Finally knocked a project off the bucket list...

[Michael Fross]

Yep, a bucket. Well, technically a pail. I've been really interested in coopering for some time and have read several books, but it really mystified me. Luckily, I met a cooper in my woodworking club who was teaching a class and we just wrapped it up.

This is in cedar so it's both easy to work and very frustrating to work. But it was a really fun two days of hand tool work. I had not previously used a drawknife and shaving horse. Plus all of the unique coopering tools were run to use. Croze. Nantucket Driver. Etc.

The question I have is will it hold water. I think it will if the wood swells to cover up some mistakes. I'll have to give it a shot and see.

Now to try to convince the wife that this belongs on the mantel :D

Michael

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[Tim Cooper Louisiana]

I should probably be interested in coopering, but I'm not. I do like your bucket.

[Ray Selinger]

If you had a nice wooden sailing boat, it certainly would have a use. So you know what the next project is.

[rod termaat]

That's awesome. Thanks for sharing. On my 'bucket' list. Can't believe I'm the first to post that.

[paul cottingham]

I am fascinated by coopering. Really want to make a bucket.
nicely done.

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for showing this and +1 on what Paul said.

Is it difficult to figure or cut the angles needed on the staves? (if that is what they are called)

Is there a book you would recommend?

jtk

[paul cottingham]

A couple (three? four?) Woodwrights Shop entries are about coopering, it would give you a good head start. The really tough part would be what to use to cut the croze (the grove the bottom goes in. Ironically, the tool is called a croze.)

[george wilson]

Copers never make good poets because they can only write in croze.

[Tim Cooper Louisiana]

Copers never make good poets because they can only write in croze.

Haha. That's a good one George.

[Brian Holcombe]

Nice work! I find those small cypress buckets very appealing as well! I have a few of them, which are purposeful but not that often used because I enjoy looking at them.

[george wilson]

That's enough hoop-la about coopers from me!:)

[Michael Fross]

Thanks for showing this and +1 on what Paul said.

Is it difficult to figure or cut the angles needed on the staves? (if that is what they are called)

Is there a book you would recommend?

jtk
Hello Jim,

I thought this part was really interesting. You will have staves of different widths due to sloppy cutting, extra plannng on the angles on some staves, or because you need a smaller one at the end. But all that matters is that the angles both point to the center of the bucket. Imagine drawing an line along the angle on the sides. These two lines should intersect at the center of the bucket. Then you know your angles are right.

We used a simple tool that was two pieces of wood connected by leather at the bottom so they opened like dividers. Inches were measured out on them. So if you put that on either side of the staves at the marking of the bucket's radius, they should sit flat on both sides. If they don't you have to plan away until they do.

It's pretty simple, but hard to describe.

The best book for a beginner like me is probably "How to Make a Coopered Wooden Bucket" by James D. Gaster (www.beaverbuckets.com (http://www.beaverbuckets.com)). I just noticed they have a DVD. I'll have to get that. Seeing how it's done is important for me. Somethings are just hard to visualize from a book.

I don't think I'll make a lot of them (how many buckets do you really need?) but I would like to make another..perhaps out of oak instead of cedar. Cedar was a good wood to use as it's easy to work, but it dents and splinters so bad I think it's hard to make a really nice looking pail.

Michael

[John Sanford]

Very nice. One thing to keep in mind is that after the Zombie Apocalypse, when it's time to rebuild civilization, it's the utility woodworking that's going to be most valuable. And buckets are one of the most useful of wood implements. Just how important was coopering in pre-industrial times? Consider how common the name "cooper" is and you'll have your answer.

(Yes, making some buckets is on my bucket list as well....)