Also, it seems like most folks using oak seem to soak them in another spirit first - bourbon seems to be a biggie, but I've read of people using scotch as well.
The other thing is, if you oak anything, it seems it's important to give it time!!! Most people will tell you that if they oak their batches and taste them immediately, the oak is overpowering. But given a few weeks, maybe a couple months of aging/conditioning, the oakiness will mellow into a nice background note.
It might also be helpful if you let everyone know what you didn't like about how it turned out. With the experience around this board, there's not much someone hasn't seen. They might be able to give you advice on your process for next time.