Beer Tote

Well, that didn't last long, it reached its three steal limit in about 2 minutes at our family cut throat exchange tonight. I've got a bunch of white oak milled for some more though. ;)

Did it come pre-filled with beer?

Congrats! Your family knows quality when they see it!
 
Thanks guys.

Allen be sure to consider making the size a little wider and longer than in the article I linked if using dividers, 2 5/8" square for each bottle I found to be about the right size for both the tall and short/fat bottles.

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Round two started today, finished two, but will be making a few more later this week.

These two are white oak, I may do another cherry or two, but have lots of oak on hand. I pulled the hardware and did the same rust paint treatment to these after the pic was taken.
2014-12-22 17.05.19.jpg
 
Those look great Darren! :thumb: I have a few openers that I bought to make some of these...maybe in the new year I'll get around to it.
 
Neat project. I finished one this week. Made from some long stored walnut slabs. I had Tod mill to proper thickness for me. Learned quickly that not all beer bottles are created equal. I had to break the glue up (before screwing together) and make the interior 7 3/4" instead of the plan dimension of 7 1/2". Had to make other adjustments taking wood from what would have been a second tote. My handles and openers came from Hobby Lobby, look like same openers Darren used. Price is cheap.
BTW, 'puter is still out for the count, I'm using library public computer so no girlie pics today. ;) I'll post tote pic another date. Also made some neat tap handles and will post those later also.
 
Are those Hobby Lobby openers durable? They look like cheap Chinese stuff. If they really are cast, they'll be brittle. Any experience?

I've been trying to find cheap-ish openers... most places they're like $10-$15. I'm hoping for something quality in the $6-$8 range. $2.99 at hobby lobby kinda scares me.
 
I had bought a set of 10 through Amazon for about 3$ each. What kind of tests do you want me to do on one?

Drop it, hit it with a hammer? I've opened a few bottles with one, seems to work fine.

Good to see you back around Frank! Get that pc fixed!
 
I know some RC airplane guys who travel around the country and do meets. But in reality it's more like a traveling party where an airshow breaks out. They're big into beer swapping. I'm thinking I could sell personalized beer totes to help them out. Maybe 8 or 10 beer totes. Walk over, swap 3-4 beers with your buddy, easy to carry, etc.

So if I'm selling these, I wouldn't want the openers to snap like cheap Chinese stuff if you drop it or use it 10-15 times.
 
Looks like the same kind of kegerator my son has that I am making him handles for. That is when/if the ferrules arrive.

Frank,

I'm going off topic a bit, but are you using ferrules like you'd use on a tool handle? I make tool handles and use plumbing brass compression fittings and copper couplers all the time. You can turn the brass ridges off the brass and get nicely tapered ferrules. Really add a nice robust look, compared to most ferrules I've found.

And Darren, great gift idea! I try to make gifts at Christmas and it wouldn't be too hard to make a few of these.
 
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Frank,

I'm going off topic a bit, but are you using ferrules like you'd use on a tool handle? I make tool handles and use plumbing brass compression fittings and copper couplers all the time. You can turn the brass ridges off the brass and get nicely tapered ferrules. Really add a nice robust look, compared to most ferrules I've found.

The tap handle ferrules are a wee bit different. They have a 3/8 16tpi inside thread on one side for the beer tap to attach to. The other side is threaded for a hanger bolt.
http://www.amazon.com/Chrome-Beer-Handle-Standard-Ferrule/dp/B006VGSA1S would be an example - this is NOT a very good price fyi :D
 
OK, here is the pic of my beer totes. Both vary slightly from the plans. I discovered not all beer bottles are created equal. The plan interior dimension of 7 1/2" wide was too small for some bottles I had. I changed and added 1/4" to the width. Doing that wasted quite a bit of the walnut I had milled and cut for this project. The tote on the left was cobbled together with scrap and is slightly different in style as you can see. Since I took the pick I added another upper retainer rail to the tote. It is made from teak stained to a dark walnut. As they say, 'man running for his life wouldn't notice the slight difference in color'. :rolleyes: I'm giving to my kids. BTW, the hardware came from Hobby Lobby.
beer totes.jpg
 
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