Soaking wood chips?

I was on a job awhile ago and all the floors except for the bedrooms were oak floors. They were installed unfinished and then they had a guy come in and handscrape them and then stain/seal them. Needless to say, there was a bunch of oak shavings from that. I know the owner and the floor guy took a bunch, but my helper and I each snagged a small garbage bag full for ourselves.

My plan was to soak them in beer/wine/whiskey etc.. and then use them for smoking/bbqing. Has anyone tried this before? I'm thinking of soaking half in wine and half in beer. After they are soaked, do you need to store them a certain way or anything? I may even see if I can find my dad's old smoker and make some jerky. :)

If anyone has any ideas or experience please post up! I'm also interested in how to use them while just bbqing on a gas grill...

every time we bbq, we smoke with wood chips. either mesquite or hickory.

we soak them for a day before we use them. if you soak them for a future use, i would drain them and seal them in an air tight container, but you still run the risk of mold or mildew.

ive soaked them in jack before, worked well.

I would just soak them right before (up to a day, like sean says) and then drink the rest of the beer.