Cooprage

[DennyT]

 Was wondering if there are an coopers out there ?

[sawguy21]

It will be interesting to see who responds. That is pretty much a lost art.

[RichTired]

Any whiskey facilities near you? I am sure Jack Daniels' still mades their oak barrels on site. I watched a "Dirty Jobs" show where Mike Rowe helped make them.

[doc henderson]

pbs a craftsman's legacy - Bing video

there is a 30 minute show, this must be the trailer.  neat.  @stavebuyer provides the wood, but does not have an inside track into barrels, I think.  we can let him respond.

[stavebuyer]

Independent Stave in Lebanon MO gives tours of their cooperage. Part of the tour used to include the shop where they repaired and fitted custom barrels.

[mike_belben]

Brown foreman is the buyer of stave logs that become JD whiskey barrels. The logyard is in stevenson alabama, im not sure if theyre coopers or just stave sawyers. 

[stavebuyer]

There are quite a few more stave mills than actual cooperages. The larger cooperages all own multiple stave mills feeding one or two cooperages. Most independent stave mills have their production contracted to one of the handful of the big players that actually produce barrels. The Bourbon boom has fueled many start ups of boutique distillers who are fighting over a very limited supply of open market barrels.

Doesn't take much equipment to saw a stave; building a cooperage is pretty complex.