The Rad-Keezer build, Hotness included

[Rad-Rabbit]

Well let me start of by saying thanks to a few people.
First to my almost brother in-law Josh for letting me borrow his table saw. Also my other almost brother in-law Dave for letting me borrow his air compressor and nail guns. Lastly to one of my best friends Dave for letting me borrow his miter saw. One last thanks to Jester. We have never talked but when I first found this site in the beginning of my brewing, I found your Keezer build. I knew that I wanted to build my own version that moment.

So after a bunch of batches of bottling brew I decided to build my Keezer. From start to finish it took from Saturday to Wednesday, Thursday for grout.

Here are some pics of the build. Feel free to ask any questions if you like. I will try to answer anything asked.

It's made from Clear Pine 1x2"s, 1x3"s, 1x4"s, 1x6"s and a 1x8" made from three 1x3's glued together. A 1x3" actually measures 3/4"x2.5", just as a1x2" is 3/4x1.5" etc... The side panels are made from 5.2mm Natural Birch Hardwood floated like a cabinet door. The stand and top have been made from 5/8" roofing flake board and a few pieces of 2x3" for the stand.

All cuts have been made with either a table saw or a miter saw, No router though I wish I had one on many of cuts. The only exception is the miter cuts of the 1x6 used as the back splash. I used a hand saw for that so I could cut it to match the sides of the top.

This is a pic of the GE 7 CU.FT. freezer with the stand made from the roofing board and some left over 2x3" & 1x6's.

Here is the frame made form a collection of 1x2's & 1x3's. All joints mitered and slotted.

And one more so you can see some of the cuts better.

 

[Rad-Rabbit]

This is a test fit of the shield over the Freezer.

and one more

Here is the Roofing flake board cut for the top of the freezer. I have cut a recess for the drip tray.

One more

 

[Rad-Rabbit]

And here it is with the 1x4' for the 3 sides and a 1x6 for the back splash.

Here is a shot with the top installed with the bottom fully assembled. The top was adhered with a caulk gun with all purpose adhesive and 3" 10-24 screws with washers and "T" Nuts.

A shot of the 6x6 tile installed but not grouted before I changed it to have a 1x8" for the taps to mount to.

 

[Rad-Rabbit]

And finally a few glory shots of the Rad-Keezer completed.

It Fits 4 Corney kegs and a #5 Co2 tank with no problem. It uses a Ranco controller for temp. Also the whole build is protected with wipe on Polly to finish the wood. And Minwax to fill all of the nail holes.

It was all measure and cut, no plans other then the ones in my head.

SO what do you think? Not bad for a guy with a few days & some spare time?

 

[Rad-Rabbit]

Just a few things I left out...
The Tap is of center because I'm going to add a second Tower in the future for stout & root beer. Also the wood was sanded with an Orbital sander before the Polly was applied.

 

[Skrimpy]

That's some nice work.

 

[JesseRC]

That's really nice! Was wonder if you have any pics of how the birchwood was applied and also one of the top open. I take it you didn't do anything to the hinges. Is there any reason you placed the taps so far back. I guess it just might be photo perspective, but is it hard to reach. That thing is awesome.

 

[Ceedubya]

Nice work!

Did you make a vent for the motor to stay cool?

I am stealing the bottom wrap idea for my upcoming project

 

[Rad-Rabbit]

That's really nice! Was wonder if you have any pics of how the birchwood was applied and also one of the top open. I take it you didn't do anything to the hinges. Is there any reason you placed the taps so far back. I guess it just might be photo perspective, but is it hard to reach. That thing is awesome.

Here you go. I cut a groove into the frame with the table saw before I assembled it. The Birch would press in from the back. Then cut some scraps cut to 5" lengths and nailed them from the back to hold the Birch in place.

As far as placement of the taps. They are 2' from the very front, no problem to reach at all. But I placed them there because we are going to put stools around it to use it as a bar.

Nice work!

Did you make a vent for the motor to stay cool?

I am stealing the bottom wrap idea for my upcoming project

There is a few inches of space around the freezer, The frame just slips over as a cover.

 

[TerapinChef]

Looks great...when you said hotness included, I was thinking it was going to look a bit more like Jester's Keezer thread...oh well great job

 

[EdWort]

Nice job. Room for another tower too. How much effort does it take to change out a keg? Can you do it by yourself?

 

[Rad-Rabbit]

Thanks, Yes you can change out kegs with little problem. You simply lift the lid and insert a small prop. The prop allows you to remove the lower frame (when accessing the inside by yourself). After you slide the frame from the freezer you simply slide the freezer a bit from the wall and insert a longer prop to hold the lid up. Insert or removes kegs with the same ease you would had it not been modified.

 

[Notnice]

very nice man, love how clean it looks

 

[TimSTi]

I had intentions of building a bar with a mini-fridge and draft tower implemented but now that I've seen this I'm thinking I might go this route. I'm still renting so I can't build anything too permanent and i feel like this would be plenty suffice. Good work!

 

[JesseRC]

I love how if need be you can take it apart. The wrap, the freezer, and I guess you can take the lid off in a jiffy if you need to move it . Sweet. So the top is just glued on huh?

 

[Rad-Rabbit]

I love how if need be you can take it apart. The wrap, the freezer, and I guess you can take the lid off in a jiffy if you need to move it . Sweet. So the top is just glued on huh?

Yep, You can remove the lid for moving if needed, It's just 8 screws on the back hinges.
The top in not "just glued" there are 6 3" 10-24 screws & washers going through the freezer lid into the flake board under the tiles. They fasten with the help of 6 "T" nuts under the tiles. You can see the screws and washers from this pic. The All purpose "Caulk" Type adhesive is there to ensure that the lid never get loose. Likewise all of the wood joints have wood glue between them so the nails never get loose.

 

[kal]

Nice woodworking! Well done! I raise a pint to you! (Which reminds me my pint is empty... off to get another IPA...)

Kal

 

[RedIrocZ-28]

Looks great...when you said hotness included, I was thinking it was going to look a bit more like Jester's Keezer thread...oh well great job

Where is THIS thread at? Link?

OP, nice work, enjoyed the pictures a lot.

 

[TimSTi]

Where is THIS thread at? Link?

OP, nice work, enjoyed the pictures a lot.

Search "Keezer" you'll find it. It's the 20+ page thread

 

[Jester369]

One last thanks to Jester. We have never talked but when I first found this site in the beginning of my brewing, I found your Keezer build. I knew that I wanted to build my own version that moment.

Looks great!

 

[Brew-ta-sauraus]

Great job! If my old Kenmore kegerator ever dies this is the route I will be going.

 

[Tripod]

I know I'm coming in late but this is really nice!

 

[Edcculus]

Well let me start of by saying thanks to a few people.
First to my almost brother in-law Josh for....

Hey rad-rabbit, ima let you finish. I just wanted to say Edwort has the best keezer of all time.

ha, just had to do that. Looks great.

 

[Catt22]

Does the weight of the tile, wood and tower cause any problems when opening and accessing the kegs? Nice work and fast too! I think I would add a muffin fan to circulate air between the freezer and the cover to improve the heat transfer.

 

[android]

looks nice man, good work.

 

[Sawdustguy]

Your keezer looks great! One question though. Did you leave an opening in the left side for the freezer vent? How did you handle that?

 

[Rad-Rabbit]

The entire keezer has breathing room around the front/side fascia. 3" in the front and 2" around the sides. The top the the fascia is completely open and gets hidden by the 1x4 side trim around the lid/ceramic bar top.

 

[payton34]

nice job i have the tools but not the skills yet but i am going to save your pics for when i do!

 

[kegtoe]

Rad, so your flake board is borderred on 3 sides by 1x4 and the back with 1x6. It looks like this whole frame-work overhangs both the freezer lid and the bottom panelinging. Is that the case? If so what keeps the 1x4s and 1x6 attached to the flake board?

It seems to me that the flake board is secured very well to the lid. I just cant picture how that border stays on with just 1/2 inch of contact.

 

[Rad-Rabbit]

The Trim/boarder is nailed every 4" and wood glued the entire length including the corners. It is also was in contact with the tile adhesive under the tile. The ceramic tiles are grouted between/to them also making the total contact 1". A 1x4 is actually 0.75 x 3.5", I have only 2.5" of under hang. It's feels completely secure and doesn't move or wiggle at all.

However, I can see your concern, originally I had planed to run a 1x1"along the inside. However after the assembly of the lid it seemed unnecessary and I never got back to it. If you are building your own in similar fashion by all means add it to your design, it certainly won't hurt it. I may even add it when I make my update in January. I'll post some new pics then.