Five Rivers Chapmanry

A bucket is generally used for a work vessel because of its wide mouth, while a pail is generally used for liquid hauling and containment because of its narrow mouth. Our buckets and pails are made from quartered, air-dried white pine, single piece bottom, hemp rope bail secured with a Matthew Walker knot, steel, rope, withe or lathe hoops as you prefer, approx. 2 Imp. gallon capacity.

We use 16 gauge mild steel for our ferrous metal hooping. There's no steel strapping on our cooperage. This is the most durable of hooping, and the type we recommend for any sort of high-use vessel.

In our research we have found very scant evidence of rope hooping having been used. In one of the Norse graves a coopered vessel was found with remnants of rope at its base, but not enough to conclusively say the vessel had been hooped with rope. We offer rope hooping as a courtesy to our clients, for those who are looking for a more rustic appearance.

We offer two styles of wooden hooping, documentable from circa 500A.D. to late 19th century, and appropriate for most any type of historical interpretation. Historically it would appear wooden hooping was used either in remote regions where more durable and permanent hooping was unavailable and a cooper to repair the work was, or as protection at the chime and bulge steel hoops, on barrels which were to be rolled when moving for transport. We must caution our clients this type of hooping, although beautiful and as durable and highly crafted as we can make it, is fragile. Hoops will burst for no apparent reason, whether kept wet or dry, and so we cannot guarantee the integrity of the hooping.

When hauling water in camp or at your living history site one pail is never enough. And if you have two and no yoke you end up with sore arms and wet clothes. Neither is one bucket ever enough - one for the fire, one for veggies, one for scrubbing tables. With our packages we offer two pails or buckets, hooped as you choose in steel, rope, withe or lathe, and a yoke, all with the same high standards of quality you've come to expect from the cooper at Five Rivers.

We offer three versions of our washtub. The first is constructed of solid air-dried white pine, multi-piece bottom, traditionally doweled and flagged, steel hooping, extended stave handles. The second is the same but hooped with lathe. And our third, for which we have no image, we apologize, is constructed of quarter-sawn white oak and steel hooped for the ultimate in durability. Dimensions: 10" high, bottom head 18", top opening 20".

A small version of a harness cask, our straight-sided cask is perfect for potable water containment, or for storage of large quantities of dry goods. Constructed of solid air-dried white pine, single piece bottom, steel or rope hooping with manila rope bale.

We also offer this cask in oak, steel hooping only.

Approximately 5 Imperial gallon capacity. Dimensions: 15" high, 13" bottom head, 11" top opening.

Constructed from solid air-dried white pine, multi-piece bottom, traditionally dowed and flagged, lathe hooping, manila rope bale and pine lid. Approximately 3 Imperial gallon capacity. Suitable for both wet and dry containment. Recommended for 18th and 19th century interpretations.

Our other version is based upon the Vorbasse #59 tub, and is recommended for Norse, Saxon and Celtic interpretations. Suitable for both wet and dry containment.

Dimensions: 8 1/2" high, 13 1/2" bottom head, 12" top opening.

Based upon tankards found aboard Henry VIII's doomed ship, Mary Rose, our tankard is constructed of various hardwoods, in the case here of white oak and ash staves, withe hoops (example has grapevine and ash), with hinged lid and handle of ash. Holds approximately 1 Imperial quart. 7" high, 3 7/8" bottom head.

Watch for these tankards and our pails in the 20th Century Fox film, Master and Commander: Dark Side of the World, starring Russell Crowe.