Wood preference for Keezer collar?

I swear this is my last question about building a keezer.

Is there a preferred wood type for constructing the collar? Wood that should be avoided? I'm not up to speed on how different types of wood react to cold and/or moisture. I don't want a warped or rotted collar in 6 months.

What have other people used? Does it matter so long as there's enough paint on it? If it matters, the collar will be attached to the freezer, and not the lid. I knowthe lid is probably preferable, but it's gonna be on the bottom.

You're going to finish it in some way anyway right? Some paint, varnish, poly, whatever will protect just about any wood. I presonally like Poplar because it's moderately dense and stable but also easy to work. It's not the cheapest, but it's no Teak either.

$8 construction grade 2x8 on mine. It took the rust-olium paint just fine, looks good, and it was $8 for the whole thing.

1/4" Luon Plywood with a 2" rigid foam core. I painted mine with chalk board paint so I could write what I had on tap right on the keezer.

Bobby_M said:

You're going to finish it in some way anyway right? Some paint, varnish, poly, whatever will protect just about any wood. I presonally like Poplar because it's moderately dense and stable but also easy to work. It's not the cheapest, but it's no Teak either.

Click to expand...

Yeah. It'll be painted. My brother-in-law (who owns a miter saw and will help construct the collar) is obsessing about the proper type of wood. He's convinced that the wood type will make a big difference in durability and insulation. Me? I'm just about the beer.

In that case, I'd definitely recommend 1x4 poplar. It's not pretty like oak or birch but it's cheaper (it's got a bit of a grey/green tint to it). It's got a tight grain which takes paint really well. It can be found in the pine/oak/birch isle at Lowes or Depot.

Plain 2x6 untreated pine for me.

Rustoleum gloss white.

The 2x is the exact thickness of the freezer wall so there's a nice flush fit both inside and outside.

Paint inside and outside (prior to installing of course) and give the interior seams a good bead of white caulk and you'll be golden for life.

I used 1x8 Oak for the collar. I wanted something harder to put the shanks and handles in hopes it would be more durable. I just used pine for the base. I used the same stain but you can see the Oak is darker than the pine. That pine really soaked it up and I was too lazy to keep applying coats. I think you will find using a hardwood for the collar will avoid alot of the nicks and scrapes.

Nice Bugeater.

Anyway, I just came back from Lowes (to a NASTY SURPRISE) with some 1x4 poplar. I'm going to try it with that and see how it goes.

$12 2x10 untreated pine collar for mine painted with 2 coats of Killz Primer to seal it well against moisture. 10 inches adds enough height for cornies to sit on the compressor hump.

I used Cedar for the inner frame and whitewood for the fascia boards. Stained it all and coated with fast dry poly.

Is there a real need for an inner frame and outer facia? The Whirlpool has a nice 1 inch flat area all around the outer edge inside:



Any reason I can't just make a single 1x4 collar matching that and seal with some appropriate caulking? It's going to stay on the freezer part, not attached to the lid.

I think I am going to go with Burl wood veneer, lol. Just like a fricken Rolls Royce. This is after I plate my entire brewery with gold or platinum of course. I mean you can only have so many projects going on at once. Wow MNBugeater that looks nice. Love your logo!!!!

StunnedMonkey said:

Is there a real need for an inner frame and outer facia? The Whirlpool has a nice 1 inch flat area all around the outer edge inside:

Any reason I can't just make a single 1x4 collar matching that and seal with some appropriate caulking? It's going to stay on the freezer part, not attached to the lid.

Click to expand...

I'm telling ya...I have the whirlpool and the 2x6 sits perfectly flush...inner and outer.

You will be banging that collar with full cornies going in and you'll want as sturdy a set up as possible.

+1 on the poplar. It paints like a dream and is easy to work with.

Wouldn't hard maple be good? It might be tough to find it in 2x6. I can get it in 13/16ths thickness, random lengths and widths.

BierMuncher said:

You will be banging that collar with full cornies going in and you'll want as sturdy a set up as possible.
View attachment 7452

Click to expand...

Do you recall exactly how far apart the center of your faucet holes are?

StunnedMonkey said:

Do you recall exactly how far apart the center of your faucet holes are?

Click to expand...

it looks about the same as mine. I am pretty sure I did 3"

I don't want to start a new thread if I don't need to, so I hope someone is still looking at this one who could answer. These are the shanks I've ordered:

Assembled Nipple Shanks, 3/16" ID, 4"L: Rapids Wholesale Equipment

I've also ordered 5 Perlick faucets. I want to build this collar this weekend, but the faucets and shanks won't arrive until next week. What diameter of a hole should I drill to accomodate the shanks?

StunnedMonkey said:

I've also ordered 5 Perlick faucets. I want to build this collar this weekend, but the faucets and shanks won't arrive until next week. What diameter of a hole should I drill to accomodate the shanks?

Click to expand...

1" holes are what are recommended you drill (and what I drilled). I feel like I could have gotten away with a slightly smaller hole (~7/8 or 15/16), but its not an issue

I'm at about the same point - got the collar all put together, but waiting for hardware to start drilling, painting, etc.

I just grabbed 1x8 (which turns out to actually be 3/4x7??) planks and went to town. I hope I won't have cold leakage through the wood, but I doubt it.

I'm no Mr. Toolbelt. I'm sure mine is the ugliest of anybody on the board who has one, but I expect I'll get beer through the holes just fine. Substance over form I say.

Insulation wise, you want the least dense wood possible. However, I like the plywood and foam method though.

I used redwood, nominal 1/2". I could argue its anti-rot properties, ease of work and how great it looks (non-heartwood) with nothing more than some varnish, but it's what I had around. Unlike most collars, I have two layers with foam in between.