Why is white oak used for barrels?
The wood cells of white oak trees contain a plastic-like substance called tyloses that makes the durable wood waterproof and accounts for its use in barrels, buckets, and ships. Beyond functionality, white oak barrels also impart highly desirable qualities to the liquid contained.
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How thick are oak barrel staves?
Bourbon and similar staves are commonly 3/4 inch, 7/8 inch, or 1 inch in thickness when finished. They average about 4-1/2 inches wide at the bilge. To meet specifications the number of staves per barrel must not exceed 21.
What wood is used to make barrel staves?
American oak
The presence of these chemicals depends on many factors like their place of origin, how the staves were cut and dried, and the level of toasting during manufacture. Wood for barrel making is typically obtained from French or American oak species, but chestnut and redwood trees are also used.
How many staves are in a oak barrel?
Every barrel has 32 staves carefully arranged in a specific pattern. The set-up is a puzzle as each stave varies slightly in width and a barrel cannot have any gaps.
Can you flatten barrel staves?
The microwave drying process saved more than 50 percent of the energy used in Triglia’s previous attempt, and even better, it was fast. Hunt’s machine was able to straighten a barrel’s worth of staves, which yields 12 square feet of flooring, in just 10 minutes.
Why are barrel staves different widths?
To maintain symmetry of the cylindrical shape of the barrel, the widths need to “balance” each other out. To achieve this symmetry, this is where Tonnelleri Ô takes advantage of technology in the way of what is called an EDJE machine, which trims each stave at a correct angle, but in different widths.
How big is a barrel stave?
A stave is a slightly curved, narrow length of oak with a slightly beveled edge. It is used in conjunction with many others to form the sides of barrels. Each stave is 36″ in length, about 1″ thick and can range from 2-5″ wide.
Do bourbon barrels have to be white oak?
Although bourbon does not have to be made in white oak, the experts definitely flock to fulfill the requirement that the barrel is made of “charred new oak containers.” Aging whiskey in white oak charred barrels definitely affects the taste and coloring.
What type of oak is used for bourbon barrels?
American oak is a traditional choice for whiskey barrels. However, both American oak and French oak are important to the spirits industry.
What angle do you cut barrel staves?
What changes is the angle of the sides of each stave; the angle must be reduced below 90 degrees for all staves, but since narrower staves constitute a smaller fraction of the 360 degree shape of the barrel, their angle must be slightly closer to 90 degrees than the angle on wider staves.
What can you make from barrel staves?
The wine barrel staves make gorgeous, boat-shaped planters when screwed to a backboard or the wall. Use some simple metal mesh or another piece of wood to form the bottom of these planter strips, and you’re in business! Source for this idea is unknown, but once again, it’s an easy DIY if you’re handy.
Why are oak barrels curved?
It is the curvature of a barrel that helps distribute the stress of large amounts of weight, liquid or otherwise (a fully filled, average sized 225-liter wine barrel weighs over 600 pounds, or just under a third of a ton, and produces about 300 bottles of wine).
How do you cut barrel staves?
How Do They Cut Barrel Staves? After dried staves are processed through equalizer saws, they are cut to the desired length for the production of spirit barrels. After the staves pass through planers, they curve on the exterior surface to match the circumference of the barrel, resulting in a convex curvature.
What is an oak barrel stave?
Bourbon Barrel Stave – A White Oak Bourbon barrel stave is a narrow strip of wood that forms part of the sides of a Bourbon barrel. The stave makes the sides of a Bourbon barrel look rugged.
Which wood is best for aging whiskey?
American oak is particularly good for aging spirits due to its relatively small and tight grain, which releases tannins more slowly than its European counterparts.