Mash Paddle Wood Substitutions

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Mirilis

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So I have been calling every Lowes / Home Deopot / Lumber Company around and i can not find any Maple/Walnut/Cherry to get to make my mash paddle.

Is there a place that i am not thinking to look? I dont want to get one on ebay because ill have to pay too much to ship.

Lowes does have the following woods:

Red Oak
Poplar
Pine
Aspen

Would any of them be alright to use? Im not a big lumber guy so all the info
i got from the boards is that really its Maple or bust.
 
Cool... Poplar it is.. i read a lot about treating it too but i dont think i will.

I want to use 1x4x48 and hopefully end up with a

36-42 inch paddle 4 inches wide and 3/4~1 thick..
 
Yah, I used poplar on mine and left it untreated and it works great. I went with a larger plank but should have probably done the 1x4x48 as my mash paddle is fricken massive, but it makes a good home security system.
 
Although that other post stated that red oak is not good for mash paddles, I have never experienced any issues with mine made from oak. Yes, maple is probably your best choice but oak won't be horrible either. Only thing I don't like about the oak is that it seems to get a little splintery (not a word, I know) after each mash. I just sand her down a little bit and she's back to new. Personally, I think it is just personal preference.
 
Just a note,
Aspen is part of the poplar family. There's probably little difference other than color between the tulip poplar and aspen poplar at lowes/hd.

It also doesn't matter much what type of wood, just make sure it's low in resin so you don't get "flavors".
 
Red oak is a pretty hard wood and will give you a more durable paddle. I suggest using a piece that has grain running as close as possible to parallel to the face of the board. It is ring porous, and you will have wort in the rings, but that should rinse out readily. Oak has tannins that will flavor your beer if it sits in it for months, like with white oak barrel conditioning (red oak barrels would leak through the ring pores). For a one hour mash, not a real issue. I'd vote oak, if you can't get some maple online.

Aspen or poplar are softer and lighter "hardwoods", and inch for inch the oak would be more deadly for home security. This is one place where size would clearly matter!
 
If you're not set on wood, you might check a local restaurant supply store for something like this. I found one locally for about that price. It's more expensive than the wood, but there's no labor involved (unless you want to cut or drill holes) and it should last forever.
 
Yah, I used poplar on mine and left it untreated and it works great. I went with a larger plank but should have probably done the 1x4x48 as my mash paddle is fricken massive, but it makes a good home security system.

Multipurpose tools are seldom efficacious. For the latter role, I recommend a Remington 870........
 
I would think on the line if 1" diameter plastic, nylon or a polycarb bar stock material with a cut slot with a carbide blade on the table saw. Thru bolt paddle blade of the same material with drilled and counterbored holes with stainless hardware.
I could never grasp the idea of wood as a stir paddle or what ever you want to call it that has open gwood grain to collect nasty bugs. Just how I see it. The now asking price of $800 replacement for carbon fiber kayak paddle I have is hands off on this one. A welding couple welding jigs for the manufacture as well friend got me a custom 17 1/8 oz paddle for $150 delivered. The Tig welder paid for itself more again.
 
I could never grasp the idea of wood as a stir paddle or what ever you want to call it that has open gwood grain to collect nasty bugs.

If there are nasty bugs in the paddle that can survive being boiled for an hour, I guess we're all screwed as homebrewers. Besides which, I suppose you've never used a wood cutting board for the same reason?
 
That same restaurant supply also stocks wooden paddles and they are very inexpensive:

36" Wood Paddle

I went to buy one of these for only $7 (what a deal!), then I noticed shipping was $13. I hate paying for shipping that is more than the item I am buying. I guess I will be looking for a different option. Maybe I have a local restaurant supply store that carries something similar...
 
Yes, check locally. I found almost the exact same paddle at my local restaurant supply for $9.95. You could also try the googles online for a better deal.
 
Check Woodcraft, you should be able to find some maple, no problem.

I don't know how far away from you they are, but I'm guessing you're close to Columbus:

( From their website: )
Woodcraft
1077 Bethel Road
(Corner of Bethel & Kenny Roads)
Columbus, OH 43220
Phone: (614) 273-0488
 
Wood cutting boards have been shown to have less bacterial survival than plastic ones. Just rinse it off. You don't need to wash it in normal brewing use. Your brew will start cleaner with wood than with the plastic one. An hour or so of mashing before the boil is not much time for bacteria to do much, but the science is behind using wood over plastic.
 
If there are nasty bugs in the paddle that can survive being boiled for an hour, I guess we're all screwed as homebrewers. Besides which, I suppose you've never used a wood cutting board for the same reason?

Damn right as the wife was a bucher for 24 years and they use nylon surfaced tables which have a habit of dulling the knives quicker than wood.
We have a 375 pound butcher block table in the center of the kitchen used as a general table no contact of food to the wood surface.
My grand parents brewed out of open crocks back in the early 1900's also.
No i'm just not a fan of wood, stainless is my first choice.
Use what make you happy.
 
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