A wood barrel maker, or cooper, undergoes a long apprenticeship to learn the process of making barrels. A cooper must have precise wood-working skills and extensive knowledge of different wood types. Making a single wooden barrel can take several years.
Selecting the Wood
The most popular wood for barrel making is oak. White oak is for storing liquids, while red oak is more appropriate for dry goods. Other woods for barrel making include spruce, ash, chestnut and pine. A single oak tree of five feet in diameter will produce two to four barrels. Coopers choose trees that have grown slowly to ensure a tight grain in the wood. The trunk of the tree must be without insect infestation, disease or holes from squirrels and other tree dwellers.
Carving the Staves
The staves are the pieces of wood that make up the barrel and run vertically. You hand split them from the trunk of the tree with jointer planes and draw knives. The staves must all be the same length and width. If the staves are from a fresh trunk, they will need to age for three to five years in a dry atmosphere. You must monitor the humidity of the staves and keep it at 15 percent. This ensures a tight stave that will not leak. After drying, the cooper tapers the ends of the finished staves to give the barrel its bulging middle shape. It may be necessary to hollow out the inside of the wider part of the staves to get them to bend properly.
Shaping the Barrel
Use fire to shape wooden barrels. Coopers stack staves in a circle and hold them together with metal hoops. They then place the barrel over an open fire contained in a basket called a cresset. Only use oak chips in the shaping fire if you are making a barrel for aging wine. The fire relaxes the wood and allows the cooper to add tighter and tighter hoops until the staves are flush. The cooper levels off the ends of the staves and then custom makes a top and bottom for the barrel. You attach the tops and bottoms with an additional metal hoop.
Finishing Touches
The outside of the barrel needs a sanding treatment to make sure there are no rough spots. Fill the barrel with cold water and let it set for a day or two to check for any leaks.
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