Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

I recently purchased a box of oak from ROTB.
I've been cutting dominoes around 50-60mm high and around 8-10mm thick.
I read a post in which the doc stated oak should have a 90%/10% ratio, the 10% being end grain exposure.

Can anyone see a problem with the way I'm cutting the oak? (I was using pre-cut square dominoes previously)

You want to expose as little end grain as possible so longer pieces cut with the grain is best, not across the graIn like in your first pic.

As well, in your bottom pic the scoop cut exposes end grain.

Just remember to expose as little end grain as possible, cut so they will be fully submerged in your aging container and that they fit in the opening of your container. Remember they will swell so give yourself enough space so you can get them out of the container as well. Don't ask how I know this!!! :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

Also take into account how much each weigh in regards to the size of the aging vessel. For example if your going to be doing small test batches you will want some small/light pieces :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I've asked about the ROTB pieces before and never really got an answer :/
Anyone else who uses them care to post a pic of how you cut them?

I use roll out the barrel and have for a while. I use them like your second pic but instead of having an arc in it i cut it sraight to make a rectangle (cut down from the top of the arc/semicircle level).
i figure the arc or semi circle part would be a larger end grain area. there is a lot of wastage sometimes but for 25$ a box it still works out good provided they don't gib you with shit offcuts :laughing-rolling:
I just try to make dominoe loking pieces then i weigh them, then toast them then weigh them again. once they cool i weigh them again, i find they can change after cooling. maybe they are still drying out. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

CH3CH2OH wrote:You want to expose as little end grain as possible so longer pieces cut with the grain is best, not across the graIn like in your first pic

:text-+1:

Thanks for the replies everyone.

My problem is I can only work with what I have. Nearly all the pieces have that big scalloped section out of one side, I'll square them up as WTD had said. .. I'm going to be left with off cut off cuts.

I guess all the scalloped offcuts will be getting crushed up to use in the smoker, beats paying stupid prices for hickory from Bunnings

Ill bring this back to life.
Untill now Ive just been chopping the offcuts with an axe but am now looking at cutting evenly into domino type shapes.
What power tool could one use to achieve this?
A mate gave me a small table type saw thats more like an upside-down jigsaw and its just making the wood jump out of control.

Don't really know what the raw off cut's look like but Maybe a circular table saw(or band saw if they are little pieces) to get them right thickness split the wood roughly along the grain with a chisel then neaten up on a disc sander? How big are the off cut's?

The sizes are all over the place but maybe 25mm x 25mm x 100mm
Ideally I would like to end up at 5 x 5 x 50 of there abouts

If it is straight grained, you would be far better off splitting it with say a very sharp chisel, as you would cut shingles. If sawing, you are really going to want to plane them smooth again to limit the fluff and end grain exposed. I think I would go the wide chisel route myself. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

How do you get right thickness though :think: wonder how the dominoes are made run through a planer/thicknesser then split along grain to right width corners rounded then charred?
It Seems would pay to keep them as thick as possible to minimise waste.. will a thicker dominoe last long or is there some oak in middle that wont ever be touched.. :think:

I would suggest a verticle bandsaw, splitting with an axe is probably a good way to do it tho and it would split along the grain rather than expose more by cutting.

Have you got the saw blade on the right way, it should be cutting on the down stroke.

if they are thick, you could always plane them down every couple of runs and re-toast / char. At least that's what I was planning on doing. I have found a bloke near me who will sell wine barrel staves for $8 and has small offcuts of various sizes, but haven't spoken about price on them. Does that sound reasonable

ThePaterPiper wrote:if they are thick, you could always plane them down every couple of runs and re-toast / char. At least that's what I was planning on doing. I have found a bloke near me who will sell wine barrel staves for $8 and has small offcuts of various sizes, but haven't spoken about price on them. Does that sound reasonable

$8 a stave sounds pretty dear to me mate :handgestures-thumbdown:

Can't remember what people have said Roll out the Barrel sell a kg for :think:

If you have a cabinet maker etc near you that uses oak you might be on a good thing too ;-)

awesome! Thanks. It's amazing how something can sound reasonable when you have no idea of what something is worth! lol

If you were local I could give you a heap for free from used wine barrels, unfortunately you are a few thousand k's from here :sad:

My bunnings has used wine barrels (not sure if american or french) whole and halved would make a lot of dominoes $200/$100 tempting..

I'd be suspicious of the ones at Bunnings as you have no way of telling if they've been chemically treated

Cheers,
Prof. Green.