The 'Keezer' Project

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Nice work Jester! That thing is amazing. Mine is in the works and I was curious how you attached the top to the freezer lid. I've gone through this thread twice and couldn't find the answer.
 
mroberts1204 said:
Nice work Jester! That thing is amazing. Mine is in the works and I was curious how you attached the top to the freezer lid. I've gone through this thread twice and couldn't find the answer.
Click to expand...

Here are a couple of relevant posts that should answer i:mug:

Jester369 said:
Ok, so a question came up in another thread about attaching the top.

From the construction photos, you can see that I used 5/8 ply as the foundation of the top. I drilled two holes through the plywood and down through the lid into the interior of the freezer. I then put in two captive t-nuts in the plywood holes (down from the top). Two long screws can be inserted from the bottom of the lid, up through the plywood, and into the t-nuts embedded in the plywood.

A4J, let me know if that doesn't answer it for ya! :mug:
Click to expand...

drunkatuw said:
When you search, definitely use "t-nuts", here's what they look like:

tnuts1.jpg


You can get them at any hardware store.
Click to expand...
 
"Jester" I tried to PM but your box was full. Ok so i'm going to make your keezer (as a tribute to your greatness) I have a few questions.

1. will these parts work for shanks?

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=12120{190}37{174}37

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?products_id=11230{262}37{107}737

I saw you said you would go with the 6 inch shank instead of the 4 inch. Why is that? Were there problems with using the 4 inch?

2. Can you fit it through doorways? the freezer itself is 29 1/2 inches. Which works. But how about the box? Is it managable?

Thanks for the help. I appreciate it!
 
Donthoseme -

Yeah - my paid membership ran out and I haven't gotten around to re-upping yet, so I can't get any PMs.

The parts you link to look good - basically the same stuff I used. The reason I would have gone with the longer shank in my build is that the 4" measurement is the total length of the threaded part, not the thickness of material that it can go through. Once you put on the flange on the front, and the nut on the back, and the barb for the beer line, the actual thickness of material it can go through is much less than 4" I had to cut into the insulating foam to give enough room. Not a show stopper, but I would have bought the longer ones in retrospect.

Door clearance - well, yes it does fit, but juuuuuuust barely. I have a 36" door to my garage and it just sneaks through. I can't open the door fully, so I lose a little bit of clearance - probably an inch. With about 35" available, it squeaks past with very little room on either side.
 
Wow 35 inches wide!!! i didn't expect it to be that wide. I would have to make it collapsable then for when i move. I don't like this at all.
 
That boat or airplane in the basement build can't get it out?
I had to remove the family room door to get my first keezer in the house.
I forgot about the added trim around the outside edge of the top.
 
Jester369 said:
Here's the plumbing, minus the CO2 manifold - I'm completely rethinking it now that I have the seven secondary regs. In the photo is tha faucets (as seen before) and shanks nuts and tails, some cheapo handles, the secondary regs, and gas line and beer line.

7674-KeezerPlumbing.jpg


the rope light is going to be recessed between the wood that the faucets are in, and the tiling behind the backsplash
Click to expand...

Mind telling us where you got the secondary regulator bodies for cheap? I need to buy 6 and the Swagelok ones are 260 a pop so even though I normally am a baller on regulators, that's a little steep for my blood.
 
Irrenarzt said:
Mind telling us where you got the secondary regulator bodies for cheap? I need to buy 6 and the Swagelok ones are 260 a pop so even though I normally am a baller on regulators, that's a little steep for my blood.
Click to expand...

I got them from American Scientific, but apparently their source dried up a while ago.
 
Jester, this is asking a lot, but is there any way to get your plans/help for the lid/coffin? I'm working on my "Jester clone" at the moment, but doing it backwards - got the surround done, but now have to deal with the "real" work upstairs...

sofar.jpg


I'm planning on five taps, but my counter is only going to be 4' wide by 2' deep...

Also, you gotta move that stout tap to the middle, man. Aesthetics! Aesthetics!!!!!

Jester369 said:
Ok, so I am finally at capacity with seven taps. I don't have the nitrogen setup for the stout yet, but one step at a time!

7Taps.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Jester369 said:
So I finally got in the guages for the manifold...

7674-NewKeezerManifold.jpg


Time for me to get serious about this build!
Click to expand...

Just curious, does the inside diameter of the copper pipe between each regulator matter?
I have two dual guage regulators and I want to combine them, but I'm not sure what I need to do that.
 
balvey said:
Just curious, does the inside diameter of the copper pipe between each regulator matter?
I have two dual guage regulators and I want to combine them, but I'm not sure what I need to do that.
Click to expand...

It shouldn't matter. Any pipe that you are going to find commercially should be more than enough.
 
Jester, just another :mug: to your great keezer build! It's going to be the inspiration for the one I'm building. SWMBO is more willing to let one that looks nice live in the house rather than the shop!
 
I hope to be obtaining a suitable freezer in the near future so that I can begin my own Keezer project. I can only hope it turns out as nice as this one.
 
Jester is the Helen of Troy of the homebrewing world - his build launched a thousand keezers! And a lot of them, like mine, are shameless knockoffs (I skipped the lights, and didn't use tile for the backsplash of the coffin, nor did I recess the driptray since I don't have a router):

IMG_01723.jpg


Some are better than others. This one turned out nicely:

IMG_34601.JPG
 
Hey Jester, quick question if you're monitoring this thread. The holes in the top to the coffin. Do you use any "edge protection" to prevent any abrasion into the beer lines? It seems there may be some sharp edges cutting through the steel lid & all. I was thinking on just using some Ac duct tape to prevent any chaffing.

Also, how did you secure the coffin box to the lid? 90 degree brackets?

If you answered this previously i apologize. I read the entire thread & didn't seem to come across it.


Thanks.
 
GAH! Would you guys stop resurrecting this thread!? It's giving me some serious keezer envy. ;)

My wallet can not support another project like this.

BTW, Joe, that thing is gorgeous with the finish on. :rockin:
 
Never! Thread necromancy!

I've got another shameless ripoff in progress. I blame my wife.

Me: "I can get it working by this weekend. I just need to build a collar and drill for taps!"

Her: "Drilling the collar? The pictures you showed me had the taps up top, and it looked really nice!"

Me: :eek:
 
abernat said:
Never! Thread necromancy!

I've got another shameless ripoff in progress. I blame my wife.

Me: "I can get it working by this weekend. I just need to build a collar and drill for taps!"

Her: "Drilling the collar? The pictures you showed me had the taps up top, and it looked really nice!"

Me: :eek:
Click to expand...
That's EXACTLY what happened to me. My keezer plans involved keeping it simple, and just having a collar. But then SWMBO saw me reading through this thread, spotted the pics, and that was that - I had to practice my woodworking skills, and the end result was the one a few posts up.
 
firefly765 said:
Hey Jester, quick question if you're monitoring this thread. The holes in the top to the coffin. Do you use any "edge protection" to prevent any abrasion into the beer lines? It seems there may be some sharp edges cutting through the steel lid & all. I was thinking on just using some Ac duct tape to prevent any chaffing.

Also, how did you secure the coffin box to the lid? 90 degree brackets?

If you answered this previously i apologize. I read the entire thread & didn't seem to come across it.


Thanks.
Click to expand...

I just went with duct tape to cover the edges. Not elegant, but effective!

The coffin is attached with some 3/4 x 3/4 strips of wood screwed and glued into the coffin sides with some drywall screws (black in the photo,) and screwed to the lid plywood into some blind nuts (silver in the photo.) Makes the coffin removable that way.

Here's a picture that shows both the duct tape, and the attachment method

KeezerHoles.jpg
 
Jester369 said:
I just went with duct tape to cover the edges. Not elegant, but effective!

The coffin is attached with some 3/4 x 3/4 strips of wood screwed and glued into the coffin sides with some drywall screws (black in the photo,) and screwed to the lid plywood into some blind nuts (silver in the photo.) Makes the coffin removable that way.

Here's a picture that shows both the duct tape, and the attachment method

KeezerHoles.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks, Jester. Is the tape just under the plywood? I think mine will have to be permanently attached. I'll post some pics of my build soon. Thanks for the blueprint!
 
Yup, it's just covering the sharp metal edges - the wood didn't seem to pose a real problem. You can just see the shine of the duct tape in the hole.
 
Jester,

Awesome work. Where did you get the Chrome Hole covers for the front of the shanks??

I can't find them anywhere!!!

-Craig
 
@Maltose - The cabinet is basically face frame construction. I used 1x poplar for the surround and 1/4 ply for the panel. It is not glued to the freezer, if that is your question. It is attached to the dolly underneath the freezer. I used just a couple inches of double sided sticky tape at the top back corner offsets to keep it in tight.

@cruelkix - northernbrewer has them, as does morebeer, and williamsbrewing.
 
Jester369 said:
@cruelkix - northernbrewer has them, as does morebeer, and williamsbrewing.
Click to expand...

Sweet. Thanks. In case anyone else reads this, MoreBeer had the best price for the parts ($3.25 ea) and for shipping. 4 of them cost me 18.87 after shipping costs.
 
Jester, a couple more questions:

What did you use as grout? silicone caulk? nothing?

What are you using as a prop for the lid? I'm just using a stick & it's scary as hell leaning into the keezer with a hundred + lbs waiting to crash down on my head!
 
Man, I gotta hand it to you Jester, this thread singlehandedly got me permission with SWMBO to build a bar. She said, "if you can build something that looks even half as nice as that Keezer Bar, you can put that anywhere in the house." Thanks dude! ;)

I'll post my own build thread eventually, I'm working on obtaining a freezer at the moment but may have scored a 8 cu ft one for $5 ("looks shabby but is fully functional" OKAY!) on Craigslist.
 
firefly765 said:
Jester, a couple more questions:

What did you use as grout? silicone caulk? nothing?

What are you using as a prop for the lid? I'm just using a stick & it's scary as hell leaning into the keezer with a hundred + lbs waiting to crash down on my head!
Click to expand...

I was originally going to use some silicon but in the end I was too lazy to do anything. So far even big spills have not been a real problem - they close fit keeps most out (the tiles fit so tight you can't even slide a piece of paper in) .

As for a prop, I am just using a stick, too. Maybe need to design a CO2 powered pneumatic lift! :D

DeusInnomen said:
Man, I gotta hand it to you Jester, this thread singlehandedly got me permission with SWMBO to build a bar. She said, "if you can build something that looks even half as nice as that Keezer Bar, you can put that anywhere in the house." Thanks dude! ;
Click to expand...

Glad I could help! :mug:
 
Jester, I had to thank you for the motivation. I asked the wife for the resources to build a keezer for my birthday. Going for cost, I made the mistake of pitching 'through-collar' designs. She didn't like those, I showed her the kegerator thread and she clicked through almost every page. Just my luck, she settled on your design. Clearly I don't have your carpentry skills, but I am lucky in that my Mom and Dad were both excellent carpenters. My Mom gave me all the tools like a good miter chop saw, routers, jigs, clamps, etc.

I ordered up all the stuff, told my boss I need a week off of work and voila. I am now a Jester Copycat.

Mine was a bit different in that (thankfully) I only need 5/8 sidewall clearance, I went with fake stiles, glued and screwed to 1/8 mdf panels painted flat black. They are a facade only and are not vented, they mount to the cart underneath, and to the collar via spacers. All wood is poplar, as I am waaaay too cheap to buy oak after all the guts. But yep, 6 perlicks--all mine...and your keezer pic was on my workshop wall the entire time for inspiration. Thanks for this thread, really couldn't have done it without you.

PS-Still have some cosmetics to do like base trim and a few other things, also may overhaul my coffin a bit.

IMG_2880.jpg

IMG_2930.jpg

IMG_2875.jpg
 
shroomzofdoom said:
Jester, I had to thank you for the motivation. I asked the wife for the resources to build a keezer for my birthday. Going for cost, I made the mistake of pitching 'through-collar' designs. She didn't like those, I showed her the kegerator thread and she clicked through almost every page. Just my luck, she settled on your design. Clearly I don't have your carpentry skills, but I am lucky in that my Mom and Dad were both excellent carpenters. My Mom gave me all the tools like a good miter chop saw, routers, jigs, clamps, etc.

I ordered up all the stuff, told my boss I need a week off of work and voila. I am now a Jester Copycat.

Mine was a bit different in that (thankfully) I only need 5/8 sidewall clearance, I went with fake stiles, glued and screwed to 1/8 mdf panels painted flat black. They are a facade only and are not vented, they mount to the cart underneath, and to the collar via spacers. All wood is poplar, as I am waaaay too cheap to buy oak after all the guts. But yep, 6 perlicks--all mine...and your keezer pic was on my workshop wall the entire time for inspiration. Thanks for this thread, really couldn't have done it without you.

PS-Still have some cosmetics to do like base trim and a few other things, also may overhaul my coffin a bit.
Click to expand...

Looks great!
 

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