Oak Wine Barrel

[DiamondWillow]

Just bought an Oak Wine barrel, at least it appears to be Oak and am thinking of carving some Vines, Grapes and Leaves on it. Have I bitten off more than I want to chew?? I assume the Oak is going to be very hard but I can use either hand tools or power tools so I think I might be able to do it some way.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks
Gene

[wade clark]

Great idea! Two things: I think the staves are steam bent vs. carved to the shape, so the fiber in the wood may spring a little and want to splinter as you carve, so start out slow and see what it looks like the day after. The other, barrel staves are supposed to swell to seal, so maybe if you fill the barrel with wine ... poor substitute, but water would probably work too... and let it sit a few days or weeks, it'll probably absorb some water/wine and carve easier.
I had 3 wood pickle vats 6+ft. across and 6 ft. deep that I bought from Nalleys Pickles--they went to plastic--that I raised fish in for a couple years. It took 3 days to fill them, because they leaked incredibly until they swole shut. Then they held perfectly!
Have fun with your barrel! If you decide to fill it with some homemade wine, let us know when it's time to empty it, I'm sure most of us will help you out.
Wade

[Ashbys]

Great Idea. Will add that if the slats of the barrel are in posistion of where you want them, you can seal the inside of the barrel with a wax The wax will protect the wood from drawing moisture. Depending on what you plan on doing with it once your finished. It can also protect the wood if you decided to make it into a planter.

[Paul_Guraedy]

Many years ago, about the time I started woodcarving, I visited the Sebastiani Winery in CA. They had a number of barrels that had been carved on the bottom. If I remember the story correctly, one of the founders observed an employee carving during his breaks. That person was then allowed to carve while on the job. The carvings were relief and carved with hand tools. Had almost forgotten the visit and wonder if these carvings are still on display?