"Have access to white or red oak? Make your own aging chips. Place piece of wood on lathe and ""turn"" coarse cuttings (lathe cuttings provide more surface area than wood chunks during aging process). Place cuttings in roasting pan and cover. Place on outdoor grill, close top and heat. When smoke begins coming out remove cover and use metal ""pancake turner"" to turn/rotate/mix cuttings, replace cover and continue heating until smoking again, rotate cuttings. Continue process until all cuttings have reached a dark brown plus small percentage slightly blackened, then remove cover and from heat, allow to cool. Place in plastic-zip lock bag.
Aging Wiskey: Dilute ""white lightning"" to 5% higher alcohol than final desired proof. Add to each quart jar, 4 one-ounce shot glasses of carbonized oak cuttings. Rotate jar often (like every other day) for at least TWO weeks.
Filter through coffee-filter, then enjoy (smooth as silk).
Used (dried out) carbonized cuttings: Do not throw out! Are great for sprinkling on grill baffels for ""smoked"" accent when barbequing beef, Etc."

I take a chop saw to wine barrel slats, and make long strips and little chunks. Toast in oven and/or hold over gas fire for deep char

I use White Oak.
Here's what I do. I take a block of white oak cutting pieces into small chips about the size of an iPhone but split in half. I soak them in water in a cooler overnight. The the next day I wrap them in aluminium foil and pre-heat the oven to 400. Once the oven is preheated and the chips are wrapped I toss them in the oven for 2 to 3 hours. Once they are done take them out carefully the chips will be a nice tan color and feel very dried. Then I take my ole torch and some kitchen tongs to hold the chips and place the wood chips into the fire of the torch until they are blackened then I cool them in water and lay them onto a pan to dry. Once they are dried and blacked (Charred) I place them into a mason quart jar for keeping util I need them. I have two pints oak charring now. Mine has a very nice color to it. IMO one tastes better than the other. They've been sitting on oak now for about a month. I tend to char a pint per each run. My only problem is I remember they are there and want to drink them. So they are out of sight (which is out of mind).