Replies

1. 
   KeithNewton | Jun 17, 2006 12:01am | #1

   Getting it wet may help. The big mills around here have sprinkler systems to keep them wet during the hot dry months. spring is the easiest time of year to get the bark off, because the cells are thinner when they first form, and they get thicker as time goes by, Also on ring-porous trees like ash, and oak, this is the time of the year that the porous portion of the ring is being formed.

   Why are you using a draw-knife? Are you trying to leave some of the knife marks? What is the end-use for this wood. This may reveal the best method for your intended use.

   If I am just trying to get the bark off before sawing on a freshly cut tree, I normally just run the tip of my chain-saw down its length just deep enough to get through the bark. Then I start prying the bark up along that line with some barking spuds that i have made from nylatron, a tuff slick plastic, about 30" long with a bevel cut onto one end. A flat nail-bar makes a good tool, or anything that has a sharpened flat end that you can lever with. When I catch a tree just right, I can sometimes get the bark off in one piece in 5-10 minutes.

   After it has dried like it sound like yours has, It can be knocked off with a hammer if you hit it with a sort of glancing blow of about 45* to the face, and striking it toward an edge where the bark is already off.

1. 
   Keeferdude | Jun 17, 2006 07:36pm | #2

   Thank-you for your reply, we are using a draw knife in order to keep a "rustic" look. We use them for table legs, fences, posts on decks and we plan on making other types of furniture with them. If you are pretty good with a draw knife you can remove the bark and leave very few knife marks. P.S My name is Keith and I live in Newton County, Hmmm.