Posted: Thu Feb 28, 13 9:43 am Post subject: Stillage?
I need pictures and or ideas for making my own stillages for wooden 50 gallon cider barrels. I'd like to have possibly one row of ten or two rows of six.
PS. I may very well have some four year old (new) wooden wine barrels for sale.
I'm buying twenty and only need ten or a dozen.
Nick
Joined: 02 Nov 2004 Posts: 34535 Location: Hereford
The barrel problem has been solved. Half of them will be jumping soff the bus in Peterstow enroute. I'm still studying possibilities with regard to stillages. The barrels will be very heavy indeed when they're full.
I'd thought about doing something similar to that with telgraph poles but was concerned about the strong smell of creosote. How are you fixed for a bit of chainsaw carving?
RichardW
Joined: 24 Aug 2006 Posts: 8443 Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 13 5:54 pm Post subject:
Just use two runners that are offset in height & then use wooden wedges to chock the barrels.
Hi Richard The barrels need to be kept level so I don't think we need to have the runners offset, using chocks instead of cutting out an indentation might work.
Nick
Joined: 02 Nov 2004 Posts: 34535 Location: Hereford
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 13 6:49 pm Post subject:
Do they? I thought you always had the back 2-3 inches higher, so the cider will run out of the tap. Otherwise, you're going to waste a lot of cider.
When the barrel is on its side, there's a bung hole on the top and we have a system of pipes and pumps to move the cider around the place. We pump it into 40 pint polybarrels and add sugar if required before we pour it out for the customer.
Nick
Joined: 02 Nov 2004 Posts: 34535 Location: Hereford
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 13 7:13 pm Post subject:
Well, sturdy beams and chocks would be the way forward. They won't go anywhere, and allow you to be flexible if you end up with different barrels in the future.