Dundalk LeisureCraft Cedar Barrel User manual

Dundalk LeisureCraft
Cedar Barrel Sauna Assembly Instructions
Please read and understand the complete instructions prior to assembly and use of your sauna.
Customer agrees not to hold Dundalk LeisureCraft Inc. and any of its authorized dealers liable for
improper installation maintenance and repair of this product.
Required:
• 2 People (recommended)
• Rubber Mallet
• Carpenter’s Hammer
• 6’ Step Ladder
• Cordless Drill (we supply the bit)
• Carpenter’s Level
• 7/16” Wrench
• Tape Measure

Preparing the base. A full gravel pad as
shown here or individual gravel pads for
each cradle (see picture front page): Clear
loose vegetation and soil level the ground
with a slight slope for drainage and fill the
area with 2-4” of crushed limestone gravel.
Level and tamp. Patio stones as pictured
here are also an option.
A solid concrete slab or a new or existing
wooden deck all good options as long as they
drain well. Consult a professional building
contractor if you’re not sure how to proceed
with these options.
Level the cradles on top of the footings space
evenly and make sure they’re arranged in a
straight line. Using one of the long boards as
a guide.
Lay down the special 3” bottom stave (with
two convex edges) across the centres of the
cradles.
Measure 24” from the ends of the cradles to
the middle on each.
Measure 5” from each end of the stave to the
cradles as shown.
Fasten it to the cradles with the supplied 2½”
screws. NOTE: Always check to ensure that
you have the correct screw length so that
there will be enough thread to hold and
especially so that the screw won’t go all the
way through the material and come out the
other side.

Fill the cradles with enough staves to hold
the middle section with the door and the
corresponding back middle section.
Make sure there are no gaps between the
edges of the staves. (tap together with
mallet)
A half-inch hole was bored for drainage just
inside the walls on the lower special stave.
It is handy for cleaning it out but you might
want to put a sieve in it to keep bugs out.
(Note: you can elect to do this any time
later)
Place the middle sections of the end walls into the
groove in the staves.

Get the middle front and back wall segments plum using a
carpenter’s level or a plumb bob.
Put the special top stave in place to help stabilize the wall
sections.

Fasten the half-moon side wall segments to
the middle wall segments with supplied 2½“
screws.
The tops of the various wall sections are
marked with A B C or D at the top to
ensure that they are properly matched.
Here they attach the front-left section to
the front-middle section matching markings
“B” to “B”.
Here they attach the rear-left section to
the rear-middle section matching markings
“C” to “C”.
Once the front and back end walls are
assembled start to assemble the barrel.
Here, the stave is only fitted onto the wall
as far as the pencil line, leaving a
deliberate gap.
The gaps are to ensure that when the bands
are tightened instead of pressing on the
end walls all of the force will be directed to
pressing the edges of the staves together to
form a water-tight seal.

Here the installer is using one of the
supplied 1½“ finishing nails to hold a stave
onto the bottom part of the barrel. You
may not need to use nails as sometimes
the staves stay on without nails.
If you do find that you need to use them
only use nails on every second stave. The
staves in-between will be held in place by
the ones with nails.
Again make sure the inside faces of the staves
line up with the pencil circle on the end walls.
Once you get them to hold onto the edge of the
wall by themselves or with nails tap them in or
out with a hammer to line them up with the
pencil line.
Note: do not hammer on the ends of the staves
or they may break. Gently tap the staves and
only on the inside of the end wall.
Continue placing the staves up around the end
walls.
Here because the staves are on the top half of
the barrel they won’t need finishing nails to
hold them on.

Finish installing the staves on the top half.
Again make sure there are no gaps between the staves by
tapping them firmly into place with a rubber mallet and
make sure they line up with the pencil-marked circle.
Assemble two of the bands so they can be
slipped easily on over the ends of the barrel.
Put on the outer bands JUST SNUG. Don’t tighten yet.

Here the band is being placed with the tightening hardware
on the bottom of the side that is least visible.
IMPORTANT:
It is normal for the barrel sauna to fit
like this when the outer bands are on
(with a “hump” where the last stave is
inserted.)
Using your rubber mallet adjust the
staves so that they form nice circle
(aligned as closely with the pencil-
marked circle as possible all around).
Tap them up (from the inside of the
sauna so you don’t break the ends) or
down by hammering them on the
band with the mallet to attain a
uniform circle shape.
After the staves are adjusted into a
uniform circle shape a gap will open
up at the top of the wall (see photo
bottom of next page)

By adjusting the staves this way
(bumping them up or down with a
rubber mallet as necessary) they
should settle into a circular shape as
pictured below.
Your barrel should look somewhat like this just before tightening; as near a circle shape as can be achieved by
adjusting the staves with a mallet but with a gap showing at the top. When the bands are tightened the staves will
be compressed inward and the visible gap will disappear.

Measure 2” from the edge of the
band to the end of the staves all
around before tightening .
Rotate the bands so that the
tightening hardware is at the desired
location. Usually this is the least -
visible area of the barrel. That could
be bottom centre if you don’t mind
crawling down under to tighten
them.
Note that this 6’x8’ barrel has a 2’
“Porch” which is why it has a fourth
band.
Also because the overall length of
this barrel sauna is more than 10’ it
has three cradles.
Now tighten the bands each a little
at a time. If you have two people
assembling one should tighten while
the other bangs down on the bands
(or up from inside the chamber if
necessary) to keep the circular shape.
Don’t be afraid of over-tightening
the bands. You won’t break them
with a regular wrench.
Just remember to keep adjusting for
roundness with the rubber mallet as
the bands are tightened.