How to make a barrel out of wood. Do-it-yourself oak barrel

03.03.2020

If you are engaged in the manufacture of your own wine, pickles, then you know that there is no better container than a wooden barrel. After all, made of wood, it becomes one of the main points in the recipe, it is an environmentally friendly raw material that retains taste and taste. beneficial features products. In addition, the alcohol contained in wines or moonshine, when interacting with containers made of synthetic materials: plastic, nylon, can dissolve them and the interaction products are mixed with the drink.

Purchasing a barrel for your winemaking or brining is not difficult, but if you want to save money or like to do everything yourself, then it is worth learning the technique of making an oak barrel with your own hands. This is a process that takes a lot of time and effort, but with our advice, you will see that making a barrel with your own hands is not so difficult even for those who have never done it.

The manufacture of barrels from wood is called "cooperage", and the master who deals with this business is a cooper. This is a whole art, which originated in Ancient Greece and still popular today. The technology has not changed for thousands of years, is time-tested and not as difficult to implement as it seems at first glance. But how to make a barrel yourself in modern conditions?

Choosing wood

First of all, of course, choose the material from which you are going to make your future barrel. We will offer you the main types of wood that coopers prefer, tell you what their positive and negative sides and help you choose the best suitable option just for you.

Oak

Of course, first of all, we should talk about the manufacture of oak barrels. This wood rightfully deserves the title of a classic material used by master coopers. With high strength, flexibility, this tree contains "tannins" that act as an antiseptic. The moisture acting on the walls of such a barrel makes them stronger. Therefore, the service life of oak barrels is measured not even in tens, but in hundreds of years. With drinks stored in such a barrel, the processes of oxidation and interaction with wood take place, and they acquire a pleasant aroma with a touch of vanilla.

Fur tree, pine tree

These types of wood are also used as material for the manufacture of barrels. They are soft, easier to process and cut, but inferior in strength to oak and many other species. Their disadvantage is the smell of resin, which is why this type of wood is rarely used as a material for barrels.

Cedar

Of the representatives of coniferous varieties, coopers prefer it, especially in those places where its natural habitat is located. By properties, it is similar to pine or spruce, but such barrels have no smell. They are well suited for storing products, especially for dairy products.

Linden

This type of wood is fibrous, perfectly cut and processed. Strong material, does not give in to drying out, does not smell. Linden barrels are recognized as the best for storing and transporting honey, caviar, and pickles.

Aspen

This is a cheap, but long-lasting material, it is strong, resistant to moisture, and has antiseptic properties. Aspen was recognized as ideal for pickling and storing vegetables. The peculiarity of this variety is that it swells a lot, but for a cooper it is rather a plus, because thanks to this, the rivets close tightly.

We make rivets

So, you have decided on the type of wood, let's say it will be oak. Now we make the details of the barrel, starting with the rivets. These are tapering at the edges, or rectangular boards (sawn or chipped). The latter win in terms of strength due to the structure of the fibers, which does not undergo destruction during splitting.

The shape of the stave depending on the type of barrel

To determine the exact number of such rivets, do the following:

Determine the required barrel parameters
Make drawings of your design
Create sketches of riveting and bottoms in natural sizes

After these procedures, perform simple calculations that allow you not to miscalculate how many rivets you need. It is calculated by the formula: 2*Pi*R/Sh, where:

Pi is a constant value of 3.14
P - radius of the bottom (if the sides are equal) or the middle (if the sides are convex)
W - size of the width of the riveting

Barrel sizes depending on volume

It will take a lot of time and labor to make stab rivets; certain skills are needed here. The main thing to do is to split the workpiece so that fragments with a smooth surface are obtained.

Scheme of the split of the fire on rivets

There are two main ways to split:

Radially (the split goes through the core of the deck, which requires less effort)
Tangentially (does not affect the core, not recommended for use on hardwood, it makes the process slower and more difficult)

It is easiest to process raw material, freshly cut is best. If you use ready-made boards, make sure that the annual rings go along their plane, without sawing.

After harvesting, you need to dry it, in the summer, in the air, under a canopy, this period will be from 3 months. For artificial drying, the following method is used:

Glue paper on the ends of the rivets
Place in oven
Leave it there for a day

Ready for barrel staves

The blanks are now ready for further work.

We make a hoop

Another detail is the hoop. It helps to connect all the rivets, creating a single whole; stainless steel is used to make the hoop.

Modern barrels have three hoops:

Farts (closer to the center)
Morning (closer to the edge)
Neck (if the barrel has a large volume, they are additionally placed between the first two)

The size of the hoop depends on the volume of the container (thickness*width):

Up to 25 l - 1.6mm * 3cm
25 - 50 l - 1.6mm * 3.6cm
Up to 100 l - 1.6mm * 4-4.5cm
120 liters and more - 1.8 * 5cm

Stainless steel barrel hoops

You will need temporary metal hoops, which are made according to the following algorithm:

Cut out required size sheet steel strips
Make holes at the ends of the strips, which are fastened with rivets

Collecting the barrel

Now we have approached the main stage - the assembly of a barrel, consisting of staves, which are connected first by temporary, and then by permanent hoops.

Process with a tool - grinding, cut off uneven ends, drill a filler hole.

Watch a video on how an oak barrel is made.

Oak barrel repair

Do you have an old barrel that you do not use because it is dry, leaking, or for some other reason it is not suitable, watch the video on how the repair is done.

The second part of the video if the barrel is flowing

Oak barrel is a great thing for a man. In it you can salt vegetables, make wine, moonshine, cognac. At worst, just sit until it hits, like some, a great idea. No wonder in the old days the manufacture of barrels was the lot of real masters. We continue to tell you about the development of which you can do in the country. Next up is cooperage.

Unlike many endangered professions, such as saddler, lamplighter or carriage maker, coopers are quite 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 deliveries. The cost, depending on the volume, ranges from several hundred to tens of thousands of rubles.

But, of course, the craving of a Russian person for things made with his own hands cannot be defeated by anything. Therefore, if you decide to make the barrel of your dreams on your own, 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, first you need an oak tree. Moreover, not the first one that came across, but more or less adult, with a trunk diameter of 40-60 cm. Some specimens can be rejected even at the inspection stage. So, the characteristic tuberosity on the trunk testifies to the defeat of the giant by tobacco rot.

We also “weed out” twisted and knotty trees. In cooperage, only “tulka” 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.

Making staves

Now for some theory. The barrel consists of wooden parts, staves, tightly fitted to each other and pulled together with metal hoops. And the final quality of the entire product directly depends on how accurately the manufacturing technology of these elements was observed.

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 a size? Cut on it the previously prepared oak round timber. It is good when the farm has a hydraulic cleaver. Well, if not, the oak log is split into sectors using the old-fashioned method, using wedges. The result should be 8 radially chipped ingots.

Now cut off the core and soft "white" fabric on circular saw. From the resulting blanks, we plan out even boards of the same thickness on the thickness gauge.

Ready? And now ... put all this beauty in piles somewhere under a canopy. And leave it for at least a few months. And better for a year - a good oak barrel is not made in an hour☺. During this time, the sun and wind, without creating unnecessary stresses on the wood, will remove excess moisture from it. For now, you can work on grapes (for the Moscow region, by the way, there are excellent varieties, we will definitely tell you about them somehow). When the blanks are dry, you can continue. Using an electric 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 blanks is crimped in the middle by a curved plow. Less than a millimeter is enough, and when necessary, the rivets will bend in the right place. We give the outer face the shape of an arc, the curvature of which is determined by a special pattern. Its radius depends on the radius of the produced barrel. The tool is easy to make yourself. The result should be a product the same as in the figure.

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

Making a hoop

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

Twist it into a ring and fix it at the ends with rivets. The hoop is almost ready. Slightly flare the inside with a hammer - and you can put it on the skeleton. For a small barrel, you will need two pairs of hoops. Not less! What if some ring will not withstand the fermentation of your beer?

While working with iron, make a couple more metal staples. They will then serve as "clothespins".

Barrel assembly

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

But before putting on the second hoop, the tree will have to be heated and steamed. It is done like this. We bring our semi-finished product to Fresh air and install it with the "socket" up. A small metal urn filled with wood chips is placed inside. We kindle a fire in it. While the fire is burning, moisten the wood liberally with water. This will keep it from burning and add flexibility to the boards. After half an hour of such a “bath”, throw a noose on the end free from the hoop and pull it off quietly with a winch. In this place, haste is unacceptable. 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 start of the race.

As soon as the wooden fan closes, immediately stuff the hoop. Just do not forget the old Cooper's law: "The same place is not knocked twice with a hammer." In simple words, upsetting the hoop, apply only one blow to each place. In no case do not hit there two or three times - you will split the tree.
When the metal belts are in place, the skeleton of the barrel ends up. The internal cavity is leveled with a special scraper and polished with sandpaper.

And now another trial by fire. For the tree to get used to its new form, it must be burned. The scheme is the same - wood chips burn in an urn. Stir the fire constantly, otherwise the barrel will catch fire. There are no recipes here. If you set fire to the boards, the wine will take on the smell of burning. You finish the firing ahead of time, and the staves will break the hoop.

Manufacturing and installation of bottoms

At a distance of up to 2.5 cm from the ends of the core, select the so-called morning groove. The bottom will then be inserted into it. Previously, such an operation was trusted only to a special cutter, the morning man (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 bottoms.

To make them, you will again need rivets, only a little larger. They are connected into shields with steel nails without caps. By actually measuring the length of the morning 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 of the bottom with the skeleton looks like this.

To put the bottom in its place, the skeleton will have to be unforged on one side. Rivets by this time should already hold their shape. Insert the circle into the morning groove, put it in place with a mallet - and again pull the product with a hoop. If everything is done correctly, the bottom will not leak. Before repeating the operation with another bottom, cut a drain hole in it. Diameter - 32 mm. When everything is ready, we grind the barrel, giving it a marketable appearance, and prepare for soaking.

Soak

In principle, the barrel is already ready. On this one could calm down, but the tree is still too saturated with tannins and tannins. Therefore, you 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. Then drain the liquid, replace it with a cold one. It should stand in the container for a day, after which it must be replaced again. And so - for two weeks. Someone soaks the barrel with ready-made wine, someone with moonshine. Everyone has their own style. But it's worth starting with the water.

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

A do-it-yourself wooden barrel made will allow not only to save money, but also to get a high-quality elegant product. Barrels made of wood were used by our ancestors for pickles, making alcoholic beverages and storing water, which proved their versatility. Therefore, they are still successfully used today. How to do wooden barrel so that it is durable and does not leak? What tools and skills are required to make a barrel at home?

If you are determined to achieve your goal and are not afraid that you will have to refine the product to the desired state, then you can make your dream come true and make a wooden barrel yourself. Cooper is a difficult profession that came to us from past centuries. Today, there are few masters of this craft, and there are even fewer high-class specialists in the manufacture of barrels, so free-selling barrels are a rarity, and not everyone can afford the cost of the product.

Instruments

To make your first barrel or small barrel, you need to prepare a place in which it will be convenient to work, tools and suitable material. In addition to the carpentry kit necessary for making a barrel with your own hands, you need to purchase cooperage devices:

carpenter's workbench, fitted for the manufacture of barrels;
long jointer and circular humpback planer;
a device for planing edges on the boards, a barrel will be assembled from them;
equipment for tightening rivets (pillar gate, chain coupler and frame gate machine);
skobelya, plow, bracket;
templates and patterns of own production;
clamps made of wood, metal (for assembling the skeleton of the barrel);
morning time - a device that allows you to cut the morning groove, where the bottom part is inserted.

You need to understand that it is quite difficult to purchase these tools, wood and fixtures on the market, since almost all coopers make machines and layouts on their own, taking into account their height. This is done by trial, no instruction will help.

What you need to know

The main difference between cooperage products is the assembly from pre-prepared wooden planks(stave). The size and shape of the barrel is completely dependent on pre-prepared boards, the configuration of which is set by the cooper. And the initial quality of wooden barrels depends entirely on the chosen wood. For this reason, it is not enough for the master to have a thorough knowledge of the instrument. You need to know the subtleties of each type of wood from which wooden products will be made.

An experienced master will not make a barrel for honey from oak blanks, because he knows that in such a container, honey will quickly acquire a completely different flavor and darken. But it is impossible to find a replacement for oak barrels for aging wines and cognac.

The second element is a hoop that pulls together all the components of the barrel. It is thanks to the hoop that water does not seep through the joints between the boards. It can be made from metal or wood. As the experience of the craftsmen shows, metal hoops are much stronger, and less time is spent on manufacturing than wooden hoops. But some masters still prefer a wooden hoop, giving the barrel a more beautiful look.

Details and the principle of manufacturing products

Many people think that becoming an amateur cooper is very difficult, and dreams never come true. But if you are not used to backing down from your decisions, then you need to decide which option will be your first job.

In total there are 3 types of products: conical, cylindrical and parabolic. Each corresponds to a certain type of rivets:

Products made in the form of a quadrangle, the long sides of which look like a parabola, are used for dishes with convex edges: barrels or barrels.
The circuit in the form of a cylinder is simple. It is easy to make and connect it with hoops of the same diameter, but when the wood dries out in this design, the riveting ceases to perform its functions. This is the main reason why such containers are practically not manufactured.
The shape of an elongated trapezoid makes it possible to obtain durable dishes when stuffing staves. Therefore, this type of product is often suitable for the manufacture of tubs, tubs and other utensils.

As an experimental sample, it is better to stay on a simple small barrel.

Many are interested in how an ordinary tub is made. The barrel is the simplest cooperage product, having achieved a result in its manufacture, you can switch to more complex types of dishes, for example, make a wooden barrel with your own hands.

The principle of creating a product consists of the following steps:

production of blanks;
assembly of dishes;
Finishing work.

The reliability of the structure will depend on the quality of the riveting blank, therefore the most suitable are blanks from logs of sawn wood, gouged out with an ax. For barrels, the most common wood option is oak, as it splits easily in the radial direction. The process of making rivets from different breeds trees practically does not differ, single-row or double-row punching method is used. For large decks, a two-row method is used, and for thin chocks, only a single-row method is used.

The procedure for punching out rivets is as follows:

The ridge must be carefully split in half so that the split line runs strictly along the center of the workpiece.
Each chopping block must be split in two to get 4 equal parts.
Next, you need to split the wood for harvesting in half again to get 8 equal parts. Usually for small logs this is quite enough. It is 1/8 of the part that will become the riveting blank.
If the ridge is thick, a two-row knockout is used, i.e. each of the 8 parts splits into 2 equal parts along the growth rings.
The resulting logs must be split in the radial direction. The result will be 1-2 smaller blanks and 2-5 for larger blanks.
Next, you need to cut off the wedge-shaped protrusions and young wood from the side of the bark. Only after that it is possible to dry the workpiece in an open area or resort to artificial drying.

Making staves

In order to make riveting from the prepared material, you must first prepare the drawings and a template for a specific product in accordance with the desired shape. To get ready-made rivets, you will need:

Run markup.
Make a rough processing of each of the blanks. Namely, round the outer surface, bevel the edges with an ax.
Perform finishing with a planer, constantly monitoring the result with a template.
Plane inner part workpieces with a humpback staple.
Trim narrow edges, then level their surface with a jointer.

In the process of making barrels, the cooper has to make tightening hoops on his own. The easiest way to get a hoop is from steel tape. To do this, you need to determine the diameter of the container and add double the strip width to the resulting figure. Next, using a hammer, you need to bend the tape into a ring, drill 2 holes and fix them with rivets. To make a small barrel, you will need 2 hoops that will correspond to the diameter of the upper and lower parts of the product.

Bottom assembly and installation

Plane the edges of the boards, fix on a workbench and divide the radius into 6 parts.
Within the circle, mark the places for installing the studs.
Pull out the boards. Drill holes in the edges, drive wooden or metal studs into them.
Dock all the elements tightly and secure with studs, after which you can cut the bottom.
Cut out the bottom, leaving a small margin.
Chamfer with a straight plow and knock down the hoop, loosening the fastening of the rivets.
Insert the bottom into the chime and turn the tub upside down.
Drop the hoop.

It remains to make a lid on the tub and, after checking the design for strength, proceed to use the container. If the work done was to your liking, it makes sense to continue working on the manufacture of barrels.

Especially for the "Craftsmen" website, Vladimir Nikolayevich shares the "technology" of making a 25-liter oak barrel. How to make a barrel with your own hands, read on.

How to make a barrel with your own hands

In the spring he brought material from the forest, sawed it and covered it with sawdust in the basement, leaving it to dry for the whole summer. Soon we will get a wooden barrel with our own hands.

Churbak d 50 and 42 cm high neatly split into four parts. From quarters, gently tapping with a mallet on the butt (photo 1), pricked 14 blanks for riveting about 3 cm thick.

Important! The split should go radially so that the tree does not crack in the future.

I processed the blanks with homemade chips from all sides, making them slightly concave (photo 2). With a plane, he gave smoothness, at the same time narrowing at the top and bottom (photo 3).

For the uniformity of barrels of this volume, the master made two mounting hoops (the middle one is slightly larger in diameter). There is also the main hoop-shutter, which Vladimir Nikolayevich guards like the apple of his eye: he does not knock on it with a sledgehammer and constantly checks its evenness with a pattern drawn on the table, because the future “face” of the barrel depends on the correctness of the circle.

On the shutter, with the help of special brackets made of hoop iron, I fixed three rivets (photo 4). Continued assembling the barrel, filling the perimeter. Tapping lightly on the hoop with a hammer, he reined it in and checked whether the edges of the rivets were tightly connected. Then planted the middle hoop (photo 5).

On a note. To achieve contact of the rivets along the entire length of the side surface, it is necessary to accurately calculate the width and number of blanks, based on the future diameter of the homemade barrel.

After fitting two hoops, the rest of the barrel must be pulled off. Coopers have for this special device- yoke. But Vladimir Nikolaevich came up with his own original structure for the screed, which he calls the "goat".

I fixed a winch on a U-shaped metal frame turned upside down. I installed the barrel on the crossbar, wrapped the loose part of the frame with a cable and carefully pulled it off with a winch (photo 6).

Planted the third hoop on a wooden barrel (photo 7) and removed it from the "goat".

With a special chisel with a groove at the flat end, lowered the hoop as low as possible (photo 8).

I put the barrel to dry in the barn, heating the stove for no more than two hours a day.

After two weeks he continued to work. I cleaned the outer sides of the product with a straight plow. I made 4 hoops in two sizes from black-painted steel. Having removed the middle mounting hoop, I stuffed a permanent one at a distance of 10 cm from the bottom. Trimmed both sides of the barrel with an electric jigsaw (photo 9). Installed two more hoops at the top. Leveled the inner surface with shaped plows (photo 10). With a homemade chime with four teeth from a saw, I cut a groove 5-6 mm deep around the circumference (photo 11).

I assembled the bottom for the barrel from prepared boards, connecting with stainless galvanized nails without hats.

To prevent leakage, I first laid the ends with strips of cattail (photo 12)- the first secret received from the craftsman Belov.

I calculated the size of the bottom as follows: I marked a point near the groove and, having estimated the approximate radius of the barrel in this place, set aside six radii along the groove with a compass, as if inscribing a hexagon in a circle. To start and finish exactly at the intended point, it is necessary to select the radius empirically. The size thus obtained was indicated by a compass on a shield assembled from boards (photo 13). I cut it with a circular cutter along the intended circle (photo 14).

Clutching the bottom in a homemade stavlyug (vice for weight support), he made a bevel around the entire perimeter with a plow (photo 15).

He put a soaked white bun in the groove - the second secret from Belov against a leak.

Do-it-yourself oak barrels video

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 the useful craftsman and even start own business in the manufacture of tubs.

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, keg or tub, you need to equip workplace and stock up necessary tools, fixtures, improvised materials. 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

Distinctive feature cooper's utensils - this is what it is assembled from prepared in a special way wooden planks, called staves (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 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:

blank production ( constituent parts) products;
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 blanks, gouged with an ax from blocks of 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 preparing rivets from various trees about 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:

Split the ridge into 2 parts so that the split line passes exactly through its center.
Each chopping block is also split in half - you get quadruplets.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Send blanks to dry. In summer, they need to be dried for at least 3 months. outdoors 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:

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

Hoop from sheet metal

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:

Determine the perimeter of the tub at the location of the hoop, add to it the double width of the strip.
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.
FROM 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:

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.
Alternately inserting frets, fill in the sector between the two supporting rivets, fill in the space around the entire perimeter of the small hoop.
Using a hammer and a heel, upset the small hoop so that the parts are securely closed.
Put the lower hoop on the skeleton and also besiege with a heel.
File the ends of the skeleton along the line drawn by the thickness gauge.
Remove the irregularities inside the skeleton with a stapler.
Plane the ends with a humpback planer.
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.
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:

Cut off the edges of the boards, temporarily rally them on a workbench.
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.
On cohesive rivets, draw a circle with the resulting compass solution.
Within the circle, make marks at the places where the studs are to be installed.
Release boards. Drill holes in the edges in the marked places and drive in wooden or metal studs.
Tightly join the boards on the studs.
Plane the bottom on both sides.
From the center again draw a circle of the same radius as before.
Cut out the bottom with a circular saw, leaving a small margin outside the circle.
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.
Knock down a large hoop with a heel, loosening the fastening of the rivets. Insert the bottom into the chime.
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.

Flower beds will decorate 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 Home wine not the 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.

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, outside surface convex, internal 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:

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%.
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.
Beveling the workpiece to the ends along a slightly curved arc. Chamfering on the side edges with pattern checking.
Planing the outer plate with a planer or straight scraper.
Treatment of the inner surface with a humpback planer or a humpback scraper.
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:

Stuff the second hoop, called the neck hoop.
The lower part of the unraveled core is steamed to increase flexibility.
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.
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.
Harden and dry the skeleton accessible way, for example, gently rolling the core, which contains a layer of burning chips. You can use a gas burner 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.
Perform the same operations as with the skeleton of the tub: trimming, cleaning surfaces, cutting chimes.
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.