Another Keezer built!

So I am finally getting around to posting the pictures from last weekend. Turned out pretty good, fits 6 kegs and looks good enough that the SWMBO allows it in the kitchen!

Started off with some wood and my trusty circular saw. Compound miter saw would have been better, but this did the trick.



Here is one after hacking the wood into pieces, and placing them together to see what it will look like.



After a little bit of sanding and some stain.



Out in the heat, applied a couple coats of poly.



First placement for a dry fit.



Another view, so you can see the inside.



View with the lid.



Inside after letting the liquid nails dry on the lid.



Close up look at those perfect new Perlick faucets, and bottle opener.

Looks great. I wish I had the room for something like that in my small house.

Very nice!

Is that Minwax Bombay Mahogany stain?

My freezer is black...I think it'd look sharp with a collar that color.

Great job I like the color looks rich.......

Sweet start! Keep the pics coming!

Rick500 said:

Very nice!

Is that Minwax Bombay Mahogany stain?

My freezer is black...I think it'd look sharp with a collar that color.

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Yeah, the SWMBO wants me to paint it black.. I am sure it would look very good. The stain we used was Cabot Red Chestnut. We tested it on some wood and put it on kinda heavy for the darker color.

The poly we used was Cabots Satin Polyurethane. Then she went over it with some Old English oil after I was done to clean it up a bit.

I am probably going weld up a base with some wheels and a spot to hold the tank on the side. When I do that, I may look at painting it black =)

Looks really nice; my little chest freezer appears to be about the same size as that.

Looks really nice, love the way the dark stain brings out the grain pattern.

What kind of freezer did that start as?

MIbrew said:

Looks really nice, love the way the dark stain brings out the grain pattern.

What kind of freezer did that start as?

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Brand new 7.2cu Magic Chef from Home Depot, and I agree.. I like the way the grain stands out!

Awesome job. That is the same freezer that I got. How did you attach the collar to the lid?

Bean said:

Awesome job. That is the same freezer that I got. How did you attach the collar to the lid?

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Liquid Nails. I got everything mounted, then put a good layer on the collar and placed the lid on top. Tossed a few items on top for weight and left it for a couple hours. That lid is on good now!

excellent job. the color is real nice

Did you use the original hinges and just attach them to the collar?

thedude123 said:

Did you use the original hinges and just attach them to the collar?

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Yeah, but I used some course drywall screws to replace the machine screws that were holding it to the lid.

looks good!

Can you really fit 6 kegs in that 7.2 cubic foot freezer? I have been reading thread after thread trying to figure out what size to get. If that one fits that many, we may have a winner!

phillc said:

Can you really fit 6 kegs in that 7.2 cubic foot freezer? I have been reading thread after thread trying to figure out what size to get. If that one fits that many, we may have a winner!

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Yes, it will fit 6 with an 8 inch collar (I just used redwood 2x8 from lowes). I will try to remember to take a picture with all of the kegs on the inside. However, you will need to keep the co2 tank on the outside to get 6 inside.

Exactly how I built mine! Nice work!

KillerKellers said:

Yes, it will fit 6 with an 8 inch collar (I just used redwood 2x8 from lowes). I will try to remember to take a picture with all of the kegs on the inside. However, you will need to keep the co2 tank on the outside to get 6 inside.

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That is awesome. Thanks!

And surprisingly the Frigidaire 7.2 (Lowes and Sears have them in black) w/ an 8 inch collar will hold 5 Corny kegs and a 10 lb CO2 tank.

That color is really great. I'm about 75% done with my collar (made it out of maple).

I may try that stain you used. I imagine it'll come out a little lighter on maple, but I guess I can just apply it heavily.

The only issue that I have with mine is the temp variance between the top of the collar and the bottom of the freezer. I am thinking of installing and computer fan in there just have to figure out the wiring and AC / DC conversion.

I am converting 7.2 magic chef as well, but have a few questions... Can you tell me how you attached the seal?

I just stained my collar and am wanting to attach it to the lid like you did, but am perplexed on how to install the seal... Could you give me a suggestion or picture or two? Any other suggestions or anything you'd do differently? I am hoping mine turns out as well as yours...

Slasher said:

I am converting 7.2 magic chef as well, but have a few questions... Can you tell me how you attached the seal?

I just stained my collar and am wanting to attach it to the lid like you did, but am perplexed on how to install the seal... Could you give me a suggestion or picture or two? Any other suggestions or anything you'd do differently? I am hoping mine turns out as well as yours...

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Well, I pulled off the original seal... and it is "resting" on the lower section. What I did was place the seal where I wanted it, put the collar on top of the seal, then used some shorter course drywall screws to attach the hinges to the collar. I did do a really small pilot hole before putting in the screws so that I would not split the wood.

Once I had the collar sitting the way I liked it, and working.. I put the liquid nails onto the wood and placed the lid on top of that. Pressed down and then tossed some weight on top of the lid (ottoman, couple kegs) till it dryed.

I plan to glue the seal eventually, but it seals up OK the way it is now.

Bean said:

The only issue that I have with mine is the temp variance between the top of the collar and the bottom of the freezer. I am thinking of installing and computer fan in there just have to figure out the wiring and AC / DC conversion.

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I had an old fan that looks like a computer fan, but a little bit bigger.. not sure where it came from, but it has an outlet tied into it already. This really does help to stabilize the temps!

If you go with an computer fan, find an old cell phone adapter and try that =)

Rick500 said:

That color is really great. I'm about 75% done with my collar (made it out of maple).

I may try that stain you used. I imagine it'll come out a little lighter on maple, but I guess I can just apply it heavily.

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Thanks, I really liked the color too! It is darker then you imagine, but thats a good thing about stain.. it is easy to put on thicker if you want to make it darker!

Bean said:

The only issue that I have with mine is the temp variance between the top of the collar and the bottom of the freezer. I am thinking of installing and computer fan in there just have to figure out the wiring and AC / DC conversion.

Click to expand...

I have a Sanyo 1206 kegerator. And from reading the various forums, I've added a PC fan to my rig as well. I did this because the insides felt warm to the touch. Placing a temp wand inside I found in the summer time I hit 79 degrees just above the kegs. With the fan, my probe nolonger goes above 42f with no other changes.

I say go for it...

No need to glue the collar to the freezer. I used the rope type weather stripping stuff. It's easily removable if desired. Easy to apply and provides a good seal. It's sticky stuff and holds the collar in place no problem. Cheap too!

These are beautiful pieces! I am so jeal...I mean inspired!!

-Tripod

Catt22 said:

No need to glue the collar to the freezer. I used the rope type weather stripping stuff. It's easily removable if desired. Easy to apply and provides a good seal. It's sticky stuff and holds the collar in place no problem. Cheap too!

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Yeah, my collar isn't glued to the freezer.. because the entire collar lifts up when I open it. The lid, however, is glued to the collar. I saw recently where someone got another set of hinges and did a double hinge setup. I kinda like that as well!

Its seems like it is prob better to have the Collar attached to the lid when you open it. I did mine the other way with the collar attched the to Keezer. Sometimes when I have the lid open and I am messing around inside I sometimes knock the faucet open.

lcjustin said:

Its seems like it is prob better to have the Collar attached to the lid when you open it. I did mine the other way with the collar attched the to Keezer. Sometimes when I have the lid open and I am messing around inside I sometimes knock the faucet open.

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Haven't had that problem, but my faucets are mounted on the side of the collar and I access the kegs from the front. That was a major consideration when I chose to side mount them. I didn't want the added weight of the collar attached to the lid. I'm happy with this configuration and have been using it for about a year and a half now with no problems at all. I guess my only complaint is that it makes pouring a beer much too easy!

Catt22 said:

Haven't had that problem, but my faucets are mounted on the side of the collar and I access the kegs from the front. That was a major consideration when I chose to side mount them. I didn't want the added weight of the collar attached to the lid. I'm happy with this configuration and have been using it for about a year and a half now with no problems at all. I guess my only complaint is that it makes pouring a beer much too easy!

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I have that problem too! I think I am drinking faster then I can brew =/

awesome looking keezer! post more pics as you do more work on- I'm curious to see the base and caster setup

Any pics of the back where the hinges are?

Nice job I really like the way your collar turned out. I to like the darker stains

How did you join your corners on the collar? More Liquid Nail? Screws don't seem to be working too well for me...

I'm looking for ideas and just wondering, why not put some kind of insulation on the back of the collar to make it more efficient?

Ysgard said:

How did you join your corners on the collar? More Liquid Nail? Screws don't seem to be working too well for me...

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I joined mine with hardwood pegs:



If you don't want to do that, metal 90 degree brackets might be a good option.

So after reading all the posts here and conveniently finding a Magic Chef 7.2 for cheap on CL, I'm now in the process of trying to make my first keezer.
Two questions:
Any tips or things to avoid/watch out for/that you would change now in hind-sight?
Second, is the extra fan was absolutely necessary once the collar has been added or if that is something that I can get by not having. Thanks for all the advice and tips.