Hickory Keezer

[Oberon]

The last time I bottled I was almost finished when I noticed mold in the spigot of the bottling bucket between the plastic. The beer turned out fine but while I worried about it I decided to start kegging.

I did some research here and decided on a Kenmore 7.2 cu ft 18702 because it could hold four ball locks and a 5 lb tank. I modified the thermostat to hold 38 degrees and went about deciding on a design.

I searched the internet for weeks coming up with a design I liked and used SketchUp to mock it up. I had never used SketchUp so had to do a bit of internet learning but I really enjoyed the process and was able to work out design issues before cutting any wood.

I settled on Hickory because I like the look of it but had no idea how hard it is. It machines like metal and dulls blades about as fast!

My friend has all the wood working tools we needed and between the two of us we can usually figure out how to do something without screwing it up too badly. This was definitely a team project.

It's not done yet but it's close and I feel confident that it will be done soon so I decided to post. I still have a few questions that someone might be able to answer. I'll post those below.

 

[Oberon]

This is how it stands today. The inlay will be patina copper. If there is enough copper left over the back splash will be patina copper too.

It is on casters so I will be able to roll it away from the wall to change kegs.

Some of the first boards cut. We paid close attention to the grain pattern though we did make one mistake when assembling (I'm not telling you what it was).

The tap board.

One of the sides. The insert is 1/4" hickory plywood. It's floating in a slot in the outside wood. The frame is glued and pocket screwed with biscuit joints to hold the alignment.

Pocket screw joint.

The box coming together. The back is just pine plywood. It will be against the wall.

The top being clamped together. We biscuit jointed the 45 degree joints. It was a serious pain to get those joints exactly flush.

The box on the base with the top and coffin sides. No trim or coffin top yet.

A closer look at the top of the coffin. That was an exercise in patience. There are a lot of angles that had to be exact and it took a whole lot of sanding.

A look at the freezer with three of four kegs.

 

[Oberon]

Here's a SketchUp image. Finally figured out how to take a screenshot.

Attached the copper to the backing board yesterday. Used DAP contact cement. The can says not to use on copper but there were enough testimonials online to give me confidence it would work. It was amazingly easy to work with.

Set the copper on the bar top.

 

[doug293cz]

Beautiful workmanship!

One question: Do you have a way worked out to keep the beer lines between the keezer and the taps cold? If not the warm lines could lead to foaming issues.

Brew on

 

[Oberon]

Thanks. I'm planning on running the lines through copper tubes from the cooler to the taps. The copper will be in foam the entire run. I'm hoping there will be enough thermal conductivity in the copper to minimize foaming.

Anyone know how much copper needs to be in the cooler to keep 14" of beer line cool?

 

[brdb]

Thanks. I'm planning on running the lines through copper tubes from the cooler to the taps. The copper will be in foam the entire run. I'm hoping there will be enough thermal conductivity in the copper to minimize foaming.

Anyone know how much copper needs to be in the cooler to keep 14" of beer line cool?

I used type L copper coil (walls are a bit thicker than the cheaper refrigeration coil) in my kegerator. Taps sit about 10" above the fridge and the copper coil starts at about 6-8" inside the fridge and runs up to the shank (fridge temp is mid to high 30s). I ran one beer line through each piece of copper (I believe it was 3/8" ID copper). That got rid of my foaming issues.

 

[passedpawn]

A work of art! Your friend has a very clean shop.

 

[Grannyknot]

I've not seen much hickory furniture, but that is gorgeous.
Did you put any sort of a finish on it?
Based on that, Hickory might just be up there with Walnut as far as my favorite furniture hardwoods.

 

[Homercidal]

Looking good!

 

[Oberon]

My plan is to do oil based polyurethane over the entire bar, including the copper. I considered doing epoxy over the copper but want a more natural look. I actually spent the money on the epoxy so I'll have to find another project for it.

Walnut was my second choice. I considered doing a light stain on the hickory to darken it up a bit but the test piece I did lost the contrast between the dark and light wood so I decided to leave it natural with just polyurethane to protect it.

I opted for stainless Perlick faucets and I'll replace the standard black plastic flanges with stainless. The drip tray is 19" stainless.

I'm a little concerned about the MDF that I'm planning on using under the copper. MDF tends to swell when wet. It shouldn't get wet but if there is a spill it's possible. I'm going to do a test with MDF coated in polyurethane; if I can seal it enough to prevent water from getting in I'll go ahead with it otherwise I'll use plywood. Does anyone have experience with MDF on a bar?

 

[Oberon]

Not sure how I'm going to support the top when its open. I have a piano hinge in the back but nothing to stop it from flopping over the top. Maybe a rope?

 

[passedpawn]

Not sure how I'm going to support the top when its open. I have a piano hinge in the back but nothing to stop it from flopping over the top. Maybe a rope?

You could put a chest lid stay on there. Lots of options there.

http://www.rockler.com/soft-down-lid-supports
http://www.rockler.com/trunk-lid-support-select-finish

 

[Grannyknot]

Yes, a toy chest lid support like passedpawn mentioned.
They make little pneumatic/gas shocks as well, but those can get expensive.
I suppose the important thing to consider is how much weight they will need to support.

I would stay away from MDF. I hate that stuff with a passion. A single drop of liquid can completely junk out a piece of mdf.

You might consider a wood conditioner on the hickory before you poly.
Sometimes poly direct on wood does weird things. I suppose you've got enough scrap to do some test runs though.

 

[Oberon]

Could you expand more on "weird things"? I've done a few test scraps but I'm all for doing something simple to avoid sanding the whole thing down.

I'm definitely nervous about the MDF. I'll run a test with poly and if anything goes wrong I'll do something else. The rail is 1" thick so I'll have to glue two dds together to get to the right thickness no matter what I do.

 

[Grannyknot]

Could you expand more on "weird things"? I've done a few test scraps but I'm all for doing something simple to avoid sanding the whole thing down.

I'm definitely nervous about the MDF. I'll run a test with poly and if anything goes wrong I'll do something else. The rail is 1" thick so I'll have to glue two dds together to get to the right thickness no matter what I do.

Well, I'd certainly recommend sanding the whole thing down with a 220 before you apply anything to it. You are also going to have to wet sand the poly coat. I feel like on certain wood, when poly gets into the grain of raw wood, it looks funny. I can't explain it, and I've never used Hickory so I don't know how it would effect it. Do consider a wood conditioner though.

As far as the MDF goes, why don't you see if you can find a piece of Walnut to fit in there? That would look very nice.

 

[Oberon]

You could put a chest lid stay on there. Lots of options there.

http://www.rockler.com/soft-down-lid-supports
http://www.rockler.com/trunk-lid-support-select-finish

That looks pretty good but I think I've overbuilt the lid. It is essentially 1 1/2" of plywood plus the box on top and the trim. I attached the trim to the lid in order to create a tight seal on the cooler and to have an air vent but didn't consider the weight. I guess its not important that the lid closes softly only that it doesn't fall over the back.

 

[passedpawn]

I guess its not important that the lid closes softly only that it doesn't fall over the back.

The second link in my post is what you want then.

 

[Oberon]

Well, I'd certainly recommend sanding the whole thing down with a 220 before you apply anything to it. You are also going to have to wet sand the poly coat. I feel like on certain wood, when poly gets into the grain of raw wood, it looks funny. I can't explain it, and I've never used Hickory so I don't know how it would effect it. Do consider a wood conditioner though.

As far as the MDF goes, why don't you see if you can find a piece of Walnut to fit in there? That would look very nice.

The MDF is going to be covered in patina copper so I'm really only concerned about any liquid that slips down around the drip tray.

I looked up wood conditioner and don't think it is applicable with hickory. It is apparently used on soft woods to allow them to accept stain uniformly. Hickory is about as hard as wood comes and has a super tight grain.

I've already sanded the whole thing with 220 but will do one final sanding and cleaning before I apply the polyurethane and wet sand between coats.

 

[kXb]

That is going to be one fine looking keezer! Are you doing anything to prevent it from overheating in the enclosure?

 

[Oberon]

The second link in my post is what you want then.

Agreed, except on a larger scale. I might see if I can find a thin steel cable, like a dog cable. That should be plenty strong. Gas pistons would be pretty nice though...

 

[Grannyknot]

The MDF is going to be covered in patina copper so I'm really only concerned about any liquid that slips down around the drip tray.

I looked up wood conditioner and don't think it is applicable with hickory. It is apparently used on soft woods to allow them to accept stain uniformly. Hickory is about as hard as wood comes and has a super tight grain.

I've already sanded the whole thing with 220 but will do one final sanding and cleaning before I apply the polyurethane and wet sand between coats.

Somehow I missed the entire copper thing. That is going to look awesome. MDF should be fine.

The conditioner isn't critical some like it & some don't bother. Not all conditioners are for soft woods. I have a conditioner that I use on Walnut & Oak, which are relatively hard, but yes Hickory is much harder. The hard wood conditioner I use closes some of the pores on the grain, so it doesn't come out quite so dark.

 

[dnslater]

MDF should be fine. Put a couple layers of Poly on. It should soak right in.

 

[Oberon]

So...I couldn't help myself and I ordered gas springs. I have no clue if they will work but they are 100 lb lifts with an extended length of 19.69" so wish me luck!

 

[Oberon]

Anyone have an idea for tap handles? I'm thinking something simple and elegant. Wish I had a lathe...

 

[Grannyknot]

Anyone have an idea for tap handles? I'm thinking something simple and elegant. Wish I had a lathe...

Do you have access to a drill press?

http://youtu.be/K9vZOI4Af_A

Some scrap Hickory pieces would make sweet handles.

 

[FuriousE]

I always love a nice green and blue copper patina.. Like this one I paired with a walnut table.

 

[Oberon]

Do you have access to a drill press?

http://youtu.be/K9vZOI4Af_A

Some scrap Hickory pieces would make sweet handles.

I do. That's intriguing. I wonder how easily hickory turns? It might be worth a shot.

 

[dnslater]

I believe Ammonia speeds up the patina process. In older days they used horse piss.

 

[Oberon]

I looked into procuring horse piss - race horse piss specifically, I hear they have to piss a lot - but decided to let the pros handle the patina and bought the design I posted above.

 

[purplehaze]

Hey, Oberon that is a sweet keezer build; first one I have seen made out of hickory. I like the copper idea too.

I don't know of a calculation for how much copper you will need inside the freezer but I've done it a few different ways in the ones I have built. Each has worked great at reducing first pour foaming. If I remember right there was only a couple degree difference between the freezer temp and the poured beer temp.