I like to occationaly make props for D&D dioramas and other miniatures. This cute little barrel is one of my favourites, since it looks so realistic, yet is so simple to make. The best part is that it uses very cheap materials that you might already have in your house!

Supplies

Feel free to use any alternative materials you might think of. These are the materials that I used:

-A 10cm x 100cm x 4mm balsa wood sheet (only a 10cm x 1.8cm x 4mm piece needed)

→You could also use craft sticks. They are a bit harder to work with, but look just as good, if not better

-A thin, grey carboard sheet

-A piece of foam (only a 1.2cm x 1.2cm x 1.6cm piece needed)

→works with any kind of easy-to-shape material

-Hot glue & multi-purpuse glue

→multi-purpuse glue dissolves foam, so at some steps you need to use hot glue or superglue

-My trusty cutter

Step 1: Cut the Planks

From the big sheet of balsa wood, cut a 1.8cm x 10cm rectangle.

Then, cut 10 thin slices as shown in the pictures. The resluting pieces must be 4mm x 18mm and no more than 1mm thick.

Step 2: Shape the Planks

Cut the corners of each "plank", as shown in the picture. This gives them a more leaf-like shape.

Bend each plank, using your fingers or a small pair of pilers.

→If the plank is too thick and can't bend, just snap it in the middle and close to the corners (like the 6th image).

Step 3: Make the Lids

Cut a circle with a diameter(Ø) of 1cm. You should now have a Ø1cm x 4mm cylinder

Now, cut 2 slices about 1mm thick.

→This part is a bit tricky. Don't worry if you don't get it in your first try, I often need many attempts too :)

Step 4: Cut the "metal Bands" (no Pun Intended)

Cut 4 stripes out of the thin cardboard. They should be about 4cm long and somewhere between 1 and 2 mm thick.

Step 5: Make the Support Foam

Cut a 1.2cm x 1.2cm x 1.6cm piece of foam.

Shape it like a Ø1.2cm x 1.6cm cillinder.

Cut the "corners" of the cilinder, so that it takes the shape of a barrel.

→This piece of foam will help you put together the final barrel.

Step 6: Assemble the Barrel

Now it's time to put all the pieces together.

Start by gluing the curved planks around the barrel-shaped piece of foam.

Then, glue the top and the bottom lid.

→Don't use multi-purpuse glue in this step, as it dissolves the foam.

→In the 7th image you can see that the lid is a little too big. If this happens to you, just cut it all around

Step 7: Glue the Metal Bands

Glue the little strips of cardboard as shown. Cut any excess parts.

→At this step you may use regular glue

Step 8: That's It!

...And that's all you need to make this realistic miniature barrel. Most of it is just thoughless repetitive work, so you can easily make an army of these while listening to music or watching a TV series :D

If you want you can also paint it, but in my opinion it looks just as good without it.