Glueing Barrel Heads

[@kelvinjardin5720]

Thank you for the video and the instructional comment replies! I would of never found this 4 way clamp without it, it's a real game changer when clamping these lids

[@bocceball63]

Love that clamp....where can you get those?

[@tonyderricotte4200]

Your the coolest cat I’ve ever seen!

[@sandrabell8161]

What is that contraption you used to clamp and tighten that cask end?

[@kevinfrench5915]

It's called a 4-way pressure clamp I bought mine @ www.amazon.com/Way-Pressure-Clamp-Clamping-Panels/dp/B073QSF8JR/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1GN3M24ZM1VR3&keywords=4+way+clamp&qid=1653317791&sprefix=4+way+clip%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-2

[@dmegli40]

Great video! How long do you find you need for the glue to set? Is it still the normal 2-3 hours in the clamp?

[@kevinfrench5915]

Yes

[@jeffhoover5106]

Do you need to put anything on the bottom of the four way clamp so it won't be glued to the lid?

[@kevinfrench5915]

You can Poly them or put on the clear packing tape.

[@mattgoves3031]

My biggest issue is they don’t want to go back together snuggly. Once they come apart the tongue-and-groove doesn’t seem to match back up. And yes, I’m being careful to orient them the same as they were. I end up with some pretty significant gaps, not very helpful when I’m carving a pattern on them.

[@kevinfrench5915]

Try not adding the two small ends of in the initial glue-up. That will give you two parallel faces to clamp against and room for 3-4 clamps. When that dries glue the ends

[@kevinfrench5915]

Are you using a 'Soft Blow Hammer'? That's how we initially seat the pieces before clamping

[@mattgoves3031]

@@kevinfrench5915 so I’ve been using a rubber mallet to gently tap them back in place. Is that right?

[@scrapple8741]

How is it that you can get that clamp tight on a round surface. Everytime I try the straight piece on the clamp wants to bend. I even broke one.

[@kevinfrench5915]

Something you might try is gluing the head without the 2 end pieces. That will give you 2 flat edges to clamp and when that is dry glue the 2 small on after.

[@benjaminwood9157]

Kevin! Please help. what kind of clamp are you using? I can not find anything like that and all my barrels want to cup very bad no matter how I try to clamp. do you have a link to them or just the name of it. thanks in advance!!!

[@kevinfrench5915]

We use these www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073QSF8JR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@kevinfrench5915]

Also if the pieces are not the Tongue and Grove you can run the edge thru a jointer and it will help

[@benjaminwood9157]

@@kevinfrench5915 thanks for the reply. So basically if i have tongue and groove pcs i can run them on a jointer and take that away and be left with a slightly smaller diameter lid?

[@kevinfrench5915]

@@benjaminwood9157 No, I have not tried it on T&G heads. Some heads have flat sides and are held together with nails or pegs. Those are the ones you can joint. I'll look at some T&Gs today at work to see if it works. Either way you're only removing a small amount on the outer edge of that joint

[@muckhorse9687]

Is glueing enough for a table or lazy Susan or for you need additional support?

[@kevinfrench5915]

We have made them that way, but most of the time we cut a barrel hoop down and screw to into the sides

[@kevinfrench5915]

See the LS3 video

[@meganjohnson2179]

I have ended up with about 18 bourbon barrel heads that need to be cleaned before using. Any idea how/what to clean them with? I've cleaned the charred side off and the top was pretty easy to clean, but the edge has quite a bit of (I think) wax on it and I am having a very hard time getting it off. Any suggestions?

[@kevinfrench5915]

I've never had to deal with wax. I like to lightly run the edges thru a Jointer before gluing. You'll end up with a little more sanding around the outer edge of the head but there is less chance of the head cupping during glue-up.

[@jasonl9084]

@@kevinfrench5915 Yeah I've seen a lot of cupping on the ones I've gotten when trying to glue. I've moved more towards using a backer when fastening them together.

[@kevinfrench5915]

@@jasonl9084 If you have a Jointer you can run the pieces thru on a light setting. The downside of this is you will have to work the edge a bit more but it works. We just had 160 heads delivered yesterday

[@karrisanford93]

What glue are you using to reattach pieces back together?

[@kevinfrench5915]

We use Tilebond 3

[@Amanda-ir9mx]

How do you get the wood so level? The ones I have are warped and coming apart.

[@kevinfrench5915]

Are you using the same type of clamp that we do? Those clamps work in both directions, side to side and top to bottom. We also have some that warp you really need to watch them as they dry. If you are using the same clamp, you could try to clamp the first clamp to the head top to bottom to add more pressure. Another thing you might try is to get a pack of building wedges. and use them in the clamp perpendicular to the first clamp to take out a bow in the head. As far as separation, are you removing any reed that might be on the edges? A circle is a tough shape to glue, these Heads don't get enough pressure on the ends in the center of the head. Make sure you get plenty of glue on both pieces all the way to the ends. One thing we have recently tried on the heads that are originally held together with pegs or nails is to flip every other one. That matches the angles that are cut in each piece of the head. This works best on Wine Barrel Heads and you also end up with a stripped finish product that works for us in some of the things we make. Hope this helps

[@patrickirvin]

@@kevinfrench5915 Where did you find that clamp - I need one like that.

[@patrickirvin]

Never mind I see it below.

[@brianthompson6468]

What kind of clamp are you using?

[@levihaydon25]

Brian Thompson I think it's a double bar clamp.

[@kevinfrench5915]

www.amazon.com/FOUR-CLAMP-PEACHTREE-WOODWORKING-PW670/dp/B001JB367I

[@haydenwilliams5944]

Ill be damned never thought I'd see you here

[@rjhall5712]

We recently purchased some barrel heads ... They are charred on one side ... What is the best way to Cleaning / sealing the charred side

[@kevinfrench5915]

@@rjhall5712 We scrap them with a paint scraper, then wire brush them, and sand as needed