Another "Jester Style" Keezer Build!

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Groner

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Sep 30, 2012
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Location
Woodbridge
So, I am just about finished with my coffin keezer. I just wanted to post the photos here for those that are in the same process. I know that there are many examples already posted but I must say, that while working on mine, I must have looked at every keezer thread I could get my hands on.

In addition I would really like to thank Jester who sent me his Google SketchUp files from his design and was the original influence to get me started. In general, thank you to all who posted their keezer projects as well! It was an immense resource.

I would also love to hear some feedback/constructive criticism from anyone who has it. I am in the process of deciding on a few things. Mainly: Should I stain the wood? Poly? Varnish? Leave it natural? (In your opinion.) Any way to lighten the load of lifting the lid? I have thought of the tailgate hydraulic lift idea but didn't know if anyone had any success with that. Also, any thoughts on how I can light this up a bit? It's in a dark corner and I decided in the beginning not to add the lights like Jester did. I am regretting that now.:eek:

A couple of notes:

-I don't have the shanks yet for the final two taps, that's why they aren't installed.

-The front trim is getting some sort of ornate badge or the like in the center where the oak trim meets. I think I might write "Keezer by Jester" in script! :)

-This was my very first foray into woodworking, tile, kegging, draft systems, and just about everything else. I made EVERY mistake in the book I'm sure. Thankfully, I think I hid them pretty well.

In all I had a great time and learned a lot!

Photos are on Flickr. Please enjoy! :tank:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/groner1661/sets/72157633228651189/
 
Nice job. Looks like you will have a pretty sweet set up. Personally, I would stain it a medium color to accent the tile. Maybe a pecan or even as dark as a cherry would look nice. Polyurethane would work great and be fairly easy to use. Problem is you will need light in that space to make it look good. I would use track lighting from the ceiling if possible. This would allow you to direct the light into the best position to show off your masterpiece. I used led lighting in my first build and hated them. Makes it look too cheesy, in my opinion. Get a pair of gas assist struts from Amazon. They can be tricky to get them to work right but once you do you will be amazed at how well they work. I have installed them on two keezers so far and will use them on every one I build.
 
Is the upper area around the faucets staying chilled down to good temps? This is the direction I want to take but I'm concerned about the top piece being cool enough that I don't need to devise some sort of coolant lines.
 
Thanks for the stain, lighting and lid advice! Sorry it took so long to post, having trouble with my HB Talk app. I think I will head to the "Depot de la Casa" in a few minutes... Then I need to keg my IPA and clean the one that got kicked yesterday. EDIT: Also, my mother lives in ABQ and I originally showed her your keezer and she thought I should build one for her like that!

As for the the coffin staying cold it seems to work pretty well. I'll try to post a temperature reading in the next day or so. The faucets are cold to the touch. Though I find from left to right they are really cold to just cold. I think that has to do with the fans blowing in opposite directions and the warmer air coming back into the freezer on the ride side. I may flip the other and add another fan in the middle. No problems with heated beer foaming or anything. In fact I even had the fans shut off for the last few days and the first pint is still very cold.
 
How in the hell did you talk your SWMBO into letting you build this thing INSIDE! I would get shot if I attempted such a thing! I guess that's why I have both a garage and a basement!

Looks great though!
 
Love the tile! I have the same kind of tile on my keezer build. My advice on stain - stay on the lighter side to contrast with your dark tile. It's beautiful, nice job!
 
How in the hell did you talk your SWMBO into letting you build this thing INSIDE! I would get shot if I attempted such a thing! I guess that's why I have both a garage and a basement!

Looks great though!

Basically I live in a townhouse with no garage and the basement is finished so that was the only place I could do it. SWMBO is usually pretty forgiving of my projects as long as I actually finish them! There were a couple of time were the floor was completely covered with wood scraps, tools and sawdust. She just tried not to look at it!
 
Here are a couple of photos with the stain/poly finished. Just a trim piece and the other two taps to install and I can start filling her up with beer again! :mug:

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How high did you put your tap off the top. And how much clearance did you leave on the sides?
 
juic said:
How high did you put your tap off the top. And how much clearance did you leave on the sides?

I'll measure and let you know. What clearance? Between the sides and the walls of the freezer?
 
Sorry. Clearance between the freezer and the cabinet. I've seen some people only leave like a half inch and others up to three inches so it had room to breath
 
juic said:
Sorry. Clearance between the freezer and the cabinet. I've seen some people only leave like a half inch and others up to three inches so it had room to breath

I left about 3" around the freezer but I knew that wasn't really necessary. It was more a function of how large I wanted the countertop.

The faucets are 13" from the tile top measured from the center of the shank. The end of the faucet ends up 11" from the drip tray. That was maybe a little high but the handles are at perfect pouring height for me as I am about 6' 3".
 
Update: I have all six taps installed. The only thing missing now that I plan to do are the gas struts for the lid and the extra 2 gas lines which I have but are not installed.

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Nice work. Very cool layout. How heavy is the lid? How much trouble is it to get your kegs in and out of it?
 
stewart194 said:
Nice work. Very cool layout. How heavy is the lid? How much trouble is it to get your kegs in and out of it?

Thanks! The lid is HEAVY! I plan to put gas springs on it in the near future. But once it is open and I have a prop rod under it, getting the kegs in and out is a snap.
 
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