coravetz
Member
Ok so I thought I'd give back. I easily spend 8-10 hrs just reading posts of lots of talented people here that have way better wood working skills than me. Plus I'm limited in the tool department due to space and $. I've only got a circular saw, jig saw, nail gun and router.
But, many of the DIY projects here have inspired me to jump into kegging and to and building a portable kegerator so I can take this to parties - A big Thank You to everyone that posts here!
The build, if you wish to replicate something similar:
1. The base is a large trashcan that just barely holds 4 corny kegs, but there's enough room to pour about 40 lbs of ice around them and keep them cold during a back yard party for about 5-6 hrs.
44 Gal Trash Can - $39.98
2. The top is made from a sheet of maple plywood with a 1x2" wood skirt and left over cherry molding from our kitchen remodel. My final top dimensions ended up being 3' W x 2' D. I believe this gives enough space for 3 people to pour beers and have space to set a beer down on the side and have a bunch of plastic cups next to the coffin.
3/4" x 4' x 8' Maple Plywood - $49.98
1x2" 8ft Maple Board - $8.98
3. The drip tray is a mud pan and 14" floor register that are bolted together so it can be removed and washed out together or separated for a deeper cleaning.
Mud pan - $3.98
14" Floor Register - $18.98
4. The coffin is made from the same maple plywood sheet (I actually had 2 different sheets from different places, hence the color difference), but you should be able to easily get the base + coffin out of 1 sheet of 4x8'. The facing for the taps is a left over cherry piece of 4 1/4"x15"x3/4". This would probably be about $4-6 depending on wood species if you buy it at a specialty wood store like Wood Craft. I still need to finish the top with a piece to hide the plywood, but ran out of time. Maybe a later post if people are interested.
The coffin is also made to separate from the base with a clasp/locking mechanism. This allows the top and coffin pieces to go into the trunk or back of a car along with the lines and shanks. It might also work well if you have a keezer so you can leave the keezer at home, but take the coffin with you to the party then bring back your kegs and coffin and re-install. To me, this was key to making it as portable as possible.
Align-N-Lock Clasps - $3.69 x 2
5. The fabric that hides the trash can and goes around the base is just tacked in there right now and isn't really the final material. The SWMBO has some "beer" fabric that will be sewed together and attached with velcro so it can be removed or changed out. This was a Hawaiian themed party, so the fabric kinda fits and was a good temporary fix until we get the other fabric in.
6. The air distributor, lines, shanks, taps and beer lines are all from Keg Connection. These guys are awesome! I bought the packaged deal with all this combined plus 2 more kegs. The guys there attached all the air lines to the distributor, hooked up the beer lines and it was almost ready to go out of the box. No leaks and probably a 5 min setup with my current 5# CO2 bottle. Plus the corny kegs were in excellent shape for being the basic recycled kegs. Wow! If you were going to be looking for all the lines and kegs, I'd highly recommend checking these guys out. The price is highly dependent on what taps, shanks, lines, etc., so I'm not going to quote a price here. But, you can find the starting point for all of the lines and add/subtract items to customize what you need - Keg Connection
I hope this helps some of you in the future and I'll try to answer any questions you might have. Thanks again to everyone that posts here. It really is a great place for inspiration.
But, many of the DIY projects here have inspired me to jump into kegging and to and building a portable kegerator so I can take this to parties - A big Thank You to everyone that posts here!
The build, if you wish to replicate something similar:
1. The base is a large trashcan that just barely holds 4 corny kegs, but there's enough room to pour about 40 lbs of ice around them and keep them cold during a back yard party for about 5-6 hrs.
44 Gal Trash Can - $39.98
2. The top is made from a sheet of maple plywood with a 1x2" wood skirt and left over cherry molding from our kitchen remodel. My final top dimensions ended up being 3' W x 2' D. I believe this gives enough space for 3 people to pour beers and have space to set a beer down on the side and have a bunch of plastic cups next to the coffin.
3/4" x 4' x 8' Maple Plywood - $49.98
1x2" 8ft Maple Board - $8.98
3. The drip tray is a mud pan and 14" floor register that are bolted together so it can be removed and washed out together or separated for a deeper cleaning.
Mud pan - $3.98
14" Floor Register - $18.98
4. The coffin is made from the same maple plywood sheet (I actually had 2 different sheets from different places, hence the color difference), but you should be able to easily get the base + coffin out of 1 sheet of 4x8'. The facing for the taps is a left over cherry piece of 4 1/4"x15"x3/4". This would probably be about $4-6 depending on wood species if you buy it at a specialty wood store like Wood Craft. I still need to finish the top with a piece to hide the plywood, but ran out of time. Maybe a later post if people are interested.
The coffin is also made to separate from the base with a clasp/locking mechanism. This allows the top and coffin pieces to go into the trunk or back of a car along with the lines and shanks. It might also work well if you have a keezer so you can leave the keezer at home, but take the coffin with you to the party then bring back your kegs and coffin and re-install. To me, this was key to making it as portable as possible.
Align-N-Lock Clasps - $3.69 x 2
5. The fabric that hides the trash can and goes around the base is just tacked in there right now and isn't really the final material. The SWMBO has some "beer" fabric that will be sewed together and attached with velcro so it can be removed or changed out. This was a Hawaiian themed party, so the fabric kinda fits and was a good temporary fix until we get the other fabric in.
6. The air distributor, lines, shanks, taps and beer lines are all from Keg Connection. These guys are awesome! I bought the packaged deal with all this combined plus 2 more kegs. The guys there attached all the air lines to the distributor, hooked up the beer lines and it was almost ready to go out of the box. No leaks and probably a 5 min setup with my current 5# CO2 bottle. Plus the corny kegs were in excellent shape for being the basic recycled kegs. Wow! If you were going to be looking for all the lines and kegs, I'd highly recommend checking these guys out. The price is highly dependent on what taps, shanks, lines, etc., so I'm not going to quote a price here. But, you can find the starting point for all of the lines and add/subtract items to customize what you need - Keg Connection
I hope this helps some of you in the future and I'll try to answer any questions you might have. Thanks again to everyone that posts here. It really is a great place for inspiration.
hehehe
