Home Distiller

Could the oak from used pallets be cleaned up (probably wash them, then wire wheel them a little), and then charred and used to age spirits?

Some of the oak does not look that good, but other looks to be white oak (solid or tight pored wood).

Just an idea, since I have nearly an unlimited supply. The wife works for the state in outdoor ed, and she gets lots of pallets from the printer, that they simply scrap (love the thriftyness of the state, when they are allowed to spend other people's money )

H.

I'm no expert but I can't see why not.

Husker I like this idea. As a formerly active wood turner I always used fresh 'green' wood roughed out by chain saw for my work, and never boards or kiln dried lumber. If a guy owns or has access to a jointer, shaper, planer, etc and of course a flame source (we all got one of them )then he could make great use of a pallet minding of course the steel assembly bits aka nails.

I'm in the truck today and will be checking the evening job for a spare or damaged pallet. We just happen to have a variety of nice saws too.

Let us know what you end up with for chip or board size and if or how you toast it. I'll do the same. I've had good experience using the brew shop toasted oak chips, but want to experiment with my own.

Hello there fellow distillers, over the past week i decided to try the wood chip flavoring. I have a stock of clear corn whiskey and tested it on the jars, 1st lightly toasted apple wood, with in about 4 hours it was changing color. after 3 days i strained it, a light golden color with a sweet smell and much smoother. 2nd trial was heavly toasted apple wood chunks. 4 days a very dark golden color with the same sweet smell. I am reusing the heavly toasted chunks over on a 3rd trial. Is there a time frame were you can over expose the wood to the spirits?

Be carefull I know some pallets are treated dont know with what. but you can tell which ones are treated.

Still_Crazy wrote: As a formerly active wood turner I always used fresh 'green' wood roughed out by chain saw for my work, and never boards or kiln dried lumber.

I might be a little wary of chainsaw chain oils. I use air dried firewood for mine. Just miss splittin' logs a few times and you'll have plenty of chips to toast .

I worked in a distribution center for a few years and most of the pallets that I encountered were kiln dried and had preservatives added. So be careful, it may be easier and safer to look somewhere else.

Not cutting on ya just better safe than sorry.

I'm a tree farmer and sell my timber. I auction it off,and will sometimes have several bids. One for the very best quality hardwoods, this is my money maker, one for pallet woods, good hardwoods, but not clear, and one for pulp woods. All the rest of the junk and left overs. Not much left after the pallet guys get finished. They use around 10 different woods. Be able to identify your woods, via grain, color and texture. Basswood will give you a nice dead fish flavor and smell. etc.

I can honestly say that I've never looked at a palette and said "I'd like to drink me some of that.." Palettes are a shot in the dark at best unless you know the source because they are made from anything and everything.. My assumption is that if you were capable of identifying woods post-cutting then you'd live in an environment where getting a better source would be a no brainer.. But oak in everywhere, and a little goes a LONG way.. Besides, its nice to have a fresh cracked surface, palettes are going to be weathered I assume..
Even cities typically have oak/maple trees.. It would be a snap to shank a nice piece of maple from a small tree.. A trip to a hardware/craft store would do you for literally pennies aside from minimum purchases.. Local highschool shop teachers could hook you up with scrap.. Besides, you have oak already, you just don't know it..
What are those rounded toothpicks too? Are they oak?

Pallets when they are actually made of oak are more typically made of Red or black oak.

Neither of which will impart a flavor you are going to like.

White Oak is the usual wood for barrels.

And you don't know what has been done to the wood intentionally or accidentally...

AD

I say try finding some barrel halves sold as planters. I got mine for $20
I get good use from it.

i second allan d. you never know who might of wizzed on that pallet. and you just thought it was piss oak. send me a pm and i will ship you some dry kilned white oak. my buddy is a lumber grader and gets me all the kulls i need and then some. 1 6ft board will last a long time. surely the hardware store can fix you up. good luck but i would say stay away from used pallets. you never know what they were used for.

There is a use for oak pallets....

Firewood.

Once upon a time I worked for a company that made industrial furnaces.
I worked on the power supplies for them and the HUGE transformers came on beautiful kiln dried red oak pallets.

I'll tell you, dimensional hardwood lumber stacks very neatly in a firewood rack:)

The fun part was getting all the nails out so they wouldn't bugger the
teeth on my chainsaw as I cut it to the proper length for my stove.

AD

Don't use pallets.

Many pallets, especially those used for government contracts, are treated with preservatives, and it is not usually evident to visual inspection. You can't just look and tell, so the best thing is to avoid pallets altogether.

White oak is also more expensive so most pallets are red, black, or pin oak.


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