Replies

1. 
   BMilton | Mar 16, 2006 01:07am | #1

   The iron rings force the staves together, even if the staves are not the correct size. For a cylindar, the ring would have to be exactly the right size to hold the staves in contact. With the barrel shape, if the staves are too narrow (or the ring too big), just force the ring lower and everything will tighten up.

       Bob

2. 
   xxxxx | Mar 16, 2006 01:39am | #2

   Wood barrels also are easier to move around because they can be pivoted on the high point of the side.  Steel drums are more compact, so more can be fit in a given space, but are more difficult to manouvre by hand.  Of course, in the days of wooden barrels, we didn't have all the nice equipment to move them around.  I used to unload filled wooden barrels from a flatbed truck by rolling them off onto three tire casings stacked on the ground in just the right spot so the barrel would land squarely on them.  The tires created a simple pneumatic brake that cushioned the barrels fall enough so it then rolled onto the ground unharmed.

   Paul

    

1. 
   highfigh | Mar 16, 2006 07:21pm | #3

   An outwardly curved side is a lot more resistant to collapsing in the event of a side hit. The staves push into the other staves and with the rings holding them together, they act as a group in keeping the barrel from breaking or leaking. If they made beer cans in the shape of a barrel, they would be stronger, but more people would have head injuries.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

2. 
   Steinmetz | Mar 18, 2006 05:18am | #9

   If you were one of those guys back in the 30's who delivered kegs of beer fresh from the brewery, You must still have a 'barrel' chest and arms like Swartzenegger( Not to mention legs like the Budweiser horses)I, in my youth, watched those guys roll em and drop em and kick em down the tavern's cellar without missing a beat. They didn't use tires then, but had pillows made of woven rope that were made for ship's dock bumpers. To add to the mystique of the wood barrel, when the staves were sufficiently wet, they swelled and sealed any leaks. SteinmetzEdited 3/17/2006 10:23 pm ET by Steinmetz

   Edited 3/18/2006 12:55 am ET by Steinmetz

1. 
   xxxxx | Mar 18, 2006 08:24pm | #10

   Nothing so romantic.  I was 18 in the early sixties. Dad had a livestock feed store.   The barrels I handled were filled with 'buttermilk', a milk by-product used for animal feed.

   Nothing like details to spoil a good yarn. :-)

   Paul

1. 
   WillGeorge | Mar 20, 2006 08:50pm | #11

   Nothing like details to spoil a good yarn. :-)Yep.. And then I said 'I DO'

1. 
   highfigh | Mar 20, 2006 10:00pm | #12

   "Once upon a time, a man asked a woman to marry him. She said no and he lived happily ever after and golfed, fished and woodworked a lot."
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

3. 
   MikeHennessy | Mar 16, 2006 10:02pm | #4

   The joints are held together tighter (ergo, less chance of leaking) when the staves are curved since they are under constant pressure from their own ends. Counteracts the fluid pressue of whatever is inside trying to get out. Kind of like spring joints when gluing up flat stock.

   Anyone else think that coopering is almost magical? I've never tried it, but it just seems impossible to form a bunch of staves so they'll end up as a tight barrel when you hoop 'em all together! Also, some pretty neat specialized tools for cutting the rim grooves, etc. I've heard that good coopers are treated as royalty in the wine industry. Hmmm . . . career switch?(Great benefits, fer sure!)

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

1. 
   highfigh | Mar 17, 2006 02:39am | #5

   I saw someone coopering on TV and they rubbed one edge with chalk, then placed the two staves together and rubbed them back and forth. The chalk transferred and he just planed off the high spots till it was a tight fit. He has a variety of hoops pre-made and picked the best one for the ends and made up new ones to fit the barrel, as the inner hoops. Pretty cool to watch. It didn't take him very long to make a complete barrel.
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."

4. 
   WillGeorge | Mar 17, 2006 02:42am | #6

   Rolls EASIER!

5. 
   Rackman | Mar 17, 2006 02:59pm | #7

   Curved barrel will hold more Jack than cylinder shape

1. 
   highfigh | Mar 18, 2006 04:49am | #8

   So, a cylindrical barrel couldn't be made that holds the same amount?
   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."