What is this called?

[Bojam]

I was asked by a client/friend to convert an old rum barrel into a liquor cabinet/bar.

Started like this:

Finished like this:

I installed a false bottom and a middle shelf, both 15mm ply painted black as the client requested. I had to install some wooden half moons in the inside of the door to retain the shape. And wheels were added for mobility. The interior of the barrel was left unfinished as per instructions.

My question (excuse my ignorance but I haven’t work much with temperate hardwoods) is what do you call this natural swirly effect in the oak:

Cheers.

 

[Alpha-Dave]

Medullary rays. The tree grows outwards in rings and these are structures that continue between the rings, so appearing to radiate out from the centre.

Depending on the direction that the wood is cut they are either very obvious or invisible.

I don’t think they have a significant effect on the strength or dimensional stability, but can be very attractive in the right piece.

Nice restoration work!

I assume you had to do something to get the hinges to move smoothly, our was there enough wiggle room in them that they were ok on the curve?

 

[Bojam]

Medullary rays. The tree grows outwards in rings and these are structures that continue between the rings, so appearing to radiate out from the centre.

Depending on the direction that the wood is cut they are either very obvious or invisible.

I don’t think they have a significant effect on the strength or dimensional stability, but can be very attractive in the right piece.

Thanks for that Dave. Knew I’d read about it somewhere but couldn’t remember the term. Had “cathedral” in my head but not sure why.

 

[recipio]

Almost unique to oak. They appear when the wood is quarter sawn so you are unlikely to find them in commercial timber. They distinguish oak from sweet Chestnut which is a very near relative.

 

[Adam W.]

Nerd alert/

If you want to get down and nerdy....It's ray parenchyma and all trees have it. It is the food storage cell laid down by the tree as it grows, which it can draw on in times of stress. There are medullary and intermediate ray parenchyma, the medullary ray parenchyma emits from the medulla and the intermediate ray parenchyma fills in the gaps between.

The parenchyma rays are a point of weakness and are exploited by woodworkers who like to rive their timber along the radial plane to produce superior stock to work with.

/nerd alert.

 

[Yojevol]

Almost unique to oak. They appear when the wood is quarter sawn so you are unlikely to find them in commercial timber.

Not altogether true. Quarter sawing was a method to maximise the visability of the rays on the flat sides of planks, but it was relatively wasteful in usable timber.. Nowadays through-and-through sawing is the norm. The rays will appear in all their glory on the middle and widest planks from a tree trunk. Looking on the ends of these middle planks, the growth rings will appear at right angles to the face. The effect of the rays reduces as you go to the outer planks such that the outer third are probably not worth considering if you are looking for the wonderful patterns.
It is thought that the rays are softer material which help spread moisture more evenly across the growth rings.
Brian

 

[Bojam]

Nice restoration work!

I assume you had to do something to get the hinges to move smoothly, our was there enough wiggle room in them that they were ok on the curve?

Cheers. Seems to be enough give in the hinges without modification. Time will tell if they hold up. If not we’ll find something stronger and mortice them in if required. Hardware options in the local DIY stores are quite limited here but I’m sure we can order something online if necessary. Would like to find a more attractive and robust lock/catch as the one installed is rubbish (hence not bothering to paint it black, it will be replaced asap).

 

[Andy's Shed]

That looks great What was your process?

 

[Bojam]

That looks great What was your process?

Thanks Andy.

Process was as follows:

1. Clean up the barrel. Used a wire brush attachment on a drill and 40 grit sandpaper both on the ROS and by hand.

2. Fix the metal rings to the barrel. Pilot holes drilled. One screw driven through each ring centered on every stave.

3. Marked and cut the door. Angle grinder used to cut the metal rings. Hand saw (cheap Stanley) used to cut across the staves at the top and bottom of the opening. Door removed no bother.

4. Quickly realized that the door would require reinforcing from the inside as it showed signs of wanting to “spread” - i.e. to splay out and thus lose it’s shape relative to the rest of the barrel. Marked the internal curve, cut templates on card, transferred to wood and cut using bandsaw. This process was time consuming as it was difficult to get the curve right and achieve a perfect fit without distorting the door (the risk of overcompensating and pulling the door curve too tight was real!). In future I would reinforce the internal curve of the door immediately, ideally using metal. Perhaps the easier way would be to cut pieces from spare metal barrel rings if available as these would already have the desired curve.

5. Sanding. The initial clean had removed most of the worst grime but the exterior surface still needed further work to clean up and achieve a nice aesthetic. This was complicated by the metal rings which got in the way of the sander and meant a lot of hand sanding. I went up to 120 grit only as we wanted to retain character and the client was happy with a rustic appearance. If I do this again I would try to remove all rings apart from the very top and bottom at the beginning (which would be screwed first) in order to allow quick and easy sanding. I think this possible without risking the integrity of the barrel. If not it could be done in stages. Once sanded the rings would be reinstalled and fixed as per step 2 before the door was cut.

6. Install shelves. Marked locations. Calculated circle diameters and cut from 15 mm ply using router and circle cutting jig. Painted with spray can. Leveled bottom shelf (false bottom) by using screws installed on the underside as the original bottom was very uneven. Fabricated small wooden brackets with beveled face to match the curve of the barrel and a rebate for the screws. Marked locations and installed these and slid in the middle shelf. Had to cut a small wedge piece for the middle shelf as the barrel was not a perfect circle and there was a small gap on one side which was obvious when I marked and cut the front edge off the shelf to make it stop in-line with the internal door opening.

7. Install wheels. Made four plywood platforms to attach the wheels to with flanges to fix the bottom of the barrel. Screwed glued in place. The platforms were necessary because the rim protruded 45mm beyond the bottom and I needed clearance for the wheels with access to the locking mechanisms on the castors.

8. Paint external metal. Loads of painters tape used to protect the barrel then metal rings and hinges painted with spray can.

9. Apply finish to the wood (exterior and inside of door only as per clients wishes). Used homemade paste wax - mix of raw linseed oil and bees wax. Applied liberally and then buffed after an hour or two. Easy to reapply if necessary. Barrel will live indoors and won’t be walked on, eaten off, etc., so should be sufficient.

Hope that gives enough detail but let me know if anyone wants more specific info.

My friend (the client) runs rum tasting events locally and thinks he can sell these cabinets/bars to his clients. He can source the barrels from the local distillery in Saint Laurent du Maroni so I may have repeat orders. The key will be to streamline the process and cut down on clean up time and fiddling with the fit of the door after cutting (i.e. reinforce immediately before it has sprung). If anyone has any suggestions on other time saving ideas then I’m all ears. Not really fine woodworking not the most engrossing work but satisfying and may offer a decent source of supplementary income.

 

[bansobaby]

If anyone has any suggestions on other time saving ideas then I’m all ears.

If you can access the inside of the barrel relatively easily before you cut the door out (which I appreciate may not be the case), you could do the door reinforcement before you cut it.......

 

[Bojam]

If you can access the inside of the barrel relatively easily before you cut the door out (which I appreciate may not be the case), you could do the door reinforcement before you cut it.......

Good idea but not really possible. Would require removing the lid which would probably require removing metal rings. And then working inside the barrel from the top which would be a very confined and awkward space.