Hello!
I have a client request to do a simple carving on the lid of a whisky barrel. I believe it’s red oak and it’s pretty rough.
I plan on planing the bottom side as it’s currently not real flat, then gluing it together and serving a logo 1/8” of an inch into the top side.
With that being said, should I avoid using a vbit on something so rough? And, does anyone know how to zero to the center of the item?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
Use a centerfinder to mark the center and then use a V bit to set the zero?
I have v carved rough sawn lumber which has a rough surface with no problem. The vbit doesnt really care if the surface is rough.
As for your planer idea another option is if the barrell lid isnt that bad the forces or your clamps in the right areas will hold it flat while being carved. Keep in mind if you plane the bottom side the top might still not be flat. Many times the planer will force the piece flat as it enters the blades and then it still comes out the same just planed on 1 side
I agree that a V bit doesn’t care if the surface is rough, but if the surface is not flat then the engraved width will vary with the surface. Unless it’s flat, I would skip the V bit.
I’ve done a few of these.
I glued the pieces together. Then, using shims to level as close as possible, surfaced one side. Flipped the piece and surfaced again. Followed by v-carve.
If you/client prefer an un-machined surface for the v-carve you’ll need to work out a compromise tool path that considers the highest points and the lowest of the non-surfaced side.
I’ve done multiple projects finding the center of wine barrel ends. I made a simple jig to quickly zero in on center. I’ve discovered the barrel ends are not always a perfect circle and you have to make a 'best guess on the multiple lines that are drawn. It’s geometry of creating a chord and finding the center point of that and then going perpendicular from that. I use my jig to draw a line. Rotate it a bit and draw another perpendicular line and then so on till I’m confident on center. Follow the link:
Is there a different option or setting in carbide motion to tell the design to work from center vs the bottom corner?
*edit I found it! Silly I never realized it just has a zero center option. I’ve always used my touchprobe.
Thanks for all the advice folks! I feel a bit better about the project! Now to glue the slats together and let it dry overnight!
For what it’s worth, in this situation I usually approach this differently: if the barrel lid is reasonably circular in the first place, attach a thick piece of MDF onto your wasteboard, and mill a circular pocket the diameter of the lid into that, a few mm deep. In the CAD/CAM file, use center as the zero reference for that circular pocket. Start with a slightly smaller diameter than needed, and enlarge it by re-running the circular pocket with adjusted diameter if needed, creeping in on the actual diameter of the lid (i.e. when it just fits). Once the lid fits, you can just proceed to run your vcarve, that you will have setup in the same CAD/CAM file you used for the pocket.
This both “finds” the center of the lid (or avoids having to find it) AND serves as a workholding method/jig.
A couple thoughts: If you are carving a design like a picture then the V-bit & rough surface should not be an issue. In fact I think it would look really nice in the unfinished rough wood.
Even with lettering or something that has outlines that should be a constant width, if you are clamping the stock down it should become somewhat flat, and any small variation might just add to the rustic look.
So, clamp it down with the rough top down, and surface the back/bottom. Flip it & clamp again, you should be really close to flat. As flat as you can get with the rough surface.
As far as finding the center. If the circular shape is not consistent, you might be spinning your wheels with the geometry chordal method. Julien’s method will get reasonably close if you’re doing a bunch of these. Otherwise, I think I would just use a tape measure in 2 different directions, one with the grain/joints of the wood, and the other across. (I assume you’re going to orient the wood with the grain/joints horizontal)
Awesome! Thank you for the info AND the confidence! I am going to do a handful of them, but it’s just a simple thick lettered logo. It’s for a distillery to be hung on the wall, so the rustic look is welcomed. I’m planning on staining the cut letterings and wiping/sanding away the surface.
It probably doesn’t make any difference, but barrels are made of white oak; red oak would leak!
That’s good to know! Just out of curiosity, what makes red oak leak compared to white?
Something about tyloses (membranes) in the pores in white oak that are missing in red oak.
I glued (with a polyurethane glue) and clamped the lid boards together and it bowed a little. I push it flat and the glue cracked and two parts came apart. I used a putty knife to remove the dried glue and used wood glue instead. But, I’m not sure the best way to keep it flat while drying. Should I clamp and set a cinder block on top while it dries?
Is that glue food safe?
You should find a Barrel Cooper and have a talk with them how Barrels work. They are solid enough to hold liquid but they are supposed to swell and shrink. Gluing the parts will defeat that action. If this is getting hung on a wall no problem, but if it’s going on a barrel better check how much the contents are worth before using it.
just my opinion.
Thx
Oh they’re just made for wall art! Not going back on. But I appreciate the concern 
You can use the weight of objects or else use clamping to get to piece flatter right after gluing. I use the weighted method for thinner material and clamping for thicker. I usually run a board or 2 in the vertical orientation on top of my glued piece and then clamp it to another piece of wood or straight down on my work bench.
Heres a quick example i found.
I think bourbon and traditional whisky barrels are use for wine maturation, which is why they are so prized.
And micro breweries as well.
