By BETSY COHEN / Photographed by TOM BAUER of the Missoulian Jun 12, 2009 Jun 12, 2009 0 Staves to stools - Crafts of wine and furniture making cross paths keeping barrel wood out of landfills TOM ...

Alongside the bourbon boom of the last decade has come a technological revolution in U.S. barrel making, led by Missouri-based Independent Stave, the world’s largest barrel manufacturer.

At this point the bottom staves still aren’t pulled side-by-side or fitted with a hoop, and he must put the barrel in a steam oven for about an hour to make the wood malleable, then use a winch ...

Building a perfect wine barrel Coopers season, toast and bend for the best wine containers By JACK HEEGER Napa Valley Register Jan 28, 2008 0 ...

Inside the main barrel factory, beginning each day at 6 a.m., workers place together between 30 and 32 oak staves to create a single barrel.

A family-run business in Spain has been making handmade wine barrels since 1975. Tonelería Herfe makes about 6,000 oak barrels a year and sells them for up to $670 each.