Building a Keg Collar - various questions on build etc.

[laxation]

I have just bought a keezer ready to go, but wanted to add a collar to it.

I have some pretty awesome wood in my garage that I got from my grandpa. Not sure what it is exactly, but it's a deep brown hardwood, so should come up a treat. Three pieces 40mm thick, and one 31mm thick, each about 120-130cm long.

Was hoping for some help with the build, though. Some questions are about the build, and some are just silly things I've been thinking about!

1. The 40mm wood is too thick.. the lid of the freezer won't close unless I make the wood protrude from the front. I'd rather keep it all flush, however. Was thinking just to router around the top edge to give the lid enough space to close into to. Reckon this will be enough? It's a standard chest freezer with a lid like this, where the inside protrudes a little bit
2. I've attached a rough diagram of the build. The blue is the wood, the red is the 10mm router cut I plan on making and the black is some 6mm poly sheet I was thinking about sticking on for insulation. Anyone with experience have thoughts on this design? The alternate would be using the router on the wood to cut it right back and insert insulation inside it. This might also be good to cut back on some weight.
3. Once the collar is in place, does the seal on the freezer lid work well on wood?
4. I've read about people using a pencil to stop the hinge flying off when you remove it. How does this work? I found a good post about putting the hinge back on, but nothing good about removing it.
5. I was just going to varnish the wood and seal the edges. Is there anything special I need to do to the inside to stop the moisture/temperature being a problem and damaging the wood?
6. Thoughts on hinging the collar and lid, or just the lid (so the collar is stuck on the freezer with sealant)?

Cheers!

 

[moonhead]

No idea about the woodworking aspects, sorry. I just used particle white board... (classy, I know)

With the hinges for the lid, I didn't have any issues with springs coming out, or wanting to come out... Would be interested in see a photo of those hinges, to see if they'll actually spring out or not when ondone.

I insulated the inside of my collar, sealed with aluminium tape and foil bubble wrap insulation, so no real issues with moisture to worry about, that said, I am using the very stylish white board from bunnings, which is sealed anyway, and sealed the edges all round with silicone. So, no real moisture concerns to begin with.

Not sure about hinging the collar, never done it, but I will say, the collar is a very handy place to mount things, secondary regulators, gas manifolds, fans, temperature probes, small mounted animal heads etc. I think it would be less handy for that if it was hinged, instead of stationary. Not impossible, sure, but would need a bit more thought, maybe.

 

[Mat B]

The timber doesn't have to protrude out the front. If you make the two side panels shorter, you can have the wood flush with the front of the freezer. This will just mean you have it protruding on the inside of the freezer instead of the outside. You did say you wanted to insulate, so you were always going to lose a bit of space there, so maybe use a thinner insulation to compensate? Just make sure you can fit your kegs as it will get tight.

As for the hinges, I was also warned they would fly off. I just held it down with my hand while I unscrewed them. They didn't spring open throwing me across the room. My hand was plenty enough to hold them down. In fact, they didn't spring open at all. If you lift them, they flick open, but I didn't think it was a big deal. It's a hinge, not a catapult. Just be careful (maybe wear some safety specs to be safe). Maybe you're hinges are different though, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

I wouldn't have thought the seal would work well on wood. Like moonhead, I also used aluminium tape to cover the collar inside (including the top). I then used some black foam tape from bunnings around the top, and it seals to that. It's about $5 for a role.

I used this foam for insulation: https://www.bunnings.com.au/knauf-insulation-1200-x-600-x-30mm-xps-multi-use-foam-board_p0811027 - Works well. Just glued it to the wood and then put aluminium tape over the top. I would have also thought that covering it completely with aluminium foil on the inside would be enough to stop moisture. Again, like moonhead, I used silicone to seal any gaps. You could always use some polyurethane or something to coat the wood before installing it for additional moisture protection.

 

[laxation]

The timber doesn't have to protrude out the front. If you make the two side panels shorter, you can have the wood flush with the front of the freezer.

The problem is that with the wood being so thick, the lid will not come down inside it. It will hit the inside edge of the wood.

Thanks for your other points, too. I saw that insulation but the sides would end up 70mm thick =/

 

[mr_wibble]

The problem is that with the wood being so thick, the lid will not come down inside it. It will hit the inside edge of the wood.

Does it really matter if the sides are 70mm thick? Or, isn't the insulation provided by 40mm of wood enough?

Can you get someone with a table saw (or a hand circular saw) to cut down your timber?
For the top fitting - maybe a quick run around the inside edge with a plunge-router to create a bevel would fix it ?

I would seal the wood with some polyurethane (before assembly), but the aluminium tape sounds good too.
(BTW: aluminium tape is available from jaycar)

-kt

 

[Blind Dog]

My collar is just stained pine (20mm?), no insulation, works fine. It rarely cycles on, even in the garage on a 40C day. The collar is hinged on the freezer (at least it was; I had to take the collar off to move it and haven't put them back yet), and the freezer lid is hinged on the collar. Makes lifting full kegs in much easier if I can lift the collar, but I have to pull it out from the wall. Lines etc are fixed to the collar with enough extra to enable the collar to be lifted. If you do hinge the collar, think about adding a support strut, as it f*****g hurts if it comes down unexpectedly.

 

[laxation]

Does it really matter if the sides are 70mm thick? Or, isn't the insulation provided by 40mm of wood enough?

Yes, at 70mm thick the lid won't come down unless I router edges.
Anyway turns out my father in law has a small thicknesser that will work to cut it down! I didn't know it was able to handle this sort of wood but he said no problem

If you do hinge the collar, think about adding a support strut, as it f*****g hurts if it comes down unexpectedly

Good bloody point...

 

[nosco]

1. The 40mm wood is too thick.. the lid of the freezer won't close unless I make the wood protrude from the front. I'd rather keep it all flush, however. Was thinking just to router around the top edge to give the lid enough space to close into to. Reckon this will be enough? It's a standard chest freezer with a lid like this, where the inside protrudes a little bit
2. I've attached a rough diagram of the build. The blue is the wood, the red is the 10mm router cut I plan on making and the black is some 6mm poly sheet I was thinking about sticking on for insulation. Anyone with experience have thoughts on this design? The alternate would be using the router on the wood to cut it right back and insert insulation inside it. This might also be good to cut back on some weight.
3. Once the collar is in place, does the seal on the freezer lid work well on wood?
4. I've read about people using a pencil to stop the hinge flying off when you remove it. How does this work? I found a good post about putting the hinge back on, but nothing good about removing it.
5. I was just going to varnish the wood and seal the edges. Is there anything special I need to do to the inside to stop the moisture/temperature being a problem and damaging the wood?
6. Thoughts on hinging the collar and lid, or just the lid (so the collar is stuck on the freezer with sealant)?

Cheers!

1. I used a 45deg router bit. Perfect fit.

2. I wouldn't worry about insulating the collar too much. Installing fans to keep the tap shanks is much more important. I have insulation on the inside of my collar (foam board) and I really cant tell if it works or not. It gets in the way of the shanks installation.

3. The seal works really well on a shiny surface or probably on any smooth surface. I used stain and then polyurethane to seal which makes a nice shiny surface for the lid to seal on. Remaber with a freezer that most of the cold aair will stay in the bottom which is why you need fans to circulate.

4. a screw driver works much better.

5. As Blind Dog said the timber doesnt matter that much. Just seal it (well) inside and out. If you have some nice timber already just give it a clear coat and it will look great.

6. Sticking the collar to the freezer and then hinging the lid is very easy. Just dont over do the glue to stick the collar down. A nice bead of silicone all around will do. Easier to reverse too. Freezer lids are light weight. The deluxe setup would be to hinge the collar. I wish I had of done that. Easy for getting the kegs in and out. Ive seen a few American setup where they have really well organised setups for the gas and beer lines but it is a lot of work I think. If you hinge the collar then you have to work out if you would hinge the freezer lid or attach it to the collar. Depends on your DIY skills I guess. 2c

 

[nosco]

If you do hinge the collar, think about adding a support strut, as it f*****g hurts if it comes down unexpectedly.

It would depend on how much weight the springs in the freezer hinges can handle. Test it out first but yes very good point. I think you can buy freezer hinges online so maybe add some more to sure it up?

 

[laxation]

2. I wouldn't worry about insulating the collar too much. Installing fans to keep the tap shanks is much more important. I have insulation on the inside of my collar (foam board) and I really cant tell if it works or not. It gets in the way of the shanks installation.

Thanks so much! Great tips. I actually just took off the lid and it was no problem at all... just had it open and nothing happened. Not sure what the deal is...

Anyway for the fan, I've heard of people using PC fans or something - what do you suggest to use?

I've got half my collar gluing up at the moment, will finish it tomorrow and put a few coats of poly on. Will see if I can find that tape the others were talking about to. I (stupidly?) painted the outside of the freezer seal with the black chalkboard paint, which has made the side of the seal quite hard. hoping that won't cause any issues...

 

[nosco]

I have 3 pc fans running but thats probably over kill. The difference just 1 has to cooling the tap shanks (less foam on the first pour) is huge.

 

[laxation]

I have 3 pc fans running but thats probably over kill. The difference just 1 has to cooling the tap shanks (less foam on the first pour) is huge.

What do you power them with?

 

[nosco]

Just a variable voltage 12V power supply. Probably a better way to do it but not with lack of electrical knowledge and skills.

 

[laxation]

So I built the collar on the weekend and it turned out really square (only 1mm out! Not bad!) But unfortunately the wood I used was a bit out of whack. I didn't notice until I sat it on the freezer - but it's a bit wobbly.

Seems that some of the wood is bent, and others were a few mm wider, so it has a wobble on 2 corners.

To fix this, is it as simple as using a planer to slowly remove parts until it sits flat?

Does anyone have woodworking experience to know any tips on doing this? (Do I get one corner flat and then work my way around?)

 

[Mat B]

A planer would be fine. I'd use a spirit level to see where the raised section is and colour it in with a pencil or marker then just plane that section. If you have access to an electric planer, you'll be done in 10 mins. If it'd wobbly because there's a dip rather than a bump on one corner, maybe you could just use a bit of expanding foam or silicone to pack it up.

 

[Danscraftbeer]

That's what I thought. Pack it somehow. Depends if you can see it and cant accept it. Make the front flush. Will anyone else notice?
Any more pics? Its hard to imaging this wobble bit but I'm trying ha. Nice job..

With Photobucket just copy the bottom link to share the photo then its displayed on this page.. B)

 

[Meddo]

I used this stuff (or something similar) to seal between the collar and the freezer, rather than gluing it on. Good airtight seal, stops everything sliding around, and may be able to conceal some slightly out-of-true timber...

https://www.bunnings.com.au/raven-8-x-15mm-2m-rubber-grey-multi-use-sealing-strip_p3970014

 

[btrots87]

So I built the collar on the weekend and it turned out really square (only 1mm out! Not bad!) But unfortunately the wood I used was a bit out of whack. I didn't notice until I sat it on the freezer - but it's a bit wobbly.

Seems that some of the wood is bent, and others were a few mm wider, so it has a wobble on 2 corners.

To fix this, is it as simple as using a planer to slowly remove parts until it sits flat?

Does anyone have woodworking experience to know any tips on doing this? (Do I get one corner flat and then work my way around?)

I had a similar problem with my build. Fixed it by using a strip of neoprene from Clark rubber around the top of the freezer under the collar. The neoprene is spongy so it moulds to the uneven parts of the collar and forms a good seal. Use silicone to glue the collar on and run another bead to seal around the collar.

I only sealed on the inside of the freezer because I'm not very good with a caulking gun and I didn't want my seal to be visible.

 

[Edak]

I used adhesive door/window sealer from bunnies to get a good deal against the existing freezer seal and it has done well for several years now! Cheap too.

 

[barls]

i used sikaflex on mine.