What are they made of?
In the USA and UK white Oak is generally used for casks, usually from the country the first use takes place, like French European Oak for Cognac or Bordeaux wines or American white Oak for Bourbon. In all cases the staves are made from the highest quality Oak, tightly graded and mostly quarter sawn (sawmill cuts 90 degrees to the growth rings). White Oak is a general term for many types of Oak (Sessile, Pedunculate, Alba etc). Trees in the white Oak group all share a pretty important attribute that is common to casks and boat building, their pores are 'blocked' so they don't allow liquid to pass through. This was why they were the choice of boat builders and distilleries. The US Navy still maintains a white Oak forest for the purpose of refitting historical ships, the need for conservation arose partly because of the volume of these trees cut to make Bourbon casks.
Quarter sawing Oak staves
Quarter sawing is the technique of sawing timber into boards with the cut at 90 degrees to the growth rings. Its a difficult technique to master in any great volume and requires a professional sawyer using a commercial grade sawmill with a large throat and hydraulic log handling. If you get it nearly right with the rings at 45 degrees this is rift sawing and if the rings are between this and horizontal thats called flat sawn. Flat sawn boards produce the cathedral type effects where quarter sawing exposes the ray flecks or tiger stripes. In Oak these rays are very wide (look at the panelling on the walls of The House of Commons).
Why does that matter?
In any species quarter sawing creates the strongest and most stable boards. The most expensive furniture and flooring is quarter sawn because apart from it being the most stable it exposes the medullary rays. So if you are using a barrel stave for craft work you will normally discover ribbon like beautiful tiger stripes when you sand them down.
Using staves for craft and furniture
We select the cleanest, least 'toasted' staves and set them aside for sale as craft materials. They are available as they ready for sanding and finishing are or sand blasted for a driftwood effect.
Everyone who picks up a stave has a different idea for how to use them, from wine racks, to door handles, chairs, tables and balustrade spindles and more.
Oak is durable so can be used outdoors, right away without treatment so ideal for making garden features and furniture.
Whisky barrels staves as a fuel
We kiln dry our staves before making any of the fuel products. This does two things, it dries the staves to well below 20% moisture content which is essential for burning and cooking, it also sterilises the wood so that our customers are not transporting hidden insects and mould into their properties.
The staves make excellent pizza oven logs, firewood and smoker chips, check out the shop for availability.
The best pizza oven logs
Ideally suited to mini pizza ovens, kiln dried and split barrel staves impart a sweet smoky taste and burn extremely hot very quickly. High temperatures are the secret to pizza cooking.
