Abrégé

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for shaving the inside of barrels. In particular, the present invention relates to reconditioning used wine barrels by shaving the inside surface to a predetermined depth, ready for re-crozering, toasting, and re-use. Conventional shaving methods typically involve routing the internal surface by hand, but this technique is problematic in that it is a very slow process, the quality of the wood is often adversely affected, and there is no way of ensuring that the surface will be shaved to the same depth across the entire surface. Therefore, the resultant internal dimensions of the barrel are not reflective, relatively, of the original barrel surface. The apparatus of the present invention includes a scanning means adapted to scan the internal dimensions of the barrel, and a cutting means adapted to shave the internal surface to a predetermined depth relative to the scanned internal dimensions.

Classes IPC  ?

• B27H 5/00 - Fabrication de baquets, de cages ou de tonneaux

Abrégé

The present invention relates to a portable crozer adapted to be mounted above a new or used barrel for firstly creating a groove or 'croze' along an inside surface to accommodate a barrel head, and secondly, for creating a bevelled top edge. In the case of used barrels, the croze is formed a short distance below the existing croze, and a new bevelled edge is formed to compensate for the lowered barrel head position. Conventional crozers are not adapted to be used on used barrels and have a number of inherent problems which are overcome by the present invention. In particular, conventional crozers are not portable which means they are not able to be used in mobile barrel reconditioning services, the time taken for each croze is significant, and they are generally in the form of bulky, quite expensive machinery.

Classes IPC  ?

• B27H 5/08 - Finition des tonneaux, p. ex. fabrication des rainures

Abrégé

The present invention relates to a portable system for reconditioning used barrels, in particular used wine barrels. The present inventor has realised a need in the wine industry for a portable system of reconditioning barrels which would provide a vineyard owner, for example, with the ability to have used barrels reconditioned within a day or two on site, as opposed to weeks or longer in the case of barrels transported to and from a cooperage facility. What is disclosed is a mobile barrel reconditioning system including at least a portable shaving apparatus to uniformly shave a predetermined depth of material from an internal surface of said barrel to thereby form a new internal surface, and a portable toasting apparatus to recondition said new internal surface ready for re-use. In a preferred form of the invention, the system includes a portable crozing apparatus.

Classes IPC  ?

• B27H 5/00 - Fabrication de baquets, de cages ou de tonneaux

Abrégé

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for toasting a barrel, in particular, toasting the inside surface of an oak wine barrel. The invention is intended for use in a mobile wine barrel reconditioning system, however, may equally well be used in the manufacture of new barrels. The toasting apparatus includes a plurality of radially disposed infrared heating elements configured to be insertable and removable from inside said barrel, and a means of rotatably oscillating said heating means by a predetermined angle to facilitate uniform heating of said inside surface.

Classes IPC  ?

• B27H 5/08 - Finition des tonneaux, p. ex. fabrication des rainures

Abrégé

The present invention discloses an apparatus and method of barrel toasting. In particular, an apparatus and method for consistently toasting the inside surface of a barrel, generally a barrel made of oak. Barrel toasting has traditionally been carried out on a barrel by barrel basis, by the cooper, according to wine or spirit-makers' specifications. The cooper draws upon his/her experience in order to determine the length of time and intensity of heat the barrel should be subjected to, so that the barrel is subjected to a reasonably consistent light, medium, medium plus or heavy toast. The present invention attempts to provide an apparatus and method for repeatability and uniformity in barrel toasting by monitoring the temperatures of the barrel being toasted and comparing these against a predetermined optimum range.

Classes IPC  ?

• B27H 5/10 - Troussage ou cerclage des tonneaux
• B27H 5/08 - Finition des tonneaux, p. ex. fabrication des rainures

Abrégé

The present invention therefore provides an improved apparatus and integrated method for producing barrel staves. The apparatus measures the profile of unfinished stave workpieces and based on the width and shape of the stave, as well as other parameters such as the type of barrel that is required, the edges of the stave are trimmed accordingly. This ensures fewer rejected staves, less waste in that the width of the unfinished stave is continuously measured across its entire length with minimum depth of cut required, and most importantly, barrel staves having extremely accurate jointed edges ensuring superior finished barrels have an internal surface that is free from undesirable spacing between the staves, utilising less labour than hitherto known apparatus.

Classes IPC  ?

• B27H 3/02 - Fabrication des douves de tonneaux