What kind of wood to use for Mash Paddle?

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Anthony_Lopez

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I'm going to try my hand at making a mash paddle. If it comes out nice, I'll make a fiberglass jig for it so I can crank them out with a router... Are there any specific types of wood to avoid? Also, what are the best types of wood?
 
Any of the real hardwoods - Oak, Cherry, Walnut, Hard Maple. I think even poplar would do ok.

I'd be quite cautious about what you coat/ clean it with. Initially, I thought of using food grade oil (think butcher block cutting board), but I don't know.
 
I guess you'd be fine with about anything. I used maple, many use oak. Some say not use oak for fear of leaching tannins, but I can't imagine an oak paddle contributing much for the 5-10 minutes it's in the mash. Here's mine:

mp1.jpg
 
Generally you want to stay with hard wood. White oak is the best choice IMHO because it has extremely high rot resistance a good hardness and any tannins leached will be fine and dandy for your brew (this is what high quality barrels are made of). Do not use red oak or any soft woods, including any conifers.
 
I used red oak for mine because that's what I had in stock at the time. It does what I need it to do and since it's only in the mash about 60 seconds, I can't believe it is adding any off flavors. For that matter, almost any wood should work, it's not like you leave it soak in the mash for hours at a time or are mixing mortar.
 
Here's mine. I used hard maple, drilled the holes with a 3/4 inch hole saw, used a router on all the edges including the holes and then sanded with grey scotchbrite pad till bably smooth.
Works great!!

The only wood I would consider using is maple or oak. Stay away form soft woods or wood that has been treated or coated.

IMG_5662.jpg
 
Hehe... I'm glad I played into your little game, Evan!.

I'll take a drive down to my old job (cabinet shop) and see what kinda scrap is layin around...
 
Reviving an old thread. I've got a length of oak (no idea white, red, or other) and a length of poplar. Both are 1x3 (meaning the actual dimensions are 0.75x2.5). I'm thinking that I should use the oak instead of the poplar. Thoughts?

Would a thin paddle like this be enough to break up doughballs and mix the mash?
http://beerbrew.com/shop/index.php/paddle-24.html
 
from my experiences throughout the years, oak is one of the worst woods to use for use in food prep, as it is a very porous wood and food particles will get into those pores. High end kitchen utensils, counter tops, cutting boards, butcher blocks, etc. are made out of birch, maple, cherry, zebrawood(very dense and exotic), even bamboo.
 
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