Is 5 days long enough for oak in fermenter?

It looks like people generally recommend leaving oak chips/cubes in for a week but at the same time many say the smell/taste is over-powering. I am wondering if 5 days would be enough time for oak because that would work well with the schedule I want to use on my next batch. Thank you.

the only advice i can give you is to taste it yourself and see. homebrewing is all about making what YOU like. keep in mind that the taste will mellow with aging.

I'll be clearing out my secondary of Apfelwein this weekend and transferring my old ale along with some Bourbon soaked oak cubes. I anticipate 2 weeks in the secondary before bottling, but not sure yet. This will depend on the taste--so I will sample out of the secondary every week or so to see where its at. I've heard too that the oak flavor will fade over time. Once bottled I do plan on aging this beer for 1+ years with periodic sampling of course to see how its progressing.

buddy just oaked an American IPA. Oak chips went in for 6 days in primary after fermentation stopped with a 1/2 oz of cascade, came out great! can't wait to try it again in a few more weeks.

Side note: cubes take longer to work than chips. Less surface area on cubes and can have a "sealed" side from when it was a barrel.

Chips work faster. 2 ounces for about a week, seems about right for me.