I'll go the opposite and say I've never used a secondary and I've oaked many beers. I just put the chips in a muslin bag and soak the whole thing in bourbon for a week. Then dump the whole thing in the primary. I've never had any issues and I've oaked for 7 days to 6 weeks. Putting them in the bag will help when you're racking the beer to package it too. IMO it's easier to avoid a big bag rather than tons of little chips.
Look into oak spirals. It's just one big log you put in there. It has more surface area, it floats, and it has great oak flavor. I've done white oak with an IPA one time and it was awesome.