I am well aware that Cooperage is a long and storied occupation going back thousands of years. It should come as no surprise that I suck at it.
According to Encyclopedia Americana (1956 edition), barrels have been used to store things since at least the Christian Era of Rome. This makes sense because all you really need is wood and iron, or steel these days, to put together a barrel. Nonetheless, it mentions “a skillful cooper can work the hoops so accurately that no further fitting or alterations are needed when the staves are put together.” A skillful cooper I am not.
So could all the cooper’s horses and all the cooper’s men put this barrel back together again?
Ethanol Work 