Cooper (profession)
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Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden barrels, casks, buckets and other similar wooden objects. The word is derived from cupa, the Latin word for vat. Cask making is referred to as cooperage. A barrel is technically a measure of the size of a cask, so the term "barrel-maker" cannot be used synonymously with "cooper" as it is incorrect. In addition, the facility in which casks are made is referred to as a cooperage.
Traditionally there were 3 divisions in the cooper's craft: The "Dry Cooper" made containers that hold dry goods like cereals, gunpowder, nails etc. The "White Cooper" made washtubs, buckets, butter churns etc that would hold water and other liquids, but that did not allow long term storage of liquids. Usually there was no bending of wood involved in white cooperage. The "Wet Cooper" made Casks and Barrels, for long term storage and transportation of liquids that could even be under pressure (like beer).
http://www.vinestreetworks.com has produced a film that shows all the steps involved in making a wooden bucket, using tools available in 1850. A film about Wet cooperage in colonial times is available from http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com .
Sometimes—in more modern times—the profession of the cooper is specific to wineries, where the cooper would look after the aging barrels in which the wine is stored.
While plastic containers have replaced most wooden containers and made the cooper obsolete, there is still demand for high quality wooden barrels, and it is thought that the highest quality ones are hand-made by professional coopers.
Sometimes, rarely today, coffin-makers are known as coopers.
See also: List of occupations
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