Debarking Question

[Bruce Ferm]

I’m doing a project that involves taking all the bark off of some air-dried red oak, black cherry and apple tree branches. The branches are around 4” to 5” in diameter, were cut in mid-winter, the ends were sealed and they’ve been stored in a dry indoor environment for 6 months, so they’re hard and the bark isn’t very easy to remove.

I’ve done a couple with regular carving knives and it’s fairly slow going. I’ve got a good number of them left to do, so I’m going to try other techniques in the hope of finding a quicker, easier way to do this. I’m going to try rasping the bark off, but I don’t know if that’ll be much easier or quicker.

So---my questions... What’s the best way to debark air-dried hardwood branches? What tool(s) would be the best to use to get this job done the quickest and easiest? I’m guessing the answer is probably a drawknife, but I’ve never used one and I don’t know anything about them. If a drawknife is the way to go, what would be a good size and brand to use?

Thanks for your help.

[Bradley Gray]

A drawknife is my tool of choice for this task. I am fortunate to have several old ones including an in shave (curved for chair seats). I also use a 6" straight knife to dig out what the drawknives won't reach. I follow with air bag drum sanders and Klingspore Mac mops (10"d x 4" flap sanders) mounted on horizontal shafts in 100 - 180 grits. Rasping is going to leave scratches in the cambium layer. FWIW wood cut in the winter generally will retain bark more than that cut during the growing season.

[Bruce Ferm]

FWIW wood cut in the winter generally will retain bark more than that cut during the growing season.
That’s for sure! The bark on these pieces is really hard, quite resistant to removal and the process of carving it off with knives is discouragingly difficult.

[john zulu]

Granfors drawknife will work well in this case. It is suitable for debarking. I have the other drawknife from LV with the red handles. I don't think it will suit very well in this application. Sounds like the bark is thick and very hard. Drawknife is the way to GO!

[Jim Koepke]

Bruce, I do not recall if you have mentioned your location. If you are in the Pacific northwest you would be welcome to pay a visit with a few pieces of your wood to see whether a drawknife, hewing axe/hatchet or a wide chisel works best for you and your various branches.

jtk

[Steve Voigt]

I’m going to try rasping the bark off, but I don’t know if that’ll be much easier or quicker.
Thanks for your help.

If you do, your rasp will be toast in 10 minutes. Bark is quite abrasive and very hard on cutting edges. The drawknife is definitely the right tool, but I wouldn't buy an expensive new one if all you're going to do is take off bark. Chairmakers often reserve a "beater" drawknife for just that purpose, and save their good knives for the finer stuff. It doesn't even need to be super-sharp or finely tuned to take off bark. You can find a vintage drawknife on ebay for less than $20, guaranteed.

[Dimitrije Stamenkovic]

I would use a hatchet to do the most of the work and then finish the logs on a shaving horse with a drawknife. Rasp is not the way to go.
How long are those logs?

GB drawknife might not be the best solution in this case because I think it's meant to be used on large logs. Also it's very expensive and you can find a vintage drawknife for much less money on ebay or at flea markets.
Here's the John Neeman's version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDo5zYgfSLM

I haven't tried these drawknives so I shouldn't say anything about them, but to me classic drawknives with the handles perpendicular to the blade seem more comfortable.
They also look more like pushknives, the ones used by carvers, or fleshing knives, which are tools used to make leather. Both these tools are used with a pushing motion.
But I'd like to hear from somebody who knows more than me.

[Bruce Ferm]

Thanks for the heads-up about what bark does to rasps. I’m only dealing with ~18” long, 4”-5” wide branches, but the bark is like rock and I could see my cheap rasps dying in no time flat. Jim K---thanks for the invite but I’m in upstate NY, about half way between NYC and Montreal. I never thought to look in Ebay, but they’ve got a far better selection than the current knives offered by retail outlets. Thanks to everybody for getting me headed the right way.

[Bradley Gray]

Two other things to try: use a mallet to shock the bark loose or soak the pieces briefly in water followed by your new drawknife!

[robert dankert]

Another vote for a drawknife. I got a cheap one a few years ago for the purpose of removing bark. I think it came from Menards (currently $13), but I'm sure most of the big box stores would have them. I use it to remove the bark and GRIT and save my nice edged tools for clean wood.

[Paul Sidener]

A draw knife is the easiest way to go.

[Tom M King]

:D http://www.baileysonline.com/Forestry-Woodcutting/Log-Handling-Power/Log-Debarkers/Log-Wizard-Debarker.axd You actually should have some Neanderthal DNA in your family tree to run one of these.

[Cody Kemble]

:D http://www.baileysonline.com/Forestry-Woodcutting/Log-Handling-Power/Log-Debarkers/Log-Wizard-Debarker.axd You actually should have some Neanderthal DNA in your family tree to run one of these.

I watched the video. This had to be dreamed up after watching an episode of home improvement. I can hear the grunting...gas powered planer blades...

[Andy Pratt]

This is exactly the job for a drawknife, nothing else is even close to as useful as this. If you have a shavehorse your life will be a lot easier, so maybe now is the time to make one. There are some collapsible designs if space is an issue.

[russell lusthaus]

sometimes putting the logs in a very hot shower with steam for a while will loosen the bark. Otherwise drawknife is the way to go. The steam bath wont hurt the wood, so it is worth a try, IMHO.

Next time cut in spring and bark will but fall off on its own.

[James Owen]

A good carving axe will make short work of the majority of the bark. A draw knife will finish the rest.
Or, if you don't have a carving axe handy, a draw knife will work fine -- just a little slower.

[Edward Mitton]

I just can't resist being a smart-alek: The easiest way to debark branches is to just throw 'em off the ship!"

(Technically, the proper term for exiting a ship is disembarking, but most dictionaries site 'debark' for the same usage).

To be serious, a good sharp hatchet is my go to tool for this operation.

[Ryan Mooney]

Drawknife as well for small stuff like this, but just to add to the alternatives since no one mentioned it.. For somewhat larger pieces I'd prefer to have a bark spud.