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Can anyone reccomend a decent source for proper oak strips or staves? I cannot seen to find anything at a reasonable price.

i cut down my own. whare u from?

a new 1/2 barrel sold as a 'planter' from a garden center or, (preferably) directly from a winery is ideal - more oak than you will need in 10 years unless you have a crazy production schedule.
I've been distilling and oaking for 3/4 and have used maybe 1/6th? 1/5th? of the 1/2 planter I bought.

Wherever you can buy charcoal for cook outs should carry a variety of wood chips for smoking meat. I've seen, Jack Daniels Barrel wood, cherry, hickory, apple, and mesquite at my local grocer. Reasonable price too.

kekedog13 wrote:Wherever you can buy charcoal for cook outs should carry a variety of wood chips for smoking meat. I've seen, Jack Daniels Barrel wood, cherry, hickory, apple, and mesquite at my local grocer. Reasonable price too.

Some use them, and find them OK.
This said you will find few that say they are as good as sticks, chunks or cubes.
Mostly because they are next to impossible to get to toast without burning, and that you don't get the same gradations of toasted-ness that you can achieve with thicker bits of oak.

Stogie, if your anywhere near the natural range of white oak just do a Craig’s list search for "lumber" or "boards" or "oak" and you will find many small saw mills that sell rough cut lumber ( at least where I'm at anyway). Usually 5/4 thick and air dried about half of the time. Maybe another option.....Good luck!

There is a website where you can order staves from wine barrels. Winebarrelcrafting.com. Haven't tried it yet but plan to soon.

We have a hardwood lumber store here where I live. They carry cut white oak lumber for about $2.50 a lineal ft. I go in and have them cut me about a foot into 3/4" X 3/4"X 4" sticks.

stay away from the kiln dried if you can