Seeking Tool for de-barking live edge wood slabs
kelleybell21
| Posted in Hand Tools on
Dear Fellow woodworkers,
I am seeking your suggestions and recommendations for a tool, preferably electric, for debarking live edge slabs. The contours of the slab edges are varied, and I need a tool that can follow irregular curved edges. I would assume the tool would be a debarking bit?
Thanks and I look forward to your replies. Regards, Jim
Replies
Hi Jim, I suspect that different trees are different, but in a wood that I use a lot, waiting for the wood to dry and shrink a little causes the bark to separate, then I use an angle grinder with a wire wheel, which makes a really nice, smooth finish.
Not electric, but a drawknife is fun and can do the job without the dust cloud.
I second the draw knife recommendation. It will remove a lot of bark quickly and after a few minutes you will get proficient at just removing the bark. I found that bevel side down works best. Once you remove the bulk of it a bench chisel will let you finesse around the pointy bits. After that a flap sander, in various grits, will help you refine the edge. Good luck!
"I found that bevel side down works best."
There are both "bevel up" and "bevel down" drawknives. If the handles are parallel with the blade it should be used bevel down. Placing it with the flat side down, if the handles are canted down then it should used bevel up.
They both allow for a natural hand position which is key precise control.
I think the bevel down version is more common in the older tools.
In my limited experience with bark removal, the drawknife is probably the quickest way to remove most of the bark. However, it is likely that you will need other tools to get the edge to your satisfaction (everyone has different ideas about what it should look like). I've had success using a flap sanding wheel to remove the last bits of cambium (the layer between the bark and the wood) to get the edge looking like you want it to. Some care needs to be taken with both the drawknife and the flap sander to be sure you don't remove more than you want and to maintain a "natural" looking edge. It is very easy to remove too much and even out the edge enough to make the edge look too smooth.