Coopering a Wooden Bucket

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm a Documentary Filmmaker interested in historic Crafts and started a "How Things Are Made" Film series with a first title "A Wooden Bucket - The White Cooper's Craft in 1850".
I thought you might like to know about this film as it explains step by step the making of an object with the not so simple geometry of a truncated cone in the historic way with little math and only handtools involved. For more information and a trailer check out mail me

 

[houtslager]

welcome to our small world, and well done on this film.Its good to see some of the "old" crafts still being carried out in today's "mad mad mad " world

 

[Anonymous]

Well, Hiatoric reenacment seems to be a way to survive with this kind of craft however the featured cooper has a breadjob (he works the early shift on the Staten Island Ferry, and then comes to historic richmond town around 2pm, dresses in his period garnments and grabs his drawknifes. He sells some of his productions though, but mainly is interested in educating about history.

Any similar living history museums in your neck of the world?

 

[Jaco]

This is an old water barrel from very early 1800's. It was used on ox wagons to transport water. It was in pieces when i got it with the one side missing. Took a lot of patience!!!!!! to get it back together again with the hoops.

 

[Anonymous]

nice piece. Do you think it orignally had a second bottom like a barrel? I think I perceive a Croze on the open end of it. (Croze is the groove that takes the bottom of barrels and buckets.)

 

[Chris Knight]

Gregor,
Jaco talks about one side missing so I guess it did have another bottom, or a top or a side.

 

[Anonymous]

Oops, I must have overread this part of the post

 

[Jaco]

Hi, it was a "small" barrel, with a bung hole in the top and it hung on the handle on the side of an ox wagon. If you look closely you can see where it bumped against something.
I still have a half wine barrel also from that era that needs to be assembled.
Will get around tuit. I suppose after 100 years+, another year or so will be ok.

 

[Anonymous]

Great you might soon advance to the position of an official wine barrel inspector. Beer barrels not excluded. :lol: