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New Tap Handles - Finally !!!

 
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Kevin59




Joined: 03 Aug 2012
Posts: 1047
Location: Fort Collins, CO

Drinking: Imperial Brown Ale

Working on: Oatmeal Stout, IPA


PostLink    Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 11:14 pm    Post subject: New Tap Handles - Finally !!! Reply with quote


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So my wife and I have been talking about doing some custom chalkboard tap handles for our keezer for quite a while now. Since we have some friends coming over this weekend that are local brewery owners, I finally got motivated to get them done! They're made from alder and the bottoms were cut at an 81-degree angle on the tablesaw so that the threaded inserts wind up being 9 degrees off the vertical axis, and the handles stand straight up on our Perlick 525SS taps.

Anyway here they are in their almost completed state. I stained them last night, and my wife has put a couple of coats of chalkboard paint on today (that white look on the edges is just from the lighting). They'll be installed for use by Saturday evening, but we might hold off on the chalk for a few more days to ensure the paint very dry.

I'll throw in another pic after they're installed...



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Orangecrush




Joined: 29 Mar 2013
Posts: 52



PostLink    Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 5:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Those are awesome, nice job!
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foomench




Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 704
Location: Longmont, CO

Drinking: Pinot barrel aged quad

Working on: Flanders oude bruin in barrel, Flanders red fermenting to refill the barrel


PostLink    Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 6:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cool. Looking forward to the final pictures.
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Creepy




Joined: 04 Feb 2014
Posts: 127
Location: North Chicago Burbs


PostLink    Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Those look awesome Kevin. Keep them as is or you can set them apart even more if you add your brewery logo on the bottom portion below the chalkboard (branded would be killer but a stencil would be great too). I think they're looking great.
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Kevin59




Joined: 03 Aug 2012
Posts: 1047
Location: Fort Collins, CO

Drinking: Imperial Brown Ale

Working on: Oatmeal Stout, IPA


PostLink    Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 8:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Creepy wrote:
Those look awesome Kevin. Keep them as is or you can set them apart even more if you add your brewery logo on the bottom portion below the chalkboard (branded would be killer but a stencil would be great too). I think they're looking great.


Thanks! The logo is slated to go exactly where you suggested. Smile
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foomench




Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 704
Location: Longmont, CO

Drinking: Pinot barrel aged quad

Working on: Flanders oude bruin in barrel, Flanders red fermenting to refill the barrel


PostLink    Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 9:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

How did you cut the curve on the back?

I'm thinking I should make something like that out of bamboo to match my cabinets.

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Kevin59




Joined: 03 Aug 2012
Posts: 1047
Location: Fort Collins, CO

Drinking: Imperial Brown Ale

Working on: Oatmeal Stout, IPA


PostLink    Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

foomench wrote:
How did you cut the curve on the back?

I'm thinking I should make something like that out of bamboo to match my cabinets.


I planed down some 6/4 alder I had in my shop to 1-1/4" thick. Then I ripped it into 2-1/4" wide strips on the table saw, and then set the blade at 81-deg to cut the beveled end. Then I cut them all to length. I also cut a piece of scrap with my miter gauge at 9-deg so I could make a clamping board I could use at the drill press for drilling the holes for the threaded inserts. I drilled all of those holes, and then I clamped the blocks together so I could drill through with a 1-5/8" forstner bit (as in the image attached). Then I ripped them on the band saw to remove the waste. I sanded the back curve on my spindle sander.

Probably spent about 3-4 hours in my shop messing around (and who knows how much time thinking about how I wanted to make tap handles!), but for nothing more than the cost of the threaded inserts and the insert tool it seemed like a good idea compared to buying chalk board tap handles... Smile

And plyboo versions would be really cool!



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huaco




Joined: 05 Apr 2012
Posts: 1506
Location: Burleson Texas


PostLink    Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do you have 12 taps to use all these handles? I have a hard time keeping 5 picnic taps going! That said, I don't entertain much and I'm the only beer drinker in the house.
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foomench




Joined: 21 Feb 2012
Posts: 704
Location: Longmont, CO

Drinking: Pinot barrel aged quad

Working on: Flanders oude bruin in barrel, Flanders red fermenting to refill the barrel


PostLink    Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for all that explanation. I don't have a band saw or spindle sander, but I can improvise or come up with my own design.
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Kevin59




Joined: 03 Aug 2012
Posts: 1047
Location: Fort Collins, CO

Drinking: Imperial Brown Ale

Working on: Oatmeal Stout, IPA


PostLink    Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 10:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

foomench wrote:
Thanks for all that explanation. I don't have a band saw or spindle sander, but I can improvise or come up with my own design.

Well you could always drive up to the Fort and do those last cuts on my bandsaw, just as an excuse to come and have a beer! After the bandsaw of course!

Mug
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Kevin59




Joined: 03 Aug 2012
Posts: 1047
Location: Fort Collins, CO

Drinking: Imperial Brown Ale

Working on: Oatmeal Stout, IPA


PostLink    Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 12:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

huaco wrote:
Do you have 12 taps to use all these handles? I have a hard time keeping 5 picnic taps going! That said, I don't entertain much and I'm the only beer drinker in the house.

Actually yes there are 12 taps on the keezer. I think the most I've had on at once is 11, but usually it's 7 or 8.
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Kevin59




Joined: 03 Aug 2012
Posts: 1047
Location: Fort Collins, CO

Drinking: Imperial Brown Ale

Working on: Oatmeal Stout, IPA


PostLink    Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 7:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Finished and installed. They turned out ok I think, but I could've used a more secure setup for drilling and installing the threaded inserts. But my wife's happy with the new look so good enough for now!


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Tungsten




Joined: 06 Dec 2014
Posts: 318
Location: Buffalo, NY


PostLink    Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2014 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice! That chalkboard paint is soooo handy to have in many brewing applications
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wubears71




Joined: 14 Mar 2012
Posts: 278
Location: Webster Groves, MO

Drinking: Keg 1- Hefenweizen, Keg 2- Vanilla Scotch Porter, Keg 3-Munich Helles

Working on: Stinky IPA


PostLink    Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 1:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Looks great and I'm glad to see the Festool Fan sticker on the Keezer! Never can have enough systainers around the house...
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Kevin59




Joined: 03 Aug 2012
Posts: 1047
Location: Fort Collins, CO

Drinking: Imperial Brown Ale

Working on: Oatmeal Stout, IPA


PostLink    Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2014 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tungsten wrote:
Very nice! That chalkboard paint is soooo handy to have in many brewing applications

Thanks. Seems like it's going to work well in that the chalkboard paint markers wipe off more nicely than actual chalk. I think.


wubears71 wrote:
Looks great and I'm glad to see the Festool Fan sticker on the Keezer! Never can have enough systainers around the house...

Thanks, and yes I guess I can't have enough, but I hate to think about the damned cost!
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