Aging/fermenting in an oak box

[oceanic_brew]

I do a lot of re-decking of transport trailers which requires the use of 2x10 oak planks. I've always wondered what I could build without a 7 year apprenticeship in coopering (is that a word) for aging in. I realize I'll have to dry my wood for some time first but figured I would get the planning over with to see if it'll be worth the wait.

I'm thinking about building something that has just enough space to hold either 5 gallons or 10 as to minimize headspace. This things gonna weigh a ton but will be a neat project.

I plan to build so that it has a lid the same size of the box that will have a gasket all the way around to seal it. I'm thinking of drilling down into the box and installing bolts similar to those used to secure posts for handrails to allow me to tighten the lid down. I would also be running bolts through the walls of the box to fasten each wall together as to lessen the effect shrinkage will have on it being watertight.

Obviously it's not gonna be as watertight as a barrel but I'm quite capable of securing the wood together so that if I used some food safe silicone between the planks I could seal it off but I'm more so concerned about the fact that some of the seems will be nearly impossible to clean. I can put caulking bead over each seem and flattened it but this doesn't seem appealing to me some I'm stuck on that.

The other thing I'm wondering about is how do I go about conditioning this box, I've heard about boiling some water and letting that sit in there for a while and also charring it over a fire. Someone mentioned that it's best to ferment a wine in there before I try any sours. I realize that this thing will turn into a Brett-box or whatever other bacteria I using but that's kinda my focus anyway.

It seems like a total waste of time when flavor-wise i could achieve the same with oak cubes but I live to create things.

Any thoughts, suggestions or experiences?

Thanks

 

[SirHC_]

Look up "birds mouth mast".
Depends on your woodworking skill and tools but you might consider an 8 sided birds mouth structure. It'd be like a barrel but without the taper. Fill and age it on end to help minimize headspace. In the structure of a birds mouth, also, there are peaks that fit into valleys. You could run your bead of silicone or even waxed cotton yarn in that valley and it's have minimum contact with the beer.
If both ends are removable you could clean it easier and maybe even be able to char it with a torch...

Oh the possibilities!