At Tonnellerie Baron, each stage of production, from splitting the oak to the finishing of the barrel, is integrated into our workshops.
Magnifying our selection of noble oaks, providing the necessary care while respecting the raw material and achieving an exceptional product, that is the daily mission in the workshop of the cooperage.
Carried by an ancestral know-how which is transmitted from generation to generation, the coopers of the workshop partner with historic tools and traditional processes to accomplish certain stages of manufacture.
Like precise choreography, with the rhythm of the strikes, the workshop is transformed into a living spectacle, commemorating centuries of its know-how.
Here is the inventory of these tools that shape the exceptional barrels that find their places in the most prestigious cellars of the world.
Adzes
Allows shaping of the chamfer of a stave head during repair.
Barrel head compass
Used to size the diameters of the bottoms before assembly, it is also used to take the measurement and check the size of a barrel bottom.
Scrapers
Used for working exterior surfaces such as chamfer or bottoms.
Scorer
Used to repair and replace a defective stave. Allows cutting the jable (the groove) in which the bottom is inserted.
Manual planer
Used to round a barrel head and level a replaced stave during a barrel repair.
Draw shave
Used for the dolage stage (removing material for the fitting of the hoops) and the roughing joint (to adjust the angles and guarantee watertightness), it is handled by pulling towards you using 2 handles to prevent catching the grain and damaging the staves.
Metal stamp & hammer
Metal stamps struck with a hammer on the barrel to inscribe the identification number and thus guarantee the traceability of the barrel.
Hoop Driver
Used to strike and hammer hoops with a hammer.
Photo credit : Anaka