All the buckets that you see in this store are handmade. I have been making them for family and friends for over 30 years. When I started, there was not a lot of material to learn from, so I taught myself, and the coopering methods that I have developed are a combination of skills that I have borrowed from my cabinet/furniture making as well as my blacksmithing 'portfolio'. I make my staves on a cabinetmaker's bench, not a shaving horse. The staves are shaped using several convex planes--I've never used a scorp or a drawknife. But I'll let my work speak for itself. All my buckets are what the craft refers to as "white cooperage"; but they all hold water without caulking, or flagging. I take pride in the joinery. You will be happy with your bucket. Jack
You can order your bucket natural or with a stain. There is no limit to what you can do with pine. The stains you see on the following pages are the most common, but I have had customers use blue, yellow or red stains--lots of choices, anything you like! The buckets shown are 4 gallon, but I can make them in one, two, thru 6 gallon. Anything larger is a tub--and you can see them on another page.
Almost a Bucket!
After the staves are formed, they are assembled then smoothed out with a convex plane prior to putting in the "head" or bottom
Ready to install the "Head", or bottom
The croze is the groove that holds the head. It is cut with a special tool made just for this purpose. Tools similar to this one have been used for thousands of years!
