Barrel Making: Assembling

First, the staves are sized and trimmed into oblong lengths that might be called a double taper. Traditionally this work, known as ‘dressing’ the staves, was done by hand. The stave was ‘listed’, that is given the double taper shape, with a cooper’s axe, known as a doloire in French. Then, the inside of the stave was ‘scalloped’ with a two-handled hollowing knife to allow for easier bending. Finally the staves were joined on a jointer, known as a colombe. Here the staves were given their final shape—rounded at the bilge (the middle) and narrowed at the heads (the ends). Nowadays most of this work is done by machines, saving much time and energy.