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How to hang bourbon barrel head


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Okay this is embarassing. I got a buffalo trace barrel head that I want to hang up. Two of them, actually. I cannot figure out for the life of me this crazy design. I've attached a picture. I could simply use screws and wire and hang it that way, but I wanted to take advantage of the easy way. But I mean...what the hell is this? Seriously. 

There is a groove on the top and bottom. Conventional wisdom would be to put a screw in each side, then rotate it into place. But you cant, because the channels are not curved, they are linear. Instead of cheaping out and getting picture wire, I am going to hand in my man card for an hour and ask you all because none of us can figure this out.

IMG_20160726_173519.jpg

Edited by Hideaway
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I'd go with a screw option in the top groove, then only use a second screw in the bottom if it won't hang straight.  Having said that, a bit of blue-tac might be easier to use on the bottom if you need to keep it straight.

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What Cam said.  On large (poster-sized) framed paintings and pictures, I often go with just a top screw or hanger and a dab or two of "museum putty" at the bottom, making sort of a triangle of anchors.  Museum putty stays tacky forever, doesn't discolor paint, wood, plastic, etc., and holds like mad but can be peeled off fairly easily with no residue.  Works for glass and ceramics on window sills, too, like cobalt glass in south-facing windows.  If you do use two screws, I'd suggest using a laser level to make sure the two screws are as close to vertical as possible and a really good rule to make sure the distance between the grooves is as exact as possible (like, measure bottom of the top groove to the bottom of the bottom groove on the vertical axis).

 

ASIDE - Why I being anal on this?  Man's got to know his limitations, especially when he's screwed this up more than once.  Maybe more than three or four times.  But, I can do it now.

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Actually, this is a relatively easy fix.

 

Drill a shallow hole in the bottom groove, on the opposite side of the one that's already there. The hole should be a slightly larger diameter than the head of the screw you're planning to use. Drill ONLY deep enough to reach the same depth as the horizontal groove.

 

This way, the hole on the top groove will be on the same side as the new hole in the bottom groove.

 

Next, take a piece of blue painter's tape, long enough to stretch between the top hole and the bottom hole. Apply the tape on the wood, and using a sharp point, pierce the tape where the holes are.

 

Next, apply the tape (sticky side to the wall where you'll hang the thing) making sure the holes are plumb (use a level.)

 

Using the holes in the blue painters tape as guides, drill holes (into studs if you can -- otherwise you'll have to use drywall hanger screw sets), drive in the screws, and mount the barrel head.

 

Any questions, please feel free to ask!

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Actually, this is a relatively easy fix.

 

Drill a shallow hole in the bottom groove, on the opposite side of the one that's already there. The hole should be a slightly larger diameter than the head of the screw you're planning to use. Drill ONLY deep enough to reach the same depth as the horizontal groove.

 

This way, the hole on the top groove will be on the same side as the new hole in the bottom groove.

 

Next, take a piece of blue painter's tape, long enough to stretch between the top hole and the bottom hole. Apply the tape on the wood, and using a sharp point, pierce the tape where the holes are.

 

Next, apply the tape (sticky side to the wall where you'll hang the thing) making sure the holes are plumb (use a level.)

 

Using the holes in the blue painters tape as guides, drill holes (into studs if you can -- otherwise you'll have to use drywall hanger screw sets), drive in the screws, and mount the barrel head.

 

Any questions, please feel free to ask!

If he does this, the screw on one side will not be captured in a groove. It would be able to be lifted of the screw with no resistance.

Which way is the front of the Barrel head oriented? Which way needs to be up?

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11 hours ago, b1gcountry said:

If he does this, the screw on one side will not be captured in a groove. It would be able to be lifted of the screw with no resistance.

Which way is the front of the Barrel head oriented? Which way needs to be up?

 

 

Both screws will be captured in the groove using this method.

 

These grooves appear to have been made using a keyhole bit in a router table.  When using a keyhole bit, the workpiece is plunged into the bit, then guided along, with the router table fence, or a jig, until the desired length of the groove is reached.

 

Whoever routed these grooves routed the first groove, then rotated the barrel head 180 degrees, then routed the second groove. This is what caused the misalignment of the screwhead holes.

 

What the operator should have done was to rout the first groove, then slide the barrel head down  -- without changing the orientation of the barrel head -- and then rout the second groove. Doing so would have the screwhead holes in proper alignment.

 

The remedy to this misalignment of the screwhead holes, is outlined in my first response above.

 

The screwsheads will be captured in the groove because they will rest in the middle of the groove (not the end of the groove) when hanging on the wall. Attempting to hang the barrelhead with the screwsheads at the ends of the grooves would introduce torque into situation, and could damage the wall, as the barrelhead would be out of balance.

 

The OP mentioned in his post that the grooves were on the top and bottom of the barrelhead. If they were along the sides, your point would be valid.

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4 hours ago, Queball said:

 

 

Both screws will be captured in the groove using this method.

 

These grooves appear to have been made using a keyhole bit in a router table.  When using a keyhole bit, the workpiece is plunged into the bit, then guided along, with the router table fence, or a jig, until the desired length of the groove is reached.

 

Whoever routed these grooves routed the first groove, then rotated the barrel head 180 degrees, then routed the second groove. This is what caused the misalignment of the screwhead holes.

 

What the operator should have done was to rout the first groove, then slide the barrel head down  -- without changing the orientation of the barrel head -- and then rout the second groove. Doing so would have the screwhead holes in proper alignment.

 

The remedy to this misalignment of the screwhead holes, is outlined in my first response above.

 

The screwsheads will be captured in the groove because they will rest in the middle of the groove (not the end of the groove) when hanging on the wall. Attempting to hang the barrelhead with the screwsheads at the ends of the grooves would introduce torque into situation, and could damage the wall, as the barrelhead would be out of balance.

 

The OP mentioned in his post that the grooves were on the top and bottom of the barrelhead. If they were along the sides, your point would be valid.

 

Unfortunately this is true. I can hang it by one screw at the top...but if I do that if someone touches it and it glides along the channel far enough, it will fall back out of the wall and onto a customer. 

 

Just making sure I wasn't missing something obvious since this did come from  big distillery. 

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I'm surprised it didn't come with and 'J' or 'Z' brackets that hook into the groove. If this is a commercial place, I would go that route, then add a screw or two at the bottom to lock it in place. Home Depot should have something that will work.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

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I've got three barrel heads at home - Buffalo Trace, George Dickel and Makers Mark.  All have different hanging set-ups.  You'd think there'd be a universal way to do it.

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If it isn't important to be snug to the wall, just use a sink hanger. Those slots are called key hole slots. The ones on your piece are done wrong. If you want to use them, drill another hole at the bottom of your lid to correspond with the other one. Fill in the grove from the top on both sides..... they don't need to be nearly that long.

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  • 4 months later...

Hi folks. Just wondered if you had ever figured this out? I received a Wild Turkey barrel head for Christmas and it has EXACTLY the same keyhole slot pattern as the one shown above. So I don't think these are being done accidentally. I've emailed the company my wife purchased it from, Kentucky Bourbon Marketplace, but I found this thread (and site!) through a Google search.

Thanks for any help.

 

~Mark

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In the slot there is a space where the screw head can slide into.. that is if you put the screw head into the plunge hole you can slide the screw head under the groove. Make sure the screw head fits in there first, then screw the screw into the wall with it sticking out maybe 1/8" and slide it on.Why they have the hole on the opposite side on the bottom makes no sense, they should have put the plunge hole on the same side as the top, but one screw should hold, you could always drill another hole on the bottom on the same side of the slot if you want to put 2 screws in, then you could use the tape method mentioned earlier to mark them on the wall.

Edited by dSculptor
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OK, got out my tape measure and looked at this thing, measured the distance between slots and the diagonal distance and then it hit me. And it was stupefyingly simple when it did. The slots on mine are 14" apart. Set two screws 14" apart in the stud location or wherever you're mounting it. Engage the top screw and slide it all the way to the opposite end of the slot. Engage the bottom screw and slide back to the middle. Both screws are now holding the barrel head. DOH!!!

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4 hours ago, WideOpen said:

OK, got out my tape measure and looked at this thing, measured the distance between slots and the diagonal distance and then it hit me. And it was stupefyingly simple when it did. The slots on mine are 14" apart. Set two screws 14" apart in the stud location or wherever you're mounting it. Engage the top screw and slide it all the way to the opposite end of the slot. Engage the bottom screw and slide back to the middle. Both screws are now holding the barrel head. DOH!!!

 

Genius :)

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So, how many bourbon geeks does it take to hang a barrel head?

 

Ba-da-bump...psssshhhhh!!!!  

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13 hours ago, smokinjoe said:

So, how many bourbon geeks does it take to hang a barrel head?

 

Ba-da-bump...psssshhhhh!!!!  

More than we'd like to admit...

:lol:

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On ‎12‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 10:10 AM, WideOpen said:

OK, got out my tape measure and looked at this thing, measured the distance between slots and the diagonal distance and then it hit me. And it was stupefyingly simple when it did. The slots on mine are 14" apart. Set two screws 14" apart in the stud location or wherever you're mounting it. Engage the top screw and slide it all the way to the opposite end of the slot. Engage the bottom screw and slide back to the middle. Both screws are now holding the barrel head. DOH!!!

Learn something new everyday! That totally makes sense.

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