Kentucky Wood Products

Stave-Mill Production

White Oak Staves & Headings

Quarter-sawn White Oak material produced for cooperage requirements.

Discuss Your Cooperage Requirements

Kentucky Wood Products produces White Oak staves and headings for the cooperage supply chain. Our stave-mill work begins with stave-grade White Oak logs and continues through sawing, ripping, inspection and preparation for shipment to the cooperage.

The material enters the production chain for bourbon barrels. Our role is to produce the stave and heading material to the buyer's requirements.

White Oak Sourcing

We purchase stave-grade White Oak logs primarily from Kentucky, with material also sourced at times from Tennessee and Indiana. Kentucky remains the primary focus of our regional sourcing.

From White Oak Log to Cooperage

  1. Quarter-saw the logs

    The process begins by quarter-sawing the White Oak logs.

  2. Resaw the quarters

    The quarters pass through a resaw while maintaining the quarter-sawn orientation to produce 5/4-inch material.

  3. Rip to width

    A straight-line rip saw produces appropriate widths and removes sapwood from the edges.

  4. Inspect the pieces

    We check finish quality and look for good, tight grain. No mineral or insect holes are acceptable.

  5. Prepare for shipment

    The finished material is stacked on pallets, banded and shipped to the cooperage.

Material & Dimensions

Finished stave lengths vary by customer, normally within 39–42 inches; heading length is 20 inches. Widths vary with material yield and buyer requirements. Tell us the specifications for your staves and headings so we can discuss the appropriate material and order.

  • Material: Stave-grade White Oak.
  • Sawing: Quarter-sawn orientation maintained through resawing.
  • Thickness: 5/4 inch, the industry-standard thickness for the product we produce.
  • Widths: Commonly approximately 1–6 inches, depending on material yield and buyer requirements.
  • Stave lengths: Buyer-specific, normally 39–42 inches.
  • Heading length: 20 inches.
  • Quality: Good, tight grain; no mineral or insect holes.
  • Shipment preparation: Palletized and banded for shipment to the cooperage.

The Cooperage's Next Steps

After shipment, the cooperage handles its drying and barrel-manufacturing process. Kentucky Wood Products supplies the stave and heading material entering that process.

Plan Your Supply Requirement

Share your stave and heading specifications, required quantities, order frequency and delivery timing. We value repeat commercial supply relationships and direct communication with the buyer. We direct-ship current regional orders throughout Kentucky and surrounding states.

Discuss Your Cooperage Requirements