Posted 10 months ago
dav2no1
(825 items)
Wooden Barrel
Approximately 31" tall and the opening tapers down to 22"
I was given this barrel today. I figured I could use it somewhere in the yard. It's a coopered barrel.
When I brought it home, it was messed up with loose rings and the slats were all loose. I spent a bunch of time getting the slats in position and hammering the rings in place. It was a lot of work to hold everything in place and get those rings positioned. Not sure how old it is, but it's super heavy and appears to have some age to it.
Sansa, my female Belgian Malinois is about 78 lbs so you can see how big this barrel is.
WHO'S A COPPER?
A cooper is a maker or repairer of casks and barrels.
"The word “cooper” originates from the barrel makers of Illyria and Cisalpine in Gaul, where wine was stored in wooden vessels called “cupals,” and the maker was a “cuparius.”"
GAUL?
"Gaul was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, Germany, and Northern Italy."
Cool barrel! Super cute dog! :)
Great wooden barrel, nice find - and looks like Sansa likes it too :)
Thanks for the comments. I passed on the barrel the other day, then changed my mind. I'm glad I did, it's a nice piece. It's pretty heavy..I wasn't ready for that.
I noticed looking at the pictures that some of the rings have the riveted sections lined up. I didn't pay attention when I was installing the rings...I wonder if barrels had them all lined up when installed? I'll have to look at some old ones carefully.
I found an interesting article that explains the chime and booge hoops. And talks about the construction of a wooden barrel.
I did quickly figure out the the hoops were tapered to fit one way. And that the overall shape of the barrel is actually more complicated than at first glance.
Unfortunately I can't link the article, because when I did it tried to make you subscribe after one visit.
Looks like Sansa wants you to sing ROLL OUT THE BARREL WE'LL HAVE A BARREL OF FUN!!!!
Stuff
dav2no1, Cool. :-)
Sansa. <3
I hate like poison what I call stealth paywalls (initially, everything is fine, but when you try to link or revisit the source, you get blocked by a paywall).
Here is one site that mentions the booge hoops (I snipped a coupla excerpts in case it's the site with the stealth paywall):
*snip*
Most barrels are held together with several different hoops. Every barrel contains a chime hoop on both ends. The chime hoops are usually the widest and strongest, because they take more wear and tear. Booge hoops are placed one-third of the way from the top and bottom of a barrel. Large barrels typically contain a pitch hoop in the center.
Barrel-making was a highly skilled trade. In fact, many people considered it an art. Coopering was a skill acquired through years of back-breaking labor. Its secrets were passed down from generation to generation of fathers and sons for hundreds of years. Apprenticeships were highly coveted and lasted more than 4 years. And, to protect their livelihood, coopers organized some of the earliest and most powerful labor unions in the world. Today, only a handful of people in the world still practice this ancient trade.
*snip*
https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/83823-roll-out-the-barrels
Here are more barrel-making resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrel
http://www.tonnelleriedarnajou.com/en/barrel-making-process.html
https://mysticbarrels.com/blogs/news/the-process-of-making-barrels
yougottahavestuff, Ain't nuthin simple. };-)
Various recordings of the Beer Barrel Polka:
https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/405455
Song trivia:
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/will-glahe/beer-barrel-polka-roll-out-the-barrel
A translation of the original lyrics (not at all cheerful):
https://lyricstranslate.com/en/skoda-lasky-rosamunde-beer-barrel-polka-wasted-love.html