In this video, I designed a Stave Wooden Bucket I built for clients to use with their bar cart. I used SketchUp to determine the proportions of the bucket and the angle of how much the bucket tapered from top to bottom. I then determined what angle and taper I needed to set the table saw up so I could cut the compound angles needed to construct the bucket. I even had a little fun drawing a rope handle, even though it was probably a moot point, and I should have used a different technique in the end.
Go here if you want to watch the Ice Bucket Be Built
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Portfolio picture of the finished Bucket and Bar Cart
The Design Process
The first step in designing the bucket was visualizing the size I needed for the project. I had previously drawn in the bar cart to scale, and this is what I used to take my measurements off of while building the cart. So, I drew the bucket in place so I could estimate the size and compare it to the cart. This helped me get the diameter, then I measured a wine bottle to be sure it fit proportionally.
To determine the tape, I selected just the bottom of the bucket and used the scale tool to scale about the center, until I found a pleasing to my design eye taper.
Once I knew how big I wanted the bucket, I used the polygon tool to draw it accurately and take measurements. I decided I liked the look of 20 staves, so I set the tool to draw a 20-sided stave and repeated the process. I offset the polygon by 3/4″ which will be the thickness of the bucket. Then I could take my measurements for how wide that stave needed to be at the top, how much the stave tapered, and what angle it needed to be cut at.
I then drew in the bottom so I could determine what angle the dado needed to be cut at in the stave for the bottom to sit flat.
At this point, I had enough drawn in to go into the shop and build a Stave Wooden Bucket. But I didn’t want to leave the video hanging, so I finished it off by drawing in a rope handle. If you want to see how that was done, give the video a watch.
I’m the owner of Benham Design Concepts, a mixed media art studio where I design and build custom furniture and other works of art using wood, glass, stone, and various metals.
In this blog, I talk about the art I create, my journey, and the things I learn along the way.