Jim demonstrating at Homestead National Monument

"Do you see a man skilled in his work? 

He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men”. 

Proverbs 22:29

BEAVER BUCKETS is a small “mom and pop” operation based in rural Nebraska.  Jim Gaster is one of a very few remaining “coopers”, that is, craftsmen who shape and bind wood into usable containers.  Most of the existing coopers make wooden barrels for distilleries and wineries, but Jim specializes in “white coopering”, a branch of cooperage that produces wooden buckets, washtubs, butter churns, and other vintage household items.  

Every item made by Beaver Buckets is personally handcrafted by Jim himself.  Jim puts his heart into his work and it shows.  As he says of his work, “Going to work in [the] shop is like doing your favorite hobby every day.”  Every item he makes is unique and fully functional.  He will also customize a container or reproduce one to a customer’s specifications.

Jim's craftsmanship has earned a national reputation for its quality, personality, and historical integrity.  Jim has done coopering demonstrations throughout the Eastern and Midwestern United States for museums such as Lincoln's New Salem in Illinois, Mt. Vernon in Virginia, and Homestead National Monument in Nebraska, as well as for numerous historical re-enactments.  Prestigious organizations have purchased from Beaver Buckets, including The Smithsonian Institute, The Botanical Gardens  and The White House Visitor's Center in Washington, D.C., Lincoln Log, Dallas'  Old City Park,  Mill Grove Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary,  and Disneyland.

Even Hollywood has come knocking at Beaver Buckets’ door.  You will find items created by Jim in 20th Century-Fox’s Master and Command: The Far Side of the World and Imagine/Touchstone’s The Alamo(2003), as well as in Universal’s Seabiscuit (2003),  The Legend of Zorro(2005), and Warner Brothers' The Assassination of Jesse James(2006), 3:10 to Yuma(2007).

Jim made his first bucket in 1989.  He was formerly a carpenter by trade, but the coopering business has grown over the years to the point that he has been able to put carpentry aside and concentrate on coopering full-time.  His wife, Marilyn, does the bookkeeping, marketing and helps in the shop when necessary.  His son Bryan (pen name- David Gasten) did the writing of our book, How to Make a Coopered Wooden Bucket. Son Jeremy built our website.

We hope you will enjoy our website and your purchase from Beaver Buckets.

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Phone: (308) 364-2528

Email: beaverbuckets@beaverbuckets.com