# How I made a barrel stand.



## JohnT (Oct 19, 2015)

I had purchased a new 225 liter (med American oak) barrel. Now that it is almost time to fill it, I need a new barrel stand. 

I started first by taking some cardboard and scribing a template of the barrel's curvature, then making a template of the barrel's profile.. 

To "back up" the template of the barrel's curvature, I employed the high school math that my parents spent so much money on..

1) With a tape measure, I measured the circumference of the barrel at the point where the stand would be, 

2) Remembering the old formula (2-Pi-R) I used the formula of ..
Radius = Circumference / Pi / 2. So, the radius of the curve I needed was 89 / 3.14 / 2 (or 11.69 inches) 

3) I then made a compass out of a strip of plywood and two screws spaced 11 5/8 inches apart. Scribed the curvature on two pieces of 2X8, and wadayaknow, it was a spot on match to my template. 

4) I cut the curvature using a band saw and then used a belt sander to smooth it out and apply a bevel that matched the template of the barrel's profile. 

When I got it home, the curve and bevel fit perfectly! Man, some times things just go right..

Here is a picture of the fit (sorry that the picture is so dark)...


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## ibglowin (Oct 19, 2015)

Nice! How are you going to join the 2x8's together?


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## Runningwolf (Oct 19, 2015)

Look forward to seeing the finished product.


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## sour_grapes (Oct 19, 2015)

ibglowin said:


> Nice! How are you going to join the 2x8's together?



Public Service Announcement: If you do not have a Kreg Jig  (AKA pocket hole jig), get one. You will wonder how you ever got along without one.


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## TXWineDuo (Oct 19, 2015)

We'll put a vote in for the Kreg Jig too!! They have a Kreg Jig "HD" version for 2X lumber and have special "HD" screws when using this jig too. Check out the ratings on the different joints, don't know if strong enough for a 225 L barrel.
https://www.kregtool.com/store/c13/kreg-jigsreg/p59/kreg-jigreg-hd/
and Railing force test.
https://www.kregtool.com/webres/Files/KregJigHDForceTestSheet.pdf

Duo


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## JohnT (Oct 19, 2015)

ibglowin said:


> Nice! How are you going to join the 2x8's together?


 
I am going to butt-join them using corner blocks, glue, and some screws.


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## ibglowin (Oct 19, 2015)

That Kreg Jig is pretty sweet. If I ever get another new Vadai I am definitely going to make my own stand. The Vadai stands have doubled in price in a bout 4 years.


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## sour_grapes (Oct 19, 2015)

TXWineDuo said:


> We'll put a vote in for the Kreg Jig too!! They have a Kreg Jig "HD" version for 2X lumber and have special "HD" screws when using this jig too. Check out the ratings on the different joints, don't know if strong enough for a 225 L barrel.
> https://www.kregtool.com/store/c13/kreg-jigsreg/p59/kreg-jigreg-hd/
> and Railing force test.
> https://www.kregtool.com/webres/Files/KregJigHDForceTestSheet.pdf
> ...



Cool! I did not know there was a "HD" version.

If I am picturing John's barrel project correctly, however, I don't think there would be much force to speak of on his joints. (I admit I was not quite able to follow his description.) If it were me, I would just have two of his modified 2x8's, and then join them with two 2x4's or 2x6's oriented perpendicular to them to keep them a fixed distance apart. The load would be almost entirely vertical, from the barrel to the 2x8 to the floor, with very little reaction force along the joint. (It could well be that I do not understand the proposed geometry, however.)


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## geek (Oct 19, 2015)

ibglowin said:


> That Kreg Jig is pretty sweet. If I ever get another new Vadai I am definitely going to make my own stand. The Vadai stands have doubled in price in a bout 4 years.



I actually don't have a stand for my 23L Vadai.....was looking for info from someone that has made one at home...


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## JohnT (Oct 26, 2015)

Assembled the stand on Sunday (glued and screwed). I will provide a picture of the finished product (with a barrel on it) next week.


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## ibglowin (Oct 26, 2015)

Why does this NOT surprise me……. LOL

Do you just go to bed each night and hope it doesn't roll over and push out the stopper spilling its guts or do you have it wedged between something so it can't? 



geek said:


> I actually don't have a stand for my 23L Vadai.....was looking for info from someone that has made one at home...


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## geek (Oct 30, 2015)

ibglowin said:


> Why does this NOT surprise me……. LOL
> 
> Do you just go to bed each night and hope it doesn't roll over and push out the stopper spilling its guts or do you have it wedged between something so it can't?



yep, something on both sides...


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## JohnT (Nov 9, 2015)

I finally got around to setting the barrel on the new stand. 

Fit like a glove!!!


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## ibglowin (Nov 9, 2015)

How did you lift that bad boy!?!


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## NorCal (Nov 9, 2015)

Perfect execution.


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## JohnT (Nov 10, 2015)

ibglowin said:


> How did you lift that bad boy!?!


 

Very simple... It was empty!


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## ibglowin (Nov 10, 2015)

Doh! That would be way too easy. LOL



JohnT said:


> Very simple... It was empty!


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