Keezer Collar Material Questions

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iijakii

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So I was having my Dad help me with my Keezer due to him having a Miter saw :rockin: and copious amounts of other helpful tools. I tell him of my plans, using the standard 1x6 poplar or oak most people do on this board, while probably putting some foam board insulation on the inside as well.

He goes off and tells me about how garbage that idea is, and wants to use a rigid foam insulation sandwiched between two FRP boards. Does anyone have any experience with making a collar out of FRP?
 
So I was having my Dad help me with my Keezer due to him having a Miter saw :rockin: and copious amounts of other helpful tools. I tell him of my plans, using the standard 1x6 poplar or oak most people do on this board, while probably putting some foam board insulation on the inside as well.

He goes off and tells me about how garbage that idea is, and wants to use a rigid foam insulation sandwiched between two FRP boards. Does anyone have any experience with making a collar out of FRP?

I have no experience with building a collar using FRP. I suppose it could be done without too much trouble, but there is also absolutely nothing wrong with doing it your way. I suspect that your dad did not like the idea of having the bare exposed foam on the inside of a wooden collar.

Here is my suggestion. Fabricate the collar from wood. Back it with rigid foam insulation and face the insulation with some FRP on the inside. I would use 2 X wood and 3/4" rigid foam. The 2 X lumber will be structurally more sound, less prone to warping, bending etc and provides more "meat" when mounting the shanks and taps if you go that way. So, this would give you the wood collar that you desire and satisfy your dad with a finished appearance on the inside. Best of both worlds IMO.
 
I have no experience with building a collar using FRP. I suppose it could be done without too much trouble, but there is also absolutely nothing wrong with doing it your way. I suspect that your dad did not like the idea of having the bare exposed foam on the inside of a wooden collar.

Here is my suggestion. Fabricate the collar from wood. Back it with rigid foam insulation and face the insulation with some FRP on the inside. I would use 2 X wood and 3/4" rigid foam. The 2 X lumber will be structurally more sound, less prone to warping, bending etc and provides more "meat" when mounting the shanks and taps if you go that way. So, this would give you the wood collar that you desire and satisfy your dad with a finished appearance on the inside. Best of both worlds IMO.

Yeah I think that would be the best course of action, but I don't think I will go down that route. Scoping out FRP panels at Home Depot and Lowes, they don't have any small siding pieces. Only 8'x4' or whatever, $35. I think I might go just the 1x6 with foam insulation like I was planning. The sandwiched FRP might be a better alternative to pure wood, I'm unsure. I am kind of looking forward to having the dark mahogany stained collar to contrast my black freezer, though. Adding more trim would just keep raising the price.

Is there any other easier way to cover the foam with something waterproof?
 
Is there any other easier way to cover the foam with something waterproof?

Yeah, I can understand not wanting to shell out the bucks for a large sheet of FRP. You could face the foam with wood. You could paint or varnish the wood to make it more water resistant. The collar probably won't get much exposure to moisture if everything is well sealed. Very little condensation accumulates in my freezer and none at all on the collar or foam that I can detect.
 
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