Show Me Your Wood Brew Sculpture/Rig

SSBrew - 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
boogyman said:
That was the first thing i noticed too... nothing like a scalding pot of liquid waiting to be tipped over.
Click to expand...

Looks a little sketchy, but I assure you it's not going to tip. Just helps level out the burner since it's cantilevered off the stand.
 
menschmaschine said:
Morning wood...

BrewSystem3.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm trying to build a small brew stand. In this picture the burner is right next to the propane tank. It that a problem? Could a piece of wood or something be put in between the burner and the tank? Would that cause any problems?
 
NinjaJoe said:
Almost done with mine.

Just need to silver solder a ground point on the kettle.
Run hose for return on the kettle and mash tun.

Should get some calibration in this week and first brew on it next weekend!!!

imag0234.jpg
Click to expand...

I like this little set-up. What size batches do you make with this?
 
eanmcnulty said:
In this picture the burner is right next to the propane tank. It that a problem? Could a piece of wood or something be put in between the burner and the tank? Would that cause any problems?
Click to expand...

a piece of wood would probably shield the tank from burner heat, especially if the heat is all the way up and there is any breeze in the right(wrong?) direction. but the wood would possibly catch on fire, better than the tank heating up. i think i would engineer some kind of windscreen of two layers of thin sheet metal that is easily replaceable if it gets warped.
Better yet, can you just move the tank?

I would also keep an eye on the wooden frame where it adjacent to the burners.
 
sharpstick said:
a piece of wood would probably shield the tank from burner heat, especially if the heat is all the way up and there is any breeze in the right(wrong?) direction. but the wood would possibly catch on fire, better than the tank heating up. i think i would engineer some kind of windscreen of two layers of thin sheet metal that is easily replaceable if it gets warped.
Better yet, can you just move the tank?

I would also keep an eye on the wooden frame where it adjacent to the burners.
Click to expand...

Yes, I think a piece of sheet metal might work. Why would I want it to be two layers?
 
eanmcnulty said:
Yes, I think a piece of sheet metal might work. Why would I want it to be two layers?
Click to expand...

maybe that's just overkill, but two layers would create an insulating airspace. i've had plastic and paint melted/blistered from the flame when my 185kbtu burner was cranked up. i've also had a thin sheet metal windscreen warped and melted.
 
sharpstick said:
maybe that's just overkill, but two layers would create an insulating airspace. i've had plastic and paint melted/blistered from the flame when my 185kbtu burner was cranked up. i've also had a thin sheet metal windscreen warped and melted.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I think I will check the difference between the sheet metal and some concrete board. I finally have a design that I like for my brewstand.
 
I'm planning on building a wooden rig for ten gallon batches, two tier. The setup will be two kegs (BK & HLT) with MLT cooler, one pump, and two propane burners. I'm using all wood and parts left over from other projects...might move to electric in the future.

Question though - what hardware would you recommend to build with? Deck screws, lag bolts, combination of the two, simple wood screws?

Brew_Rig_2010.bmp


blue rectangle = MLT
white hexagonal columns = BK & HLT

The portion of the rig under the MLT is an Ikea table I'll be build off of...
 
Shaggyt said:
The portion of the rig under the MLT is an Ikea table I'll be build off of...
Click to expand...

To be honest, I would be timid to use IKEA furniture to support that kind of weight , around water, and around any kind of flame. Let alone all 3!
That is not wood, it is wood dust glued together.
 
IrregularPulse said:
To be honest, I would be timid to use IKEA furniture to support that kind of weight , around water, and around any kind of flame. Let alone all 3!
That is not wood, it is wood dust glued together.
Click to expand...

I feel you IrregularPulse...this piece is solid wood though, not the furniture-style stuff they're famous for. I've been using it to support my MLT for the past two years almost. Also, plenty of heat shielding will be in place that's not represented in the design.

Angle iron will support the kegs and burners...be it store bought slotted or recycled bed frames...but I'm aiming for cheap.

I've given this tons of thought and perused the entire thread so I feel confident that I can use what I have to build this rig...just need some advice on the connectors to use to support the weight properly.
 
Thought I'd share what I came up with:
4807056158_b8198fc275_z.jpg


Need to figure out what i'm going to do with the pumps. they will be too low if i mount them with the heads verticle. I think i'm going to make some kind of box that will keep them dry and elevate them.
 
here is an updated image with the switches, pumps and casters mounted up. i cut 6" off the legs to accommodate the casters, i'm not very tall :p

4830425517_3340271486_z.jpg
 
Shaggyt said:
Question though - what hardware would you recommend to build with? Deck screws, lag bolts, combination of the two, simple wood screws?
Click to expand...

Lag bolts are simple and nice, but it gets expensive. You wouldn't need anything bigger than 3/8" if you used them.

I like deck screws after building several brew related items out of wood. They're self tapping and require no pilot holes (unless you think you might crack the wood) and they have the kind coated by rustoleum paint. I got some tan screws that blend well and look real sharp. Plus, they're cheap and you get a bunch!
 
I used deck screws. $8 for a box, still have like 1/2 left. they are the really nice coated ones that come with the bit for your drill. I did drill a pilot hole for each one, used a countersink too. That was just for the frames, i used large bolts to bolt the frames to the legs. I used lag screws to attach the casters. Gave the whole thing a couple of coats of polyurethane.
 
ScottSA said:
here is an updated image with the switches, pumps and casters mounted up. i cut 6" off the legs to accommodate the casters, i'm not very tall :p

4830425517_3340271486_z.jpg
Click to expand...

Do you have any problems with priming your pumps with them mounted so high relative to your intake? Looks to me that it might not prime too well with that configuration.

TB
 
ScottSA thats a great looking setup. I would love to build something like that someday. Looks simple but I am sure it saves you a lot of work. I just need to verse myself in the ways of all grain and learn what a HLT is. Oh yeah, and I should probably sell the apt and get a house first!
 
Tiber_Brew said:
Do you have any problems with priming your pumps with them mounted so high relative to your intake? Looks to me that it might not prime too well with that configuration.

TB
Click to expand...

yeah its a little difficult. i'm creating something that will lower them and allow me to tuck them up under the surface when not in use.
 
chask31 said:
ScottSA thats a great looking setup. I would love to build something like that someday. Looks simple but I am sure it saves you a lot of work. I just need to verse myself in the ways of all grain and learn what a HLT is. Oh yeah, and I should probably sell the apt and get a house first!
Click to expand...

all grain is fun, and imho, not too much harder. hlt is just where you store your hot water you use for sparging. the coolers make it nice because you can get that done about 5-10 min before you have to start sparging and it doesn't change temp too much.
 
Here are some photos of my wooden brew rig. I finished it back in February, have brewed half a dozen batches on it so far and I'm incredibly pleased with it.

It's a pretty straight forward design. I added some galvanized flashing to the burners to serve as wind guards which allows me to run the burners at a lower intensity without risk of them getting blown out on windy days.

The dual outputs from the pump allow me to whirlpool at then end of the boil while I am chilling then simply close one valve and open another in order to transfer into the carboy when pitching temperature is reached.

The HLT serves as the pre-chiller tank once I am done heating sparge water which is nice and convenient.

I know lots of folks worry about the safety of a wooden brew rig but the amount of heat needed to cause a 2X6 to spontaneously combust is far beyond the temperatures generated by the indirect heat of your typical propane burner. Sure the wood gets hot, but not too hot to touch (even right next to the burner) and I have not seen any sign of scorching, nor do I expect to.

IMG_1233.JPG

Front View

IMG_1230.JPG

Rear View

IMG_1232.JPG

Shelf Detail

IMG_11773.JPG

Pump Detail

IMG_11802.JPG

Propane Detail
 
harten74 said:
Here are some photos of my wooden brew rig. I finished it back in February, have brewed half a dozen batches on it so far and I'm incredibly pleased with it.

It's a pretty straight forward design. I added some galvanized flashing to the burners to serve as wind guards which allows me to run the burners at a lower intensity without risk of them getting blown out on windy days.

The dual outputs from the pump allow me to whirlpool at then end of the boil while I am chilling then simply close one valve and open another in order to transfer into the carboy when pitching temperature is reached.

The HLT serves as the pre-chiller tank once I am done heating sparge water which is nice and convenient.

I know lots of folks worry about the safety of a wooden brew rig but the amount of heat needed to cause a 2X6 to spontaneously combust is far beyond the temperatures generated by the indirect heat of your typical propane burner. Sure the wood gets hot, but not too hot to touch (even right next to the burner) and I have not seen any sign of scorching, nor do I expect to.

IMG_1233.JPG

Front View

IMG_1230.JPG

Rear View

IMG_1232.JPG

Shelf Detail

IMG_11773.JPG

Pump Detail

IMG_11802.JPG

Propane Detail
Click to expand...

Sharp looking setup! I'll probably model my build off of this. I just need to figure out how to get around the slanted driveway that starts at the garage door.
 
Super cool setup harten74! I've been thinking about building a setup similar to this for a while. One detail I really like is the fold out shelf - looks like it's pretty handy.
 
It is a cooler converted into a mash tun. Use the search option for many other such examples.
 
Just finished my build. Haven't broken it in yet. A friend gave me the countertop and all wood plus hardware was about $40.

3-tier%20stand.JPG


I'm going to be adding a pull-out shelf under the tallest tier. and the lowest tier is detachable for storage.
After moving the thing I'll be adding casters to the base also.
 

Similar threads

Oxynostu
Basement to first floor long line keezer build: contribute your advice & information!
Replies
13
Views
3K
Tallgrass
T
B
DIY 5KW Induction Heater
Replies
2
Views
5K
Spivey24
S
SoCal-Doug
Thank you, And Hello!
Replies
5
Views
370
ncbrewer
N
emyers
Electric NG Brew Sculpture build
Replies
1
Views
950
emyers
emyers
D
California 250 gallon brew house
Replies
9
Views
2K
kh54s10
kh54s10
Brewer's Friend 300

Latest posts

Back
Top