Beer barrel staves

Please see our tutorials and FAQ before posting.
fallguy1000
* Bateau Builder - Expert *
* Bateau Builder - Expert *
Posts: 10199
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:25 am

Beer barrel staves

Post by fallguy1000 »

I could have buried this in my build pages, but decided it was more fun here.

About 5 years ago, a neighbor died. His children Had so much infighting they hired an old neighbor to settle the homestead and auction off stuff.

Well, the dead guy's daughter worked for the Hamms Brewery and they tore down an old beer barrel and he got all the lumber and used it for a ceiling. The tank staves were all about 15 feet long and like 2 3/4" thick by 5 1/2" solid, old growth redwood.

It might be a small sin, but I am cutting some of them up to be beams in my cabin.

Not often do we use 50 year old tank staves from trees that were older than the nation.

I can post some grain closeups later.

Cut up staves 1/2" by 2 3/4" and the bending form. Note, I am going to take a 1/16th off the sides to clean up old auminum or possibly leaded paint.
8EE969D5-C0BC-4D6B-84ED-DC075DBF1927.jpeg
5FCACFF5-909F-4638-A041-A0F86B7D9A64.jpeg
Last edited by fallguy1000 on Thu Jan 30, 2020 11:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
My boat build is here -------->

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=62495

fallguy1000
* Bateau Builder - Expert *
* Bateau Builder - Expert *
Posts: 10199
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:25 am

Re: Beer barrel staves

Post by fallguy1000 »

PS. I need 33 pieces, we have another half day or ripping to do..

Also, redwood is a little weak for beams. But a guy can go under budget a couple times on a build!
My boat build is here -------->

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=62495

Jeff
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 8436
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:17 pm
Location: Vero Beach

Re: Beer barrel staves

Post by Jeff »

Nice personal touch FallGuy!!!! Jeff

User avatar
cape man
* Bateau Builder - Expert *
* Bateau Builder - Expert *
Posts: 8269
Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 12:02 pm
Location: Lithia, Florida

Re: Beer barrel staves

Post by cape man »

The gunwales on my OD 18 include strips of American Chestnut that came from a 1820's blacksmith shop on my sister's property in Virginia. Nice touch to always include something unique...
The world always seems brighter when you've just made something that wasn't there before - Neil Gaiman

Jeff
Site Admin
Site Admin
Posts: 8436
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:17 pm
Location: Vero Beach

Re: Beer barrel staves

Post by Jeff »

Fully agree Cape Man!!!! Jeff

piperdown
Very Active Poster
Very Active Poster
Posts: 1316
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2018 12:35 pm
Location: WV

Re: Beer barrel staves

Post by piperdown »

That's pretty darn cool FG!
Eric (aka, piperdown)

"Give an Irishman lager for a month and he's a dead man. An Irishman's stomach is lined with copper, and the beer corrodes it. But whiskey polishes the copper and is the saving of him." --> Mark Twain

terrulian
* Bateau Builder *
* Bateau Builder *
Posts: 3041
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:29 am
Location: Marin County, CA
Contact:

Re: Beer barrel staves

Post by terrulian »

Guys, this is great stuff!!
I'm making birdhouses from an old redwood deck. Here's a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt37doo4XxM
There is a huge amount of free lumber around that will, quite unbelievably, end up as trash in a land fill!! It's still good stuff and tip of the hat to fallguy. I didn't use any in my boat build as reclaimed lumber, at least what I could get my hands on, tends not to be teak or mahogany or marine plywood. But I do enjoy using it for other stuff.
Tony
Image

gonandkarl
* Bateau Builder *
* Bateau Builder *
Posts: 1202
Joined: Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:25 am
Location: Wels,Austria,Europe

Re: Beer barrel staves

Post by gonandkarl »

Hi,
I have learned again a lot by reading this post and I really love the birds houses of Tony. I wonder if one can still buy new hand drills like I have seen in the video.
All pictures of Micro Petrel AD14 and FS13 :

http://gallery.bateau2.com/index.php?cat=87433

Dan_Smullen
* Bateau Builder *
* Bateau Builder *
Posts: 912
Joined: Tue Aug 13, 2019 3:02 pm
Location: VA

Re: Beer barrel staves

Post by Dan_Smullen »

Great material. 'Im a wood nerd and would have a hard time cutting it up.

Are your ripping it parallel to the curve? On the band saw?

Do you have a pic of the one before you cut it up?

fallguy1000
* Bateau Builder - Expert *
* Bateau Builder - Expert *
Posts: 10199
Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2010 12:25 am

Re: Beer barrel staves

Post by fallguy1000 »

Dan_Smullen wrote: Sat Feb 15, 2020 5:33 pm Great material. 'Im a wood nerd and would have a hard time cutting it up.

Are your ripping it parallel to the curve? On the band saw?

Do you have a pic of the one before you cut it up?
The staves are about 2 3/4" x 6". The first rip is basically a joint to square the board. The boards are generally very stright; not square.

Then we rip 1/2" pieces. Then we clean up the edges and are laminating 3 into the curved shape. It may seem abusive, but I also make beautiful benches from them. The first bench was built and varnished and I put it outside and that same weak; we had a hailstorm that caused $47k in damage to our property and wrecked my benchtop. So, since then, no varnish. Maybe I will snap a pic of one.
My boat build is here -------->

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=62495

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests