cracking in the future.

The chopped pieces are dried in a room with natural ventilation at least a month. To speed up the process, you can use a dryer. The dried workpiece is processed with a plow or sherhebel and a plane. First it is planed outside surface rivets. In this case, to check the curvature of the surface, you should make a template in advance (Fig. 2), cutting it out of a thin board according to the finished product. Next they plan side surfaces, also checking their curvature against the template.

The riveting can be tubular - in which one end is wider than the other, and barrel - with an expansion in the middle. The magnitude of these expansions determines the taper of the tub and the convexity of the central part of the barrel. It is enough if the ratio between the widest and narrowest part of the riveting is 1.7-1.8 (Fig. 3).

Processing of the side surface is completed by jointing. It is more convenient to do this by moving the workpiece along the jointer (Fig. 4). On next stage we process internal (in relation to finished barrel) surface of the riveting, cutting off excess wood with a plane or even an ax (Fig. 5). After this, the barrel stave can be considered ready, but the barrel stave still needs to be thinned to 12-15 mm in the middle (Fig. 6). Don’t be confused by the fact that the rivets can have different widths - we take the best we can from each piece.

Hoops

Barrel hoops are made of wood or steel. Wooden ones are not so durable, and they are a hundred times more hassle, so it is better to use steel ones. The hoops are made from hot-rolled steel strip with a thickness of 1.6-2.0 mm and a width of 30-50 mm.

Having measured the barrel at the place where the hoop is tensioned, we add double the width of the strip to this size. Using a hammer, we bend the workpiece into a ring, punch or drill holes and install rivets made of soft steel wire with a diameter of 4-5 mm (Fig. 7). One inner edge of the hoop must be flared by striking the pointed end of a hammer on a massive steel stand (Fig. 8).

Based on their location on the product, hoops are divided into fart hoops - the central hoop on the barrel, morning hoops - the outermost hoops, and neck hoops - the intermediate hoops.

Assembly

A grandmother brought a crumbling tub to a handyman with a request to put it back together. Tom had never had to do this before, but he did not refuse the old woman. I came up with the following: I threw a rope on the floor and laid out the rivets on it one after the other. Then he pressed them down with pillows and pulled the ends of the rope together. Gradually removing the pillows, I brought the outer rivets together and secured them with a hoop.

Coopers make it easier...

The product is assembled on any flat surface. First, two rivets are attached to the hoop opposite each other with special staples bent from hoop iron (Fig. 9). Then, by attaching rivets to one of them, we will get to the other, which will tighten the assembled half of the barrel. Continue assembling until the rivets fill the entire perimeter of the hoop.

Lightly tapping the hoop with a hammer, we set it down and check whether the edges of the rivets meet tightly. To achieve contact between the rivets over the entire side surface, you need to add a rivet or pull out an extra one and then install a permanent hoop. By the way, if changing the number of rivets does not give the desired effect, you just need to narrow one of the rivets or replace the narrow one with a wider one.

Having leveled the ends of the frame with light blows of a hammer, put on the middle hoop and push it until it stops using a hammer (Fig. 10).

Having placed the frame on a flat surface, we describe the cut line with a pencil using a block (Fig. 11). Having installed the morning hoop, we cut off the frame 2-3 mm from it and clean the ends of the rivets with a plane. We do the same with the other end of the frame.

When making a keg, after attaching the onion, neck and morning hoop on one side, the other side must first be tightened. Coopers have for this special device- yoke. Home master can use cable, rope, chain or wire for the same purposes. You can tie a noose and gag it, or tighten the ends of the cable with a lever (Fig. 12).

There is no need to steam or boil the core, as some experts recommend, before tightening. Occasionally, however, it happens that the rivet does not bend along its entire length, but in one place and therefore cracks. However, in such cases the cooper will prefer to simply make a new stave.

Donya

The assembled frame is cleaned from the inside with a plane or sherhebel, and the ends of the frame are cleaned with a humpback plane (Fig. 13).

Now you need to make a groove in the frame (Fig. 14). The cutter of the tool can be made from hoop iron, or even better, from a saw blade. The depth and width of the groove should be 3 mm (Figure 15).

First, from sweet clover with planed outer side and the bottom shield is assembled using the jointed side surfaces (Fig. 16). The clover is fastened with nails, as shown in the figure, for which nests 15-20 mm deep are pre-drilled. The radius of the future bottom is found as a side regular hexagon, inscribed in the circle of the morning groove on the frame of the barrel. However, you need to cut out the bottom with a margin, deviating from the intended circle by 1-1.5 mm. After cleaning with Sherhebel, chamfers are cut from the edge of the bottom (Fig. 17) so that three millimeters from the edge the thickness of the wood is 3 mm - this is necessary for the tightness of the connection between the bottom and the frame in the morning groove (Fig. 18).

We do the first fitting - having loosened the hoop, we put in the bottom, inserting one side of it into the groove, and then lightly hitting the rest of it with a hammer. If the bottom is tight, you need to further loosen the hoop, and if it is too loose, tighten it.

After stuffing the hoop, make sure there are no gaps. An ideal result is rarely achieved the first time. Even if the cracks are not visible to the eye, you can find them by pouring a little water into the barrel. If it flows between the rivets, it means the bottom is too big and needs to be slightly planed. It's worse if water leaks through the bottom or through the mouth groove. Then you will have to disassemble the frame and narrow one of the rivets.

Before installing the second bottom, a filling hole with a diameter of 30-32 mm should be drilled in it. The plug is made as shown in Fig. 19, its height should be no less than the thickness of the bottom, but the plug should not protrude beyond the plane of the frame edge.

How long does a barrel last?

First of all, it depends on the operating conditions. But it is important to remember that painting filling containers oil paint should not be used: it clogs the pores, which contributes to the rotting of the wood. It is advisable to paint the hoops - they will not rust. IN decorative purposes a barrel or flower tub can be treated with mordants.

The brown color of oak is given by slaked lime mixed with a 25% ammonia solution. Black – solution iron sulfate or infusion of iron filings in vinegar for 5-6 days.

A decoction of the rhizomes of woodruff (Asperula odorata) colors linden and aspen red. The decoction gives a red-brown color onion peel, brown - fruit decoction walnut. These dyes are both brighter than chemical ones and more stable.

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

An oak barrel is a great thing for a person. You can pickle vegetables in it, make wine, moonshine, and cognac. At worst, just sit until it dawns on you, as some do, a great idea. It is not for nothing that in the old days the making of barrels was the domain of real craftsmen. We continue to tell you about things that you can master in your dacha. Next up is cooperage.

Unlike many endangered professions, such as saddler, lamplighter or carriage maker, coopers are still in demand in the 21st century. The production of tubs, barrels and decorative bar elements is now on stream. Beer and wine containers are manufactured industrially– spacious workshops, computer quality control, wholesale supplies. The cost, depending on the volume, ranges from several hundred to tens of thousands of rubles.

But, of course, the Russian person’s craving for things made with my own hands, nothing can win. Therefore, if you decide to make the barrel of your dreams yourself, we can only advise you! Follow the recommendations below - and any Diogenes will thank you!
So where does the barrel start?

Tree selection

Of course, you'll need oak first. Moreover, not the first one that comes across, but more or less mature, with a trunk diameter of 40-60 cm. Some specimens can be rejected even at the inspection stage. Thus, the characteristic bumps on the trunk indicate that the giant is infected with tobacco rot.

We also “weed out” twisted and knotty trees. In cooperage, only “sprat” is used - the first 4 meters of the trunk, the rest can be safely turned into fuel for the barbecue. Yes, if you can’t cut down the tree you like, you can always buy a similar one at the nearest sawmill.

Manufacturing of rivets

Now a little theory. The barrel consists of wooden parts, rivets, tightly fitted to each other and tightened with metal hoops. And the final quality of the entire product directly depends on how accurately the manufacturing technology of these elements was followed.

First of all, decide on the dimensions of the future barrel. Its height will affect the length of the riveting itself (it should be 2.5–3 cm longer).

Have you chosen your size? Cut the previously prepared oak round timber into it. It’s good to have a hydraulic splitter on your farm. Well, if not, the oak log is split into sectors using the old-fashioned method, using wedges. The result should be 8 radially split ingots.

Now we cut off the core and soft “white” fabric into circular saw. From the resulting blanks we plan out even boards of equal thickness using a surface planer.

Ready? Now... stack all this beauty in stacks somewhere under a canopy. And leave it for at least a few months. Or better yet, for a year - they don’t make a good oak barrel in an hour☺. During this time, the sun and wind, without creating unnecessary stress on the wood, will remove excess moisture. For now, you can start growing grapes (for the Moscow region, by the way, there are excellent varieties, we’ll definitely tell you about them someday). When the workpieces dry, you can continue. Using a jigsaw, give the boards the correct cigar-shaped shape, where the thickening will be only 0.8–1 cm wider than the ends.

The inner edge of the workpieces is trimmed in the middle with a curved plow. Less than a millimeter is enough, and when necessary, the rivets will bend into right place. We give the outer edge the shape of an arc, the curvature of which is determined by a special pattern. Its radius depends on the radius of the barrel being manufactured. The tool is easy to make yourself. The result should be a product the same as in the picture.

On average, you will need from 25 to 30 staves per barrel.

Making a hoop

When the rivets are prepared, you can start making hoops. You will need a narrow strip of 2-3 mm iron, slightly longer than the circumference of the frame.

Twist it into a ring and secure it at the ends with rivets. The hoop is almost ready. Lightly flare the inner side with a hammer - and you can put it on the frame. For a small barrel you will need two pairs of hoops. Not less! What if some ring can't withstand the fermentation of your beer?

While you are working with iron, make a couple more metal staples. They will later serve as “clothespins”.

Assembling the barrel

The rivets are prepared, the hoops are ready. It's time to collect it all in a pot-bellied barrel. Take the finished ring and secure the ends of two or three rivets in it with clothespins in random places. The design will resemble a stool. In this position, fill the entire perimeter of the hoop with rivets. When the last board is in place, hammer the metal belt to fit the parts more tightly.

But before putting on the second hoop, the wood will have to be heated and steamed. It's done like this. We bring our semi-finished product to Fresh air and install it with the “socket” facing up. A small metal urn filled with wood chips is placed inside. We light a “fire” in it. While the fire is burning, wet the wood generously with water. This will keep it from catching fire and add flexibility to the boards. After half an hour of this “bath”, throw a noose on the end free from the hoop and pull it quietly with a winch. There is no rush in this place. The path to the finish line can take from 40 minutes to 3-4 hours, but any broken rivet will immediately return you to the beginning of the distance.

As soon as the wooden fan closes, immediately stuff the hoop. Just don’t forget the old Bondar law: “You can’t knock on the same place twice with a hammer.” In simple words When lowering the hoop, apply only one blow to each place. Under no circumstances hit there two or three times - you will split the wood.
When the metal belts are in place, the frame of the barrel ends up. The internal cavity is leveled with a special scraper and sanded with sandpaper.

And now another trial by fire. So that the tree gets used to its new form, it needs to be burned. The scheme is the same - the wood chips burn in the urn. Stir the fire constantly, otherwise the barrel will catch fire. There are no ready-made recipes here. If you set fire to the boards, the wine will take on a burning smell. If you finish firing ahead of time, the rivets will tear the hoop.

Manufacturing and installation of bottoms

At a distance of up to 2.5 cm from the ends of the frame, select the so-called morning groove. The bottom will then be inserted into it. Previously, such an operation was trusted only to a special incisor, a morning dresser (another endangered profession!). Today it is much easier to use a cutter. At the same time, remove the chamfers from the ends of the barrel. Useful when shrinking the bottoms.

To make them, you will again need rivets, only a little larger. They are connected into panels with steel nails without heads. By actually measuring the length of the mouth groove, you can easily determine the radius of the bottom. Outline it on the shield and cut it out with a jigsaw. Sharpen the ends of the round.
The connection between the bottom and the frame looks like this.

To put the bottom in its place, the frame will have to be unchained on one side. The rivets should already be in shape by this time. Insert the round piece into the morning groove, press it into place with a mallet, and tighten the product again with the hoop. If everything is done correctly, the bottom will not leak. Before repeating the operation with the other bottom, cut into it drainer. Diameter – 32 mm. When everything is ready, we polish the barrel, giving it a marketable appearance, and prepare it for soaking.

Soak

In principle, the barrel is already ready. One could calm down on this, but the wood is still too saturated with tannins and tannins. Therefore, you will have to soak them, otherwise the contents of the barrel will deteriorate.

Fill the container one third with hot (80 °C) water. Rotate the barrel for half an hour so that the moisture moves around the entire perimeter. Next, drain the liquid and replace it with cold one. It should stand in the container for a day, after which it must be replaced again. And so on for two weeks. Some people soak the barrel with ready-made wine, others with moonshine. Everyone has their own style. But it’s worth starting with water.

Now the barrel is really ready for wine. Or beer. Or moonshine with cucumbers - what do you choose?..

People who produce their own wines, or even just pickle cucumbers, know very well that there is no better container than a wooden barrel. Why? Firstly, wood is environmentally friendly pure material, secondly, wines contain alcohol, which means interacting with synthetic materials– plastic or nylon, it can dissolve chemical composition container, and it will be mixed with the components of the wine.

The process of producing an oak barrel is not complicated, but it requires strict adherence to instructions, accuracy and attentiveness.

Buying a barrel is not a problem, but if there is a desire and the owner of a home wine factory cares about quality, then a wooden barrel with your own hands will be the main proof that the wine and cognac are made using the right technology. In addition, making wooden barrels is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, but without any tricks.

Stages of work

Oak, ash and cherry are considered the most suitable trees for the production of barrels from them.

It is well known that the most reliable material for making wooden barrels is oak. It is suitable for both wines and cognacs, and for pickles. Oak is a natural antiseptic; nitrous oxide and mold will not grow there. But if this is a problem, you can exchange oak for cherry or ash - these trees contain hydrocyanic acid, which will also prevent the development of pathogenic organisms, although their properties are weaker than those of oak. There is no need to be afraid that acid will get into the food: firstly, the barrel is thoroughly soaked before pouring the wines, and secondly, a certain percentage of hydrocyanic acid is contained in the wines themselves; it is not dangerous to the body.

Timber calculation. The boards, called staves, have biconvex sides to give the cooperage product a convexity. To make them like this, you need to take the lower part of a tree trunk and split it, similar to chopping wood. If you cut it carefully, the natural integrity of the fibers will be disrupted, which is bad for such a product. Get started right away figure sawing It’s not worth it - the logs need to be dried for 2 months. Moreover, dry it not under the scorching sun, but in a dark, cool room.

Processing logs for future barrels is done using a plane. Giving them the required form, the top and bottom need to be thicker than the middle. How much - the owner will decide. Usually this is 1.5 cm. The movements with the plane intensify towards the middle of the log, then you can get the same shape as classic barrels. Basically, barrels can be given any shape - pot-bellied, log, trapezoidal. The main thing is to do everything right.

Preparation of fastening hoops. They can be either iron or wood. Wooden ones have advantages in beauty and protection against corrosion, but are not as durable as iron ones, but it will be important for the owner of a wine cellar to preserve wines and barrels, including from mechanical damage. Therefore, iron is preferable. So, stainless steel is cut into strips; for better fastening, it can be forged at the junctions with each other. After this, holes are punched at the ends for nails, which will act as rivets.

Stuffing finished hoops and preparing the frame. Three prepared boards are attached to small-diameter hoops using clamps. They need to be located at the same distance from each other. If the calculation was correct, the remaining boards will fit flush. After complete insertion, using a hammer and a nozzle, you should push the hoops until they can no longer be removed. Tapping from opposite ends can achieve a good effect.

But you can’t overdo it: cooked the long way the boards will crack, the process will have to start again. Prepared dies can also crack due to prolonged drying. This is how one edge of the barrel is prepared. A hoop with a larger diameter must be put on immediately after the first edge, using a hammer. Now it’s the turn of the second edge: the workpiece is steamed for a long time before installing the second end. This is done so that the wood becomes soft and pliable. After this, the workpiece is turned over with the open side up and a rope is thrown over the steamed wood, which is twisted so that the ends of the rivets meet. Without letting go of the rope, you need to put on the hoop. Such work is not done alone - someone twists the rope, and someone puts on the hoop.

Shutdown

When the frame is ready, it is hardened.

There are many ways, mainly roasting. At the same time, the smell and astringency of burnt wood will be transferred to the wine, which will also be appreciated. This is done this way: shavings of some kind are placed inside on the side of the finished frame. fruit tree– Cherry is preferable. Set it on fire and slowly roll it from side to side to ensure even smoldering. There is no need to light a fire inside the workpiece; due to inexperience, you can burn the product. Do not use any lighter fluids - they contain chemical elements, which the tree will absorb. You can use a blowtorch, but with caution - a strong fire can leave undetected smoldering in the frame, causing the product to burn.

The final stage of creating a barrel is sanding its outside, drilling holes for the fill and cutting a gutter for the bottoms.

Next, the process of making a barrel is as follows: the workpiece is processed with a tool - the uneven ends are cut off, the outside is polished, a hole is drilled for the fill and gutters are cut for the bottoms. The bottoms of the barrels are two circles, cut out of the likeness of shields. The boards are prepared as follows: the boards are nailed together overlapping each other and additionally fastened with staples. The circles are sharpened so that their edges go into a bevel. It is necessary to accurately calculate the diameter of the bottoms. This is done after final assembly skeleton, because this cannot be done right away. Then the bottoms are inserted by loosening the outer hoops. After inserting one, you need to fill the hoop again, then do the same with the second bottom.

Checking for leaks. Naturally, the barrel is tested with liquid, that is, water. It will leak at first until the tree swells. The time allotted for the barrel to stop leaking is no more than an hour. If it still flows, you need to find the gap and seal it. Coopers use reed stems for such purposes. They are stuck between the rivets with a sharp and thin object, for example, a knife. In addition, the outside of the barrel can be coated with wax. You just need to take something that is truly bee-friendly - the products should not contain chemicals.

After the production of the barrel is almost completed - it is hardened, fired and tested for leaks, it is steamed or allowed to settle with water so that all foreign odors are removed from the wood, which the wine can take over. You can treat the inner surface of the barrel with hydrogen peroxide or potassium permanganate.

Summarizing

It’s not difficult to make a barrel with your own hands if you carefully follow the recommendations. Caring for it is extremely simple - you need to regularly steam or boil it, and then dry it very carefully if its use is postponed.

Another important rule: If the barrel is intended for liquid products - brines, alcohol or water, then it cannot be left dry for a long time. If it is used for storing dry products, then it cannot be wetted.

Vegetables are pickled in barrels, bulk products are stored, and water is kept in reserve. They are needed in the pantry, on the site, in the bathhouse. How to make a wooden barrel with your own hands so that it is strong, reliable, durable, does not allow water to pass 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 instruction will help you master a useful craftsman and even start own business in the manufacture of tubs.

Wooden barrel for household needs

Cooperation craft - how to become a master

If you are in a decisive mood, have skills in woodworking, and your hands are always growing, why not try to realize the idea of ​​​​becoming a home cooper (cooper)? Cooperation is a difficult craft that comes from ancient times. Nowadays there are very few masters of this craft, and there are only a few highly qualified craftsmen. Therefore, cooperage products are rare on the market, and even if you can find them, either the price or quality does not please the buyer.

Barrel assembly process

What tools are needed to assemble barrels?

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

• carpentry workbench, equipped for cooperage;
• cooper's long jointer, circular humpback plane;
• a device for planing the edges of the boards from which the product is assembled);
• devices for tightening rivets (frame machine-gate, chain tie, post gate);
• plow, stapler, stapler;
• hand-made patterns and templates;
• metal or wooden clamps for assembling the barrel frame;
• morning maker (a device for cutting a morning groove into which the bottom of the product is inserted);
• heels (metal, wood, combined), tension for hoop;
• cooper's bracket.

Fixtures and measuring instruments

It should be taken into account that coopers make a significant part of the devices and tools themselves, “to suit themselves”, ensuring that the handles of the tools are held in the palm like a glove, and that the machines and workbenches are of the same height.

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

What you need to know to make cooperage products

Distinctive feature Cooper's ware is that it is assembled from wooden planks prepared in a special way, called rivets (otherwise, 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 to simply 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 making a barrel

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 indispensable for aging wine and other alcoholic beverages: oak wood gives them new aromas and flavor shades.

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

Planter on wooden hoops

Main details and manufacturing principle

It may seem 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 first-born. With all their diversity, there are three types: with a conical, parabolic and cylindrical frame. As already mentioned, the shape of a cooper's 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.

Impact 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 quadrangle, the long sides of which have the form of parabolic curves. Used in the manufacture of cooperage utensils with convex sides: barrels, kegs. Such rivets are the most difficult to make, which determines the complexity of making barrels in general.
• The base of the container is a cylinder. They are easy to manufacture because they are rectangular grooved boards. It is easy to make such frets, but it is difficult to connect them with hoops with a constant diameter. When the wood dries out, the hoops no longer hold the rivets. Therefore, cylindrical cooperage products are practically never found.
• Utensils are made from straight grooved frets in the shape of an elongated trapezoid, the frame of which is a truncated cone. When the hoop is stuffed onto the wide part of such containers, a very strong tightening of the rivets is achieved. This feature has found application in the manufacture of various tubs, tubs, and jugs.

A mini-bath is built using the same principle.

For the first experiment, it is advisable to choose the manufacture of a small tub, commonly called a barrel.

How to make a country tub for pickles

Kadushka is the simplest cooperage product with a conical frame. Having achieved success in building a tub, you can try on how to make a more complex barrel at home. The creation process consists of three big stages:

• production of blanks (components) of the product;
• assembly of the structure;
• finishing.

Planter for beginners

Independent preparation of rivets for the tub

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

Oak wood, most often used to make barrels, is very durable. But oak logs (blocks) are quite easily split with an ax in the radial direction. In general, the process of preparing rivets from various trees approximately the same. There are single-row and double-row pruning methods. Single-row is suitable for splitting thin logs, double-row - for massive logs.

Double-row punching of blanks

The procedure for cutting rivets from a ridge:

1. Split the ridge into 2 parts so that the split line passes exactly through its center.
2. Also split each block in half - you get quadruples.
3. Split the quadruples into 2 parts, obtaining octagons. For a thin block of wood, the pricking process usually ends here. It is the eighth part that will serve as a rough blank for future riveting. This is a single-row prick.
4. If the ridge is thick, make a two-row split: split each octagon in half along the annual ring (perpendicular to the medullary rays). The resulting logs are called gnatinniki.
5. Split each gnatinnik in the radial direction. In this case, you will get 1-2 riveted blanks from the smaller one and 2-5 blanks from the larger one.
6. Perform a small processing of the workpieces: cut off the wedge-shaped protrusions from the core side and the sapwood (frail young wood from the bark side).
7. Send the workpieces to dry. In summer they need to be dried for at least 3 months. outdoors or resort to artificial drying.

Sequence of making rivets

Making rivets from blanks

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

To make rivets for a tub or barrel, you need:

1. Make markings.
2. Perform rough processing of each riveted blank: slightly round the outer surface and bevel the edges with an ax.
3. Start finishing the outer surface with a straight plow or planer, controlling the process with a template.
4. Plan the inner side with a fillet or humpback staple.
5. Use an ax to trim the narrow edges of the frets, checking the accuracy with a template.
6. Level 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, so as not to have to measure the width of each part (and it can vary), you can lay out a straight line segment on a flat surface equal to the largest perimeter of the barrel. Lay the finished rivets across the line until it is closed.

Hoop from metal sheet

Making metal hoops for tubs

The cooper has to deal with both wood and metal, because the hoops that hold the dishes together have to be made independently from a metal sheet. But it’s easier to make hoops from hot-rolled steel strip. To do this you need:

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

Frame 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 frame of the tub

Side rivets, tightened with hoops, form the skeleton of a wooden barrel. The skeleton should be assembled like this:

1. Attach 3 support rivets to the small hoop with clamps at approximately equal distances from each other, which will allow you to install the structure vertically.
2. Inserting the frets one by one, fill the sector between the two support rivets, fill the space around the entire perimeter of the small hoop.
3. Using a hammer and heel, press down on the small hoop so that the parts fit securely together.
4. Place the lower hoop on the frame and also attach it with a heel.
5. File the ends of the frame along the line drawn with a thicknesser.
6. Use a scraper to remove any irregularities inside the frame.
7. Plan the ends with a humpback plane.
8. Using a straight plow, chamfer the inside of the frame from the ends. This will prevent them from chipping and make it easier to insert the bottom.
9. Using a morning tool, cut a groove (morter) into which the bottom will be inserted.

Cleaning up irregularities with a scraper

Assembling and installing the bottom of the tub

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

1. Sand the edges of the boards and temporarily seal them together on a workbench.
2. To determine the radius of the bottom, place the legs of the compass in the groove. Using the trial method, select a compass solution that divides the perimeter of the chimney into 6 equal parts.
3. On the solid rivets, draw a circle with the resulting compass solution.
4. Within the circle, make marks at the locations of the studs.
5. Release the planks. Drill holes in the edges at the marked locations and drive in wooden or metal pins.
6. Place the planks tightly together on the studs.
7. Plan the bottom on both sides.
8. From the center, again draw a circle of the same radius as before.
9. Use a circular saw to cut out the bottom, leaving a small margin outside the circle.
10. Use a straight plow to chamfer both sides so that the thickness of the wood at a distance from the edge equal to the depth of the chimney 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 morning.
12. Carefully turn the tub upside down and place a large hoop on it.

Now the homemade tub is almost ready. All that remains is to make the lid and circle. This will not be difficult - you can focus on making the bottom. After checking the barrel for leaks, you can begin preparing pickles in it.

You may also find it helpful to watch a training video.

Video: How to make a wooden tub

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

Flowerbeds will be decorated garden landscape

How to make a reliable wine barrel

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

Selection of material and production of rivets

Housing material wine barrels Only oak wood is used. The rivets for them are prepared in the same way as for the tubs, that is, split rivets are used. For an experiment, you can make a wooden barrel from boards (oak, of course). In this case, the barrel will last less than one made from chopped frets. It must be taken into account that the boards for riveted blanks should only be straight-layered, otherwise the walls will crack.

Selection of boards for riveted blanks: a) such boards are unsuitable; b) these boards are suitable

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 is grooved. And the side edges look like gentle parabolas. Accordingly, it is more difficult to make barrel frets than tub frets.

Stages of making barrel frets

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

1. Rough hewing with an ax with a semicircular blade until it is shaped into a prism. Reducing the thickness of the middle part by 15-20%.
2. Beveling the side edges with an ax. Rounding of the outer edge (control with a template). Using a template, measure the width of the stave in the middle, determine its dimensions at the ends, and apply marks.
3. Beveling the workpiece towards the ends along a slightly curved arc. Chamfering the side edges with a template check.
4. Planing the outer plate with a plane or straight scraper.
5. Processing the inner surface with a humpback plane or humpback scraper.
6. Joining of edges.

Assembling a wooden barrel

The beginning of assembly is no different from assembling a tub

Stages of assembling a wooden barrel

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

1. Fill the second hoop, called the neck hoop.
2. Steam the lower loose part of the frame to increase flexibility.
3. Steaming time depends on the hardness of the wood and the cross-sectional size of the frets. When constructing a thin-walled barrel with slightly steep sides, steaming is not required.
4. Tighten the steamed rivets with a chain tie or cooper's collar, put on the top hoop, then stuff the neck and middle hoops.
5. Temper and dry the frame in an accessible way, for example, by carefully rolling the frame, which contains a layer of burning shavings. You can use gas burner, blowtorch. The main thing is that the wood should be “tanned”, but not charred. This procedure fixes the shape of the barrel, and the taste of the drinks only improves.
6. Perform the same operations as with the frame of the tub: trimming, cleaning surfaces, cutting chimes.
7. Make and insert the bottoms, performing the same operations that were performed for this purpose for the tub. Only when installing the bottoms, in addition to removing the top one, you also need to loosen the neck one. In the upper bottom, pre-drill a hole for the fill and make a plug for it.

Hardening (firing) of wooden barrels

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

Video: How to make a barrel out of wood

Video: Wine barrel made 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 any questions remain, seek advice from an expert.

Cooperation is one of the most difficult crafts, so the answer to the question is how to make a barrel with your own hands, it won’t be easy either. This is a very labor-intensive process that requires the performer to have a decent professional level and availability large quantity tools for wood processing.

Types of barrels by purpose and wood for their manufacture

Before you get interested, how to make a barrel, you need to decide what you need it for. The choice of material and manufacturing method depend on this. This type of container is manufactured for the following purposes:

1. ​for fermentation, aging and storage of spirits, wine and beer;
2. ​ for preparing and storing pickles;
3. ​for storing dry products;
4. ​for storing honey, etc.

Beverage barrels have two bottoms and a hole for inserting taps. The same type of container, but without holes, was previously used for long-term storage of certain products (for example, corned beef).

For other purposes, barrels with one bottom are sufficient - they are also called tubs. They are covered with a lid or a circle on top for oppression. These parts are much easier to make than the bottom. Make a wooden barrel possible from such wood species as:

1. oak;
2. ash;
3. ​ cherry;
4. Linden;
5. alder and others.

Wood of the first three types is the most universal. It is equally suitable for containers for any purpose. However, the “champion” should be recognized as an oak barrel, which, being strong, reliable and durable, provides ideal conditions for storing food.

Oak products have antiseptic properties, release tannins into alcoholic drinks, improving their taste, and also easily withstand the effects of brines when preparing pickles. Ash and cherry are the first “substitutes” of oak wood. They have similar, but weaker properties. Therefore, we will consider, . Making containers from other types of wood, such as linden, does not have fundamental differences except for the nuances finishing.

Oak barrel for honey

Rules for procuring material for barrels

Before you start doing DIY wooden barrel, should be prepared and prepared quality material. The wood must be mature, healthy, and free from defects (knots, cross-layers)

The best time for procurement of material is late autumn or winter, when natural humidity wood is at a minimum level.

It is unlikely that you will be able to meet all the requirements. For example, for making staves for wine and cognac barrels highest category quality, the process of drying and aging wood takes 6–8 years, but if you are only concerned with how to make a barrel for yourself, adhere to the following rules:

1. Before drying, the logs are split into pieces of the required thickness;
2. ​ drying is carried out in a closed area sun rays place - under a canopy, in a barn, etc.;
3. The duration of drying depends on many factors and can take 1–3 months;
4. The residual moisture content of the wood before treatment should be about 25%.

Accelerating the drying process using hot air and other methods usually leads to a deterioration in the quality of the wood and its properties in finished product. The advice also takes into account the need to condition the processed rivets before assembling the product. As a result, the residual moisture content of the wood should be 17–20%.

Making rivets and tools for this

For those interested make your own oak barrel The most difficult part will be making the rivets. The process of marking and chopping logs is clearly presented in the following figure

As a result, you will receive blanks of conical cross-section, from which, after drying, they are made into rivets. This part has a complex shape, so its manufacture requires high requirements to the skill of the performer. The main dimensions of the barrel and its elements, depending on the volume, are as follows:

This table will help you figure out how to make a barrel, and the drawing - to understand how to give the rivets the desired shape

Tool

and what tools you will need for this. The curvature of the sides should provide the barrel with a taper of about 8°, due to which the product becomes resistant to loads from the outside and inside. To process the surfaces of rivets, a plane, jointer, sherhebel, plow and other tools of this group are used. In this case, the outer surface of the part should have a slightly convex shape, and the inner surface should have a concave shape.

Barrel capacity, l	Height, mm	Center diameter, mm	Diameter at the edges, mm	Riveting width, mm	Rivet thickness, mm	Thickness of bottoms, mm

The accuracy and quality of planing are regularly checked using a template. To calculate the number of rivets, the longest circumference (at the center of the barrel) should be divided by the width of the workpieces. This way you will also determine the exact and uniform size of the part. The process of making rivets can be seen in the video.

After this, the answer to the question of how to make an oak barrel with your own hands, will become clearer as you tackle the toughest challenge.

Making bottom shields and tools for this

To make bottom shields, 4–6 planks are used, connected to each other with wooden or stainless steel pins. Drawings, or, more precisely, instructions, of this process are given here

But at first we will limit ourselves to only connecting the planks, since other operations are carried out taking into account the dimensions of the assembled barrel body. We just have to do the following:

1. draw a circle on the shield: its diameter should correspond to the size of the bottom of the barrel, to which is added twice the depth of the morning groove (this is 6 mm);
2. file along the contour using bow saw or circular hacksaw;
3. chamfer around the entire circumference so that the bottom fits into the morning groove.

In a similar way (adjusted for a larger or smaller diameter), the lid and the circle for oppression are made. If you intend make your own barrel for drinks that have two bottoms, you should remember that such products are made according to individual measurements for the top and bottom. You will see the result of your efforts only after you collect all the details into a single whole. Assembling the barrel is the most enjoyable stage of its manufacture. We will describe how this process is carried out below.

Barrel assembly procedure

The following information about how to make a barrel, there will be recommendations for its assembly. For this, in addition to wooden parts, you will need metal hoops - assembly and permanent. The first of them serves to set and fix the complete frame. Permanent hoops are divided into morning and neck (umbilical) hoops. They provide tightening of the rivets. To make a wooden barrel from the existing set of parts, you will need to perform the following operations:

1. using clamps, fix two, or preferably three, rivets on the assembly hoop;
2. Fill the space between them with the remaining parts;
3. put on a neck hoop on the fixed side;
4. ​ steam the loose side of the frame and tighten the rivets using a collar (noose), after which put a morning and neck hoop on this side of the frame;
5. from the side of the assembly hoop, cut a morning groove to install the bottom;
6. ​ cut and process the first bottom, and then put it in place;
7. On the same side, install a morning hoop, which finally fixes the bottom;
8. ​ carry out finishing treatment of the internal and external surfaces of the barrel body;
9. ​carry out hardening (firing) from the inside;
10. Repeat the operation of installing the bottom on the opposite side.

The initial stage of assembly can be seen in the video

.

Another video

will give an idea of ​​subsequent operations. However, in this case, an allowance should be made for the fact that professionals work here who have their own techniques and perform many actions automatically. Perhaps not everything will work out the first time, but how to make your own oak barrel, you will definitely learn.

For barrels with a capacity of up to 50 liters, four hoops are used; for larger containers, their number is increased to six. They are made from steel strip 30–50 mm wide and 1.5–2 mm thick. The diameter of the hoop is determined by measuring the location of its installation on the body of the product. Double the bandwidth is added to the resulting value. This is necessary to connect the strip into a ring using rivets made of malleable steel wire with a cross-section of 4–5 mm.

Answering the question, how to make a barrel, it is necessary to mention that one edge inside the hoop requires flaring. This gives it the necessary taper for a tight fit to the frame rivets when putting on and setting down. Cutting the morning groove is done using special tool, which in professional slang is called a morning party. The procedure is somewhat reminiscent of opening a round tin can.

In an article about how to make a barrel, we cannot fail to mention the hardening of the product. Most often this is achieved by firing. This ensures increased wood resistance to moisture, organic acids and other influences. It is most convenient to fire a body without a bottom using a burner like portable forge

Surface finishing and drilling of holes for taps (chops) are done before firing.

Checking the barrel and preparing it for use

Our advice on how to make a wooden barrel with your own hands, completes with information on how to check its tightness and prepare the product for use. To search for leaks, the barrel is filled with water. If it is still leaking within an hour of filling, you will need to take steps to seal it. For this, there is a proven “old-fashioned” method using cattail, which is also called barrel grass. They use it to caulk leakage areas. Another method of sealing is waxing using natural wax.

Each master has his own answers to the question, how to make a barrel, and more professional secrets, to reveal which it would be necessary to write an entire monograph. Therefore, you will have to repeatedly seek help from experts on a variety of nuances of the barrel making process. By the way, the literary hero Robinson Crusoe was never able to cope with this task. When you achieve the tightness of the product, all that remains is to prepare the barrel for use.

Answering the question, how to make an oak barrel, you should also give recommendations for soaking it. Most often this is done using ordinary water. The procedure takes up to 10 days with fluid changes every two to three days. However, for barrels intended for spirits, soaking lasts from one month to six months using alcohol-containing liquids with an alcohol content of 18–55%. In this article we have tried to answer basic questions regarding how to make a barrel. We hope you find this information useful.

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