What We're Making

[Ronstar]

Nice, Ron, but that lower left mitre joint looks a bit off? Or is it the photo?

I think that it's a bad photo with some bad lighting that is catching the plane of the frame that meets the matte on the bottom but not on the side if that makes any sense. Nice catch!

Hopefully these photos are a little better.

 

[dirtbiker]

Cool thread!

I love doing home building projects and other stuff with my hands.

My latest project was remodeling my basement, namely putting in a bar. Prior to me starting this project the basement was already finished, but had fugly yellow painted walls (and only a single coat with streaks at that) and cheap stained tan carpet. That all had to go! So I put in a bar, a wood stove, tiled the bar area, laminate flooring in the rest of the basement, painted the walls, built a wine barrel drink table, and installed a copper ceiling and brick wall in the bar area. I finished the bar in 2016, and finished the floors, ceiling, and walls this year. I do still have a bit of trim work left to do to completely finish the project.

Enjoying an ale in the finished bar!

I did everything myself except the chimney for the wood stove. All-in about $7,000. I'd shudder to think of what it would have cost to pay someone to do it all, considering the chimney, which I paid someone to put in, cost a about 1/3 of the entire budget.

 

[street]

^ absolutely beautiful!

 

[Moemg]

That is the man cave of the year!

 

[Ronstar]

Excellent man cave! And with 8 tappers.

 

[dirtbiker]

^ absolutely beautiful!

That is the man cave of the year!

Excellent man cave! And with 8 tappers.

Thank you all for the kind words. Was a labor of love!

And I forgot to mention too that I also need to build a walk-in fridge behind the wall where the taps are. I did have a chest freezer that I converted to a kegerator, but the compressor died. The last chest freezer I bought off of Craigslist for $100 and died after only a year. Comparable sized new ones go for around $1000 or so. I can build the walk-in freezer for half the cost with twice the functionality. But until that's done, the 8 taps are just for show. lol

 

[braumeister]

I'm in awe of that bar. Makes my puny little beer fridge look pretty anemic. I can only have four beers on tap at a time.

 

[dirtbiker]

I'm in awe of that bar. Makes my puny little beer fridge look pretty anemic. I can only have four beers on tap at a time.

View attachment 33105

You have something that I don't have, which is a nitro setup!

And in actuality, if I were building this again, I would probably do between 4 and 6 taps. 8 taps is actually a bit much. It requires a bigger fridge to hold all the kegs, more potential CO2 leak points, and I really don't drink enough to keep new beers in rotation as much as I'd like. I have to invite friends and family over to kill kegs for me in order to put on new beers. I know, first world problems.

Any more pics of your kegerator?

 

[braumeister]

Any more pics of your kegerator?

Just a basic refrigerator I have in my mancave part of the basement. I deliberately looked for a regular frig that would comfortably hold four ⅙ barrel kegs. Then just drilled holes for four taps on one side, and two holes on the other side for a CO2 line and a "Guinness gas" mix on the other side. A manifold takes the CO2 and splits it into three llnes. Each line has its own keg coupler attached, and of course the Guinness line has that special coupler. I also have keg couplers for most of the other specialized kegs that exist, and it's a simple matter to switch one into the rotation if needed.

The only real workaround needed is that if I want to have a real ale in a firkin, I need to put it on a separate bar, covered with an ice blanket and using a cask breather, with an Angram ¼ pint beer engine attached. But that's probably incomprehensible to the average American beer drinker so I won't belabor the point.

Mine is functional and certainly enough for me, but yours is just flat beautiful!

 

[dirtbiker]

Just a basic refrigerator I have in my mancave part of the basement. I deliberately looked for a regular frig that would comfortably hold four ⅙ barrel kegs. Then just drilled holes for four taps on one side, and two holes on the other side for a CO2 line and a "Guinness gas" mix on the other side. A manifold takes the CO2 and splits it into three llnes. Each line has its own keg coupler attached, and of course the Guinness line has that special coupler. I also have keg couplers for most of the other specialized kegs that exist, and it's a simple matter to switch one into the rotation if needed.

The only real workaround needed is that if I want to have a real ale in a firkin, I need to put it on a separate bar, covered with an ice blanket and using a cask breather, with an Angram ¼ pint beer engine attached. But that's probably incomprehensible to the average American beer drinker so I won't belabor the point.

Mine is functional and certainly enough for me, but yours is just flat beautiful!

I didn't realize that Guinness kegs required special couplers. My setup is for ball-lock corny kegs only. I actually have no couplers for commercial kegs at all.

You have an Angram beer engine?! So cool!

 

[braumeister]

I didn't realize that Guinness kegs required special couplers.

Oh, yeah!
When I was a homebrewer I also standardized on ball lock Corny kegs, but these days I just buy commercial beers.

US breweries use Sankey type couplers (D type)
Guinness uses their own U type, and some other (mostly English) breweries use it as well.
Other European breweries use A, D, G, M. or S type.

Here's a good reference:
Keg Coupler List: Picking the Right Coupler for Your Favorite Beer

 

[dirtbiker]

Oh, yeah!
When I was a homebrewer I also standardized on ball lock Corny kegs, but these days I just buy commercial beers.

US breweries use Sankey type couplers (D type)
Guinness uses their own U type, and some other (mostly English) breweries use it as well.
Other European breweries use A, D, G, M. or S type.

Here's a good reference:
Keg Coupler List: Picking the Right Coupler for Your Favorite Beer

Wow. I didn't know there were so many. I've never used a commercial keg, only homebrew Cornies, so I had no idea. Good to know. Thanks.

 

[Ronstar]

Added another hiking stick to the collection. Found a black locust grove along a local hiking trail. Ranger said that I could take a downed stick. Stained it with a black gel stain, added a little teak oil and a paracord handle.

 

[Winemaker]

Thank you all for the kind words. Was a labor of love!

And I forgot to mention too that I also need to build a walk-in fridge behind the wall where the taps are. I did have a chest freezer that I converted to a kegerator, but the compressor died. The last chest freezer I bought off of Craigslist for $100 and died after only a year. Comparable sized new ones go for around $1000 or so. I can build the walk-in freezer for half the cost with twice the functionality. But until that's done, the 8 taps are just for show. lol

Check out any florist or small business that is closing, retiring or selling out. The winery where I help out at, purchased 2 beverage refrigerators from gas station/grocer store that were closing or remodeling. My florist friend, who is retiring, sold off his phone list, rolodex and contacts. He is also a winemaker, and he kept one small unit for himself, and he sold off the others seperately.

 

[Ronstar]

Made DW a small ring box. Didn't want to make a huge one that she would feel the need to fill up.

 

[street]

Beautiful work to all of you!
Here is one that is waiting to get picked up for a Christmas gift.

 

[Ronstar]

Beautiful work to all of you!
Here is one that is waiting to get picked up for a Christmas gift.

Another excellent piece! Your work reminds me of that by Roger Wermers - a stone mason that exhibits every year at the Scottsdale, Az Fine Art Expo. He does a lot of Native American busts.

https://arizonafineartexpo.com/roger-wermers

 

[street]

Ronstar >> WOW! Thanks for that link.
There is a lot of talent in that lineup. I bookmark that link you shared so I can go back and look at all that beautiful art.

Thank you very much.

 

[Ronstar]

Ronstar >> WOW! Thanks for that link.
There is a lot of talent in that lineup. I bookmark that link you shared so I can go back and look at all that beautiful art.

Thank you very much.

There is a lot of great art at that expo - and it runs every day for at least a couple of months. The artists have mini workshops set up in their booths and create their art while the public watches. And of course their works are for sale. I hope Mr. Wermers is there this year. His works must be getting heavy for a guy that is getting a little older.

 

[aja8888]

Made DW a small ring box. Didn't want to make a huge one that she would feel the need to fill up.

Wow! Nice work!

 

[texcurtis]

 

[street]

^ that is beautiful!

 

[MRG]

Made DW a small ring box. Didn't want to make a huge one that she would feel the need to fill up.

Beautiful figure.

 

[Ronstar]

Beautiful figure.

Thanks - I just used the last piece of that board. Hope I can find another one like it.

 

[Ronstar]

Santa's elves are done in the workshop for this Christmas season. Jewelry boxes and gift card sleeves.