Copycat Keezer

[crashmeister]

I am a copycat. I know, it's kinda sad. But why mess with a good formula ?

My Keezer is finally finished. I just need to get the branding handles to replace the plain black ones.

I even copied the lights under the tap board (they were not on when this pic was taken).

I would like to thank all those who pioneered the Keezer and published their efforts so others could learn. I am truly grateful.

Center tap is a stout tap. I have a Nitrogen setup for that tap. Currently have a Porter coming out of it. The Nitrogen makes it have a wonderful cascade and gives it a very creamy texture.

I'll post build pics if anyone is interested.

Regards,
Craig.

 

[NonstopHop]

Yes please post!

 

[OlatheSurferDude]

Yes please, pics!

last one I showed my wife she didn't exactly go for. She just might this one though...

Beautiful work.

 

[kklowell]

Very nice looking. Wish I could "copy" that well!

 

[EineProsit]

Freakin awesome dude

 

[crashmeister]

Thanks guys.

I need to edit and reduce the size of the build photos. I'll post them as soon as I get them done.

 

[LandoLincoln]

That is a very, very nice keezer build. You did a fantastic job with the clean mitre cuts. I am really jealous. The granite tiles look perfect as well. Give us some details about the staining / varnishing.

 

[farmy4700]

Wow that is nice

 

[Tabb]

Wow that's nice.

 

[Markd27]

Great job! What type of wood and stain did you use?

 

[crashmeister]

I'll post as I get photos done. I also need to remove the back of the tap box and take photos of the inside. Same with the inside of the freezer, I only have photos from before I cut the lid.

So, start with a ...

This is a 14 cu.ft.

Next I cut the piece of ply for the top, then routed and cut some holes:

 

[crashmeister]

I did not grow up in the USA and never had 'shop' at school. This was my first major woodworking project (I did lay some laminate hardwood before), so this shows that anyone can do it. Just take your time and spend more time thinking than doing. That said, I could never have done it with the previous Keezer builders who posted their photos and tips on this forum.

Materials used consisted mostly of:

1/2" Sanded Ply for all internal boxing; 1/2" Oak Ply for visible sides and top of tap box.
1x4 Pine / White Wood for all internal bracing.
1x4 Red Oak for all trim. 1x2 Red Oak on back of tap box top.
3/4" Ply for the base.
2x4 for the base.
2 1/2" Wheels.

I used Gorilla wood glue for most joints. I used Gorilla Polyurethane glue for the tap box sides, which were the last pieces to go on.

I used nails to secure joints where possible (in addition to the glue).

DAP makes a wood filler that is difficult to get out of the tube, it stinks, but it works very well and stains just like the wood.

I used MinWax water based stain and polyurethane finish. More on these products later (they suck, but I could not find any decent alternatives).

I bought a router, a table saw and a 100 tooth finishing blade for my compound mitre saw for this project. I regard tool purchases as investments. They will be used on future projects.

Oh, and also a belt sander when hand and orb sanding proved to be just stupid.

 

[crashmeister]

Next up was the tap box. Design #1 was partially built then scrapped because it would not work. Design #2 was simpler.

Trial fitting the sides and top. The back is recessed so that the temp controller and other controls can be put back there with minimum visibility.

The frame:

With the back screwed on, top open:

 

[dedhedjed]

well done...subscribed for the rest of your build pics!

 

[Hoppopotomus]

You did a fantastic job....the build is beautiful! If I were putting a keezer up stairs in my home, this is exactly what I would build.....very classy! Since mine is in my rustic decor basement, I went polar opposite from a design perspective. Love it man! Good job.

 

[crashmeister]

More trial fitting and checking. Checking the height of the tap board and position of the tap box:

The stack offsetting the tap board from the box. Needed enough room for the tile and the rope light under there:

 

[crashmeister]

Finally some real construction. Attaching the skirt:

The tap box has been glued. Here we add the top trim to the table and the tap box:

 

[crashmeister]

The base, top and bottom:

Framing and aligning the sides on the base:

Note: The bottom and center framing is missing on the front piece. Can be seen in later photos.

 

[crashmeister]

Tried the base out with the freezer and… oops… the bolts stuck out a bit. Some thin scrap wood to the rescue:

Next came a full day spent doing nothing else other than sanding. This is the really crappy part of a project like this. Sanding was done outside. Picture shows the sanded pieces ready for staining, which was done inside the house (my wife is a Saint!).

Note: The top can be seen behind the base/sides. Note the inside framing to make the top fit nicely on the freezer lid. The piece inside the front lip is to strengthen the bond of the top front trim, as this will be used to lift the very heavy lid when in operation.

Another mistake was to make the whole thing too narrow. The gap between the sides of the freezer and the internal frame was too small for good airflow, so I used a router to cut grooves in the top side frame. There was enough space in the front, so I did not need to do it there.

Sanded and ready to stain. Note pink foam glued to bottom of top, so air will not leak out of the freezer under the top piece:

 

[crashmeister]

Sorry, been busy. Will try and take pics of the inside this weekend.

Design goals included making the tap box removable, as well as the lid.

The tap box is attached with bolts into blind nuts which are on the under side of the 1/2" ply. There are blind nuts on the top of the 1/2" ply, with straight sections of threaded rod screwed into them (facing down). These rods go through the freezer lid where there is some plywood and nuts holding the top onto the freezer lid. Pics of this later.

I used #10 sized rod which is a bit weak. If I do it again, I would use thicker rods (3/8" ?). I did epoxy the blind nuts in, as they live under the tile and you can never access them again, other than from the bottom. I also soldered some scrap metal over the top to prevent the rods from interfering with the tile if they were over tightened. Maybe way over designed at this point

 

[misterthews]

What are the dimensions of the top piece? The part where your taps go?

 

[Jester369]

Looks great!

 

[crashmeister]

Looks great!

Coming from you, that means a lot. You were my main inspiration. Thank you.

 

[crashmeister]

What are the dimensions of the top piece? The part where your taps go?

Not sure if you mean the tap board or the whole tap box.

Tap board is 1x6 Oak, actual dimensions are 3/4" (thick) x 5 1/2" x 36 1/4". This does not include the sides.

Tap Box (excluding top lip) is 16 1/4" high by 37 3/4" wide.

The tile is 12"x12". I did not cut the tile on the tap box. It was sized to fit the tiles with +- 1/16" spacing between them.

 

[crashmeister]

I used a 30" drip tray. If I do it again I would use a 36".

I also have the tray too far back. If I do it again I would cut 1 1/2" off the front tiles, move the tray forward and place the cutoffs behind the tray. The tap box cannot go any further back.

And yes, I am actually thinking of building one out of cherry. No stain required, use an oil finish. Not any time soon, but eventually.

 

[Pivzavod]

How wide is it all together?

 

[crashmeister]

How wide is it all together?

Top, including lip is 55 7/8" wide.
Cabinet (bottom) is 52" wide.

 

[dannedry]

Holy crap that's beautiful Crashmeister! I was going to just do a collar and run my Perlicks through that, but this has me thinking... how much (ballpark) did you have in materials for the woodwork? Minus the base... I would be doing that anyhow...

Thanks!

 

[dcHokie]

Subscribed. Really nice build, well done!

 

[Pivzavod]

Totally awesome work. I've seen a few Jester clones and yours is one of the nicest ones.

I am moving next year and want to get one of these. I have 60 inches of width to work with at the location where I plan to put it. Is your chest freezer 48 inches wide?

 

[rsklhm10]

I know you indicated that you used Minwax water based stain and polyurethane, but what shade of stain is that? Maybe I missed it. Also what finish of polyurethane (i.e. satin, semi-gloss, gloss)?

Great build!

 

[Reno_eNVy]

Super cool! Subscribed, can't wait to see the photo with the tap lights on :rockin:

 

[crashmeister]

Holy crap that's beautiful Crashmeister! I was going to just do a collar and run my Perlicks through that, but this has me thinking... how much (ballpark) did you have in materials for the woodwork? Minus the base... I would be doing that anyhow...

Thanks!

I used two sheets of 4x8 oak ply at +- $48 per sheet.
The white wood (pine) is quite cheap, but I used a lot. Maybe 40 or 50 feet ?
The solid 1x4, 1x6 and 1x8 oak is quite pricy. I cannot remember the cost per foot, you can look it up on Home Depot's website. Again, maybe 40 to 50 feet ?
Sanded ply is about $25 a sheet.

All these prices are from memory. Check HD website for better accuracy.

The wood is probably around $400 to 500, I would guess.

 

[crashmeister]

I know you indicated that you used Minwax water based stain and polyurethane, but what shade of stain is that? Maybe I missed it. Also what finish of polyurethane (i.e. satin, semi-gloss, gloss)?

Great build!

Rosewood. They mix the color into a base at Home Depot.
Poly is 'Polycrylic clear satin'.

BTW, I used the stain more like a paint. Thin coats - not wiped down. I tried the wiping down on the tap board and ended up sanding it all off and starting again.

 

[crashmeister]

Totally awesome work. I've seen a few Jester clones and yours is one of the nicest ones.

I am moving next year and want to get one of these. I have 60 inches of width to work with at the location where I plan to put it. Is your chest freezer 48 inches wide?

Yes, almost exactly 48" wide.

 

[crashmeister]

Starting the tiling. Did the tap box first. Some of the insulation can be seen here.

Tiles on and drying. Sides were cut to the correct height and glued on last. The entire tap box is removable.

 

[crashmeister]

My nephew created a logo for my brewery. I'm going to frame that, and we are going to make BOD handles for the taps.

The reflection is just that, not part of the poster.

 

[crashmeister]

Back of the keezer. Dimmer switch for the lights and temperature controller mounted on recessed back board. Handles make it easier to remove the back board.

Inside of the back board. 2" thick foam that fits snugly into the tap box.

Inside the tap box. Walls are all 2" foam. Angled foam braces help snug things up when the back baord is installed. It becomes quite a tight fit. The split in the back foam makes it easier to remove. The cut is at an angle, so the top piece just pulls away and the bottom piece can be removed. You can see this in the second photo.

Also visible in these photos are the bolts which hold the tap box to blind nuts in the plywood.

Foam handles make it easier to get the foam in and out.

The back of the shanks. I ended up with 4 1/2" shanks.

 

[crashmeister]

Internals:

Four bolts are attached to blind nuts in the plywood lid. These are fastened with nuts and four small pieces of ply helping to spread the load a bit. The hole in the lid is sealed off with duct tape.

Main CO2 distribution done through secondary regs and two three way splitters. I will eventually just get a five reg battery. Its better to be able to set eack keg individually.
I tested the stain on the reg setup.

Nitrogen cylinder for the Porter/Stout.

 

[crashmeister]

The final Product: