Stav Ash Sauna Bucket
Stav Ash Sauna Bucket
Coming Soon
Sixteen staves of American ash, held by two bent wood hoops and a stainless liner. No glue in the body. Nothing applied to the wood.
Stav is Swedish for stave, which is what it is built from.
Size
Just under 2 gallons to the brim (about 7 liters), and a little over a gallon and a half at a typical fill. That is larger than most sauna buckets and it is deliberate.
About 9.5 inches across and 9.5 inches to the lip (24 cm). A full one is heavy, which is what the rope handle is for.
The liner
One piece of 304 stainless, deep drawn, no seams and no welds. It lifts out, so you can see the construction underneath and dry the wood properly.
A liner that comes out is also the honest version of a materials claim. You can take this product apart and check all our materials claims.
Why there is no finish on it
We thought about beeswax. We tested it.
Then we realized we could not verify it. A finish applied four thousand miles away is a claim we would have to take on trust, and this brand does not run on trust. The absence of a finish we can check in five seconds, and that is truly the best condition, we think, for something sitting in a very hot room.
So the specification is nothing. Bare wood.
What we are still testing
We put two sample buckets in a sauna for eighteen hours and one of them split.
That is not a sentence most brands would publish about their own product. We are publishing it because the version we sell will be different because of it, and because eighteen hours is less than a month of ordinary use.
What changed as a result: the body is now tapered, so the hoops can tighten as the wood moves rather than sitting slack. The wood moisture content is specified and measured instead of assumed. The liner is tapered too, so it lifts out instead of binding. Every one of those changes exists because a sample bucket failed on a bench in Connecticut.
The next samples get the same test, and then will be tested even more. Once at the factory before they ship to us, and again here, but for longer. Once we're satisfied with quality and durability, we'll place the production order.
Final dimensions and weight will move slightly once production samples are confirmed.
Availability
Not yet available. Leave your email and we will tell you the day it is.
Likely available towards the end of the year, but that depends on how the next samples perform in testing.
Materials
Materials
Staves and Base: American white ash, grown and harvested in the United States. Kiln dried. No adhesive of any kind.
Finish: None. Bare sanded wood. No oil, no wax, no lacquer, no varnish, no stain.
Base Joinery: Wooden dowels. No adhesive of any kind.
Hoops: Solid bent wood. Not laminated, no glue.
Liner: 304 stainless steel, deep drawn in one piece, removable.
Handle: 100% cotton rope, all the way through, including the core. Ends whipped so they cannot fray.
Plastic: None. Anywhere.
Dimensions
Dimensions
In final testing/sampling stages. Final dimensions TBD.
Care
Care
Keep it out of the hot room between sessions. A sauna at 190°F dries wood far faster than a house does, and bare ash left in there week after week will eventually check and split. Carry it out with you. This is the one instruction that matters most.
Do not soak it before first use. Traditional stave buckets are soaked so the joints swell and seal. Stav has a stainless liner, so it has nothing to seal, and wetting the wood and then heating it is the fastest way to crack it.
Lift the liner out to dry after use. Empty it, lift the liner, and let both parts air. That is also the easiest way to see how the bucket is built.
The joints will open and close. This is not a fault. Wood takes on moisture in a humid room and gives it up in a dry one, and a coopered bucket shows that movement at the joints. If they open a little after a hot session, bring the bucket back into the house and they will close again. The hoops are tapered so they can follow the wood as it moves.
It will go gray. There is no finish on this bucket, which means the wood ages where a sealed one would not. Ash exposed to heat and steam lightens and takes on a dry, open texture. We think that is the better outcome, but it is a change and you should expect it.
If you want to oil or wax it, that is your decision, and then you choose what goes onto it. We ship it bare so that choice is still yours.
No dishwasher. Rinse the liner, wipe the wood, and that is all it needs.
Shipping and returns
Shipping and returns
Ships within 1-2 business days from Connecticut. 30-day returns on unused items. See our full policies for details.
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