Hi,ALL , IM working with a contractor on a unique project. he needs birch bark to apply to the walls in 12″ squares with twig framing covering the joints. we also need some log slabs with bark still on, this is one rustic looking job, we are located in south east Wisconsin. any sources are leads will HELP!!!!
THANKS MARK CHERRY CABINETS…
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If your just looking for the bark, try a local mill. They just trash the bark anyway, so I don't see why they wouldn't let you go pick it off yourself. That is unless they have insurance rules against non-employees in the yard. Then you might have to pay. Just a suggestion.
This may sound strange, but what do you mean by "bark" - the white outer bark only, or the outer bark along with the inner bark as well?
If you need both (as was done in Adirondack design) you'll have to wait until spring when the sap begins to run. Fell the trees when the leaves are opening, then strip the bark just as you would strip poplar for pulp wood. The pieces need to be stickered and weighted until dry.
If you only need the outer bark - which would be very difficult to work with - follow Don's suggestion and go to a sawmill. You might also try one of the many places that cut and bundle birch for firewood. (They sell it to people in Chicago who think the pretty white logs are good firewood.) These operations tend to be small so you may have better luck with them.
Jeff
for the log slabs w/bark I'd suggest finding a sawyer with a 'Woodmizer' or similar machine - here's a resource http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/forums/sawdry.pl - also you can contact woodmizer at http://www.woodmizer.com/domino/html/woodmizer/woodmizer.nsf to find machine owners in a specific area - for the slabs w/bark you'll need to cut the trees in winter so the bark will stick - you'll need to set it up in advance because the logs will require special handling so as not to scar the bark - here's a pict of a porch I did last winter (horizontal trim details were refined slightly after this pict was taken) - don't know if this resembles what you're thinking about with the slabs, but handling the trees and sawing without tearing up the bark was the most difficult part of the project -
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