Timber Clad Vessel Project

[barneey]

Hi All,

I have finally started work on my timber clad vessel project, having taken inspiration from polmoog pots and more recently spuds paddle I thought it was time to start woodworking again.

The progress so far is 60 pieces (allowing for a few spare) of oak machined at 7.5 degree angle complete with slots for biscuits this should enable two 100 ltrs pots to be clad with enough room for a heating + cooling coil between the pot and the cladding for a FV + large bottom void for any other equipment? and a very insulated MT or what ever else I can think off. Just hope I`ve got my diameter calculations right.

The progress so far..





Probadly going to be clean insitu only due to using 32mm thick oak...

[Kev888]

A very solid job on the way, should really look the business!

Chunky, too - I see what you mean about CIP

Cheers
Kev

[Befuddler]

Ooooooh, you swanky git. Can't wait to see this one finished.

[bellebouche]

Quite lovely. Look forward to seeing the finished product.

Will you strap it?

[barneey]

Quite lovely. Look forward to seeing the finished product.

Will you strap it?

With the amount of glueing surface area, coupled with either a tongue or biscuits I think the joint will be strong enough to withstand most knocks. I do however want to strap the vessel for both additional support and decoration purposes.

Not too sure if it would suit stainless or copper bands?

[WishboneBrewery]

a non-brewing related question:
do most Timber merchants sell Oak? I have thoughts of quirky looking oak shelves for the kitchen.
cheers

[barneey]

If you want to buy on line have a look here actually have pictures of the figured oak etc that you would be buying. A few examples here

I would however advise if you have a local timber merchant near you to actually go have a look at what is available, figure etc.

Places like Jewson and Travis normally wont stock too much oak and quality may or may not be good, so would recommend more of a specialist timber merchant near you, if there is one.

[WishboneBrewery]

that place is literally 5 mins in the car from me

[barneey]

This afternoon I had a dry run at fitting the slats together with 3 biscuits per joint, constructed half a side to see what the internal diameter was likely to be. Its going to be between 510 and 520mm, so might now have to rethink the pipework around the outside of the pot, or use smaller microbore pipework. Will have to route out the pieces to except the bottom, then when happy will glue the thing together.

Not too sure what the lid arrangement will be yet, apart from the stainless pot lid will be consealed, with perhaps a timber lid finishing the pot off.

[WishboneBrewery]

wow!!!

[Hogarth]

Very nice work, Barneey. That's going to look stunning.

If it were me, I'd go with copper rather than stainless for the straps. I think it'd look better against the oak.

[Kev888]

Nice!

If you oil the oak it'll probably go quite a bit darker, so the warmer tones of copper or brass would be my own personal preference. When you come to do the real run I'd probably also space the darker/lighter and more characterfully-grained pieces in a pleasing pattern - the finish may or may not make them more uniform but there'll still be a bit of variation.

Cheers
Kev

[barneey]

Thanks for all your kind comments...

Have decided to go with popular opinion for the copper strips was thinking about a 2inch (ish) band top and bottom (nearly fell of my chair when looking at copper prices) glued and copper riveted as a decorative fixing method.

A simple oiled oak finish with grain / colour etc being carefully selected for contrast.

Once the pot is in position (handles removed) I was thinking about permanently fixing it in position certainly for the FV with PU foam. Just wondered though if I was to say wrap the pot first in tin foil then PU the area between the pot and the oak it would mean I might at least make the pot removeable for cleaning? A lot will depend on the cooling method used for the FV.
Cheers

Clive

[Spud395]

Fantastic work, I just love natural timber, and would eventualy hope to do something along these lines (only I'd be inclined to skimp and look for easy options )
I agree copper would look the bomb, but there will be a good bit of work to keep it shiney.

Keep us updated

[Kev888]

I've clad fridges etc in foil before filling/sealing them into cupboards with expanding foam, it certainly makes disassembly easier whenever I've taken them apart afterwards. But its a very snug fit and the foam isn't especially giving when set so I'm not sure if you could withdraw a pot, with everything intact, or not - would be very neat if you could. If not, perhaps a layer of more squidgy/giving rubberised foam or something rather than just foil could help.

It could also be worth looking into the galvanic corrosion implications in case of spills/moisture - I can't remember where aluminium and stainless stand on the Anodic Index but I'd imagine there was some separation.

I'd be in two minds between sealing it fully and allowing a gap that could harbour moisture etc even if it were cleanable. On the one hand it would seem like less work to keep clean, on the other it would be convenient to remove the FV if the cladding is heavy. Probably it depends on how good a CIP process you can devise or want to be bothered with.

Cheers
Kev