Thread: Port Barrel

G`day I would not use she oak it is not a true oak.
Mick

Yep, it would likely give it a bad taste. Beech or a fruit tree could be a better idea. Also, wouldn't it be better to make it with staves, without glue? More difficult, I agree. Aquadhere PVA is supposed to be non-toxic AFAIK.

what if you make it in two pieces
the first being the walls and back or front then
the second being as a lid for it to sit inside the barrel on a lip
then add your tap etc
hopfully you understand me
bryce

Originally Posted by Frank&Earnest

Aquadhere PVA is supposed to be non-toxic AFAIK.

But not waterproof, so prob. not portproof


Needs to be inert once dry, & waterproof - not just water resistant. Polyurethane or epoxy would be the go I'd reckon. Check the MSDS for the glue or ring the mfr & speak to a chemist or tech for advice.


Cheers....................Sean

Originally Posted by scooter

But not waterproof, so prob. not portproof

Yep, I knew that. In my ignorance, though, I thougth that if the PVA is at the bottom of the groove in a t&g joint and the port swells slightly the internal surface ensuring a tight fit of the non glued inside shoulder, it would have taken care of

Needs to be inert once dry, & waterproof - not just water resistant.

because there is no stress to speak of.

Not so?

A quick'n'easy way to make an "amateur" barrel is to make octagonal (or whatever - but octagonal ends make for easier angle calculation ) panels for the top'n'bottom, then make up some thick staves with rebates on the inside edges for the panels to sit in. If it's going to see use, I think I'd cut/fit splines from rebate to rebate, but no further. (I wouldn't want them to show on the end of the barrel. )

Dry fit everything to make a barrel "blank," use some wire as temporary retainers and mount the whole thing up for turning to traditional shape, moving the wire as/when necessary.

After turning, if you disassemble and lightly round over the outside edges of the staves with s/paper before final assembly it accentuates the joints and makes the end product look aged. After assembly, it can be either cooped or pegged to hold it all together permanently... I've also seen 'em turned with shallow grooves just in from each end that were wire-wrapped and soldered.

No glue involved.

Wayne,
This might be a tricky one as sealers are not used at all and by the look of it Oak is the only timber used. French being the most sort after then American.

Alot of the chemical sealants available will leech out to some extent.I have been looking myself for something along the same lines for awhile now and have not come up with any as yet. So I'll watch this thread with interest

http://www.woodturningsupplies.com.a...adhesives.html

http://www.oakin.com/smallbarrels.htm
http://www.barrelsbydesign.com.au/PORTKEG%20PAGE.htm

Hi Wayne,

Titebond 3 is a PVA type glue (actually some sort of resin) that's big in the US and is easily available over here in the UK, not sure about down in Oz though. It's supposed to be ok for food prep such as work tops and chopping boards and I believe it's waterproof as well. Take a look here for more info.

Hope this helps, good luck

Richard

White Oak is the only answer and turning is not the way to go... Staves and correct Barrel construction is the method you want unless a small project is your goal.

The odd winery here in Vic used to offer small port barrels with cheap refills from their bulk stock.

This kind of storage is really only decorative as any half decent tawny should've been aged a bit in French or American Oak, and any additional oak-aging would be either hit and miss or over the top. I'd guess that oxidation might rear its ugly head as well.

What Skew C said ... and use the real thing. Most gardenning supply outlets and some hardware stores sell used half wine barrels, well that's the case here in the Adelaide Hills (surrounded by wine regions). You could make a number of port barrels from a standard half barrel.

Neil

Thanks peoples,
I guess that i will have to look at getting a hold of some Oak and then take it from there.

I like the method suggested by Skew so once I discover some Oak I will give that a try.

Once again thanks to everyone for all the help

Regards
Wayne

Originally Posted by Richard Findley

Hi Wayne,

Titebond 3 is a PVA type glue (actually some sort of resin) that's big in the US and is easily available over here in the UK, not sure about down in Oz though. It's supposed to be ok for food prep such as work tops and chopping boards and I believe it's waterproof as well. Take a look here for more info.

Hope this helps, good luck

Richard

Thanks for the suggestion Richard. I have looked at the link and found that it is waterproof, but could not find anything about food safe: did I miss it or did you have it from other sources? TIA
Frank

Barrels are not glued.