Building a stand for an oak barrel - any advice?

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by smchenry75, Aug 17, 2015.

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  1. smchenry75

    smchenry75 Initiate (0) Jul 7, 2010 Indiana

    I recently acquired an oak barrel similar to the one pictured. I am going to use this to ferment sours. I am going to build a stand, similar to the one pictured. I think the one pictured is very sharp looking but wondering two things...

    1) What height would you make the stand? I'm thinking I want it low enough I can easily rack into it from my boil kettle, other fermenters, etc... I also want it high enough that it's easy to rack off or bottle the contents when finished. When full, it will be very heavy so I think easily lifting it will be out of the question.

    2) What else would you recommend from a design or functionality perspective?

    Thanks in advance!!!

    [​IMG]
     
    #1 smchenry75, Aug 17, 2015
  2. Cadmando18

    Cadmando18 Initiate (0) Feb 14, 2015 Oregon

    I like the design that is pictured and it sounds like you only have one barrel. For the elevation, I would just make sure the barrel's bottom was above any container or bottle that you would be racking to. Also with the caster wheels, I would probably get one size bigger than you think you'd need for ease of rolling around on a dirty floor or over bumps. I would leave room on either side of the barrel so you could have someone on either side setting the barrel down without getting their fingers smashed on the cradle.
     
    #2 Cadmando18, Aug 17, 2015
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  3. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I agree that larger caster wheels would be better, plus, if you create a design that has the barrel up higher in the cradle, remember that the center of gravity also goes up, and a slightly wider base would be helpful for stability.
     
    #3 PapaGoose03, Aug 18, 2015
    inchrisin and GormBrewhouse like this.
  4. bgjohnston

    bgjohnston Initiate (0) Jan 14, 2009 Connecticut

    What size barrel is that? If you aren't planning to move it frequently, you could make do with the occasional 2nd pair of hands. You have to share that sour beer with somebody, right???

    For what it's worth, I picked up a 10 gallon barrel and placed it on top of a milk crate to rack it to the bottling bucket. But if that thing is 30 gallons or more, it makes sense to have it at a good height for eventual racking before filling.
     
    #4 bgjohnston, Aug 18, 2015
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