What would you do with a semi load of empty wine barrels?

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Rcnewcomb
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What would you do with a semi load of empty wine barrels?

Post by Rcnewcomb »

(Shopbotters: please excuse the cross-post)

We are looking for ideas here.

What would you do with a semi-load of _empty_ wooden wine barrels?

Background:
My partner was out making sales calls yesterday and a potential client has offered us a challenge. The customer has a chance to get a semi trailer load (or more) of empty wooden wine barrels. Apparently the wood is nice both inside and outside. We don't know the species. (South Dakota isn't exactly the wine capital of America)

One thought was to cut them in quarters and use those pieces for for display units in the customer's retail stores.

They would like to have something carved on the wood. We have VCarve Wizard, but I assume the surfaces are curved. Perhaps we could plane an area and then carve on it.

Apparently the vintner in California has several truck loads and is trying to find these barrels a home. Perhaps you could get a trailer load of your own to experiment with.

What ideas to you have?

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dighsx
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Post by dighsx »

It's funny you bring this up. Just yesterday I was thinking about how it would be cool if VCW could handle curved surfaces. But I'm sure this would add quite a lot of complicated stuff to pull off. Also the barrels are curved in two directions (around and tapered end to end) Which would be fun to try and setup.

One idea is to use both ends and make signs. Although I'm assuming they have ends. There's a bar not to far from where I live that has a bunch of barrel ends with different things painted on them. I looks like they took a bunch of barrels and cut them about 6 inches from each end and hung them up.

Another idea that comes to mind is, why not carve something on thin brass that you could wrap around the curve of the barrel. My mother in-law has a few half barrels in her yard with plants in them. If you could put a plaque on something like that people might eat it up.

Well good luck. Let us know what happens.
Take it easy.
Jay (www.cncjay.com)

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Wemme
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Post by Wemme »

A Semi Load?? Thats a good score.
I have seen some turned in to liquire cabinet. two doors are cut in between the steel belts and the inside cleaned up. shelves etc. etc.
some people use them in spouting to trap rain water for watering plants etc. I have seen some with nice wood turned taps fitted.
Cut them in half and sell them as planter bins (for planting plants in). I have seen them sold locally for this task at ($25 USD) each so ($50 USD) a barrel.

Good luck with it hope some of these ideas help..
Regards
Bart

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Wemme
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Post by Wemme »

Oh yeah here is another idea.
If you put a barrel on it's side then cut it long ways 2/3s up you can make a sea chest (storage chest) out of it.
you may need to do a bit of handy work to stop it from falling apart after you cut it.
Hinges, latch and put two supports on the ends to stop the bugger from rolling around.

Cheers
Bart

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dighsx
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Post by dighsx »

You know one thing I'd do with a few is make some beer in them. I've read about guys aging homebrew in wine barrels. The only problem I see is if it's a full barrel that'd be a lot of beer to have to brew up. But as they say what goes best with beer? More beer.

Any small wine makers around your area? Maybe you could sell barrels in smaller lots?
Take it easy.
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Wemme
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Post by Wemme »

dighsx wrote:You know one thing I'd do with a few is make some beer in them. I've read about guys aging homebrew in wine barrels. The only problem I
There are Beers that are brewed and partially aged in wooden vats


Hey Rcnewcomb what did you end up doing in the end?

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dighsx
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Post by dighsx »

Yeah Rcnewcomb we need an update.

And Wemme how did the beer turn out aged in the wooden vats?
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Rcnewcomb
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Update

Post by Rcnewcomb »

We gave the customer a number of options. His wife runs a high-end wine shop and so there would be opportunity to do some of the more exotic solutions such as carvings.

What he needs to decide on is if he wants to pay to get the barrels shipped here or wait until he can find a trucker who is dead-heading from Northern California to South Dakota. Even more importantly, he needs to figure out where to store that many barrels until we can turn them into products. Our shop is only the size of a 2 car garage so we don't have room to stage that much material.

If he decides to go through with the project we will provide updates.

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Wemme
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Post by Wemme »

dighsx I'lll try and get more info, its a cemercialy bottled beer.
I have seen the vats they are about 4m rounds and 3 meters high. and theres about 6 per room.
they have water heating tubes inside and a wooden lid that is put on by crane.

Well off topic I know but there is a link to beer brewing in barrels here
http://www.homebrew.com/articles/article07220002.shtml
The ones used in NZ are Gyle Tanks but are massive and very old.
I've seen them at the speights factory down south.

Rcnewcomb all good keep us in the loop.

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