keezer build collar question

I recently got a deal on a 2003 6.2 cubic foot frigidaire for $25. Great deal and great condition as well. It currently holds 2 5 gallon cornys, a 3 gallon, and my c02. I've always intended on converting it to a full on kegerator with taps, but just recently worked up the motivation to do so. About a year ago, i got another deal on 2 150' stainless steel coils, along with a double draft tower complete with shanks, taps, and handles for $75. I decided on using the shanks and taps in the draft tower for the collar. I also figured out that i need 6 inches extra clearance to accommodate 4 5 gallon kegs.Today, I walked into home depot with my shanks intending to buy 2X6 for the collar, but realized my shanks are too small and wouldn't reach through the wood. I ended up getting a beautiful white pine 1X6X8' and had them cut it into 2 26" and 2 21" pieces. I also snagged some nice stain for color. I walked out the door spending less than $10 somehow. I am now wondering if the wood is too thin to properly insulate the freezer. I mainly see people using 2" and sometimes even 2x6 for the "inner" collar and an additional 1x6 for the "outer" collar. I'm definitely trying to make use of what i have, as opposed to buying new shanks, but will do what is necessary to build something efficient. An alternative i'm considering would be to lead the lines through the collar and attach the draft tower i have to the top of the lid. My big question(s): Is the wood too thin? if so, is there perhaps a form of additional insulation that can be applied to the wood? Any tips and/or advice is appreciated!
shanks:

Wood is not a very good insulator at all, so even if you did use 2 X lumber it would not help a great deal. Your best bet would be to line the collar with some rigid foam inulation. This stuff is very cheap and you can get it at Home Depot etc. I think I paid only about $6 for 6 ea, 3/4" - 16" x 48" sheets in a pack. It's easy to cut, fit and glue in place and does a superb job of insulating a collar. You can get around the short shank issue by simply widening the hole in the insulation around the shank. I used 3M 77 spray adhesive to attach the rigid foam to my collar. It made a big difference.

great advice, thanks for the quick response!

btw- I'll take plenty of pictures as i progress through this project, and post them to this thread. Should be done within the week.

So far, i have replaced all gaskets for faucets and completely cleaned and shined them. I had trouble finding a business willing to make 45 degree cuts in my 1x6's. I dont have access to a miter saw and i'm not confident in cutting with a hand saw, so I called around. I finally found a place that was willing to do it(pm for business name), and they also cut holes in the front board for the taps. I went home and stained them with some behr outdoor woodstain(cheapest at home depot). I'm thinking about clear coating it next to prevent molding later and make it look nice. I'm now thinking about how i'm going to attach the 45 degree angles with wood glue without clamps or additional hardware. I'm also trying to find the best way to attach the collar to the lid without screws. I've been taking pictures along the way and i'll post them soon.

You can glue up the miter joints, then use tape to hold them in place. Do you have any clamps? if so, take some 2x stock, and clamp one along the edge of a table. Clamp another at a 90 deg angle, to make it square. Glue up your miter and tape it. If you have a racheting nylon strap tie down, you can wrap it around the outside of your color to apply pressure as well.

Your bigger problem will be getting a good glue joint after having stained the piece. I hope you did not stain your miter cuts. If so, you'll have to sand those down to bare wood.

If you wanted to go with a thicker piece of stock for the collar, you could always drill your shank hole on the front. Then on the backside, use a forstner bit that is wider than your shank hole, and cut a recess until your thread is exposed. You could do this with hand drill, just go slow (and I mean slow speed on the drill), and easy.

thanks for the great advice. I put this off long enough and am finally finishing and making final touches. Since i did in fact stain the miter cuts, i decided against gluing and instead used 8 small L brackets. It took a little time to do it by hand, and is not absolutely perfect, but i think it will be good enough for it's purpose. I used polyurethane clear semi-gloss over the stain and it worked out nicely. Make sure you go outside for that if you end up using it, that stuff is poison. My next move is to secure the rigid foam board to the inside of the collar and then secure the collar to the fridge. heres a couple pictures before and after stain+gloss:

I used little 90* brackets with 1/2 inch screws and some kitchen and bath silicone caulk to attach the collar to my freezer (maybe use some gorilla tape, i've heard of others doing that as well as a substitute for the screws/brackets).

My collar is made of 2x8 and my freezer is a 10.x cu ft so i was very concerned with keeping the collar from shifting when i bump it with a full keg when lifting them in/out of the keezer, but even before i put the brackets in the silicone held it very firmly in place... also ran a bead down the inside and outside seam to help prevent air leakage.

looking good! can't wait to see more pics.