Rustic furniture bark stripping?

[John Daugherty]

I’m looking at making some rustic furniture. I have an abundance of small cedars that are about 4-6 inches in circumference. What is the best (easiest) way to strip the bark off?

[Greg Pierce]

John,
I haven't bought one yet, but plan to. I have seen a tool called Roto Clip. Its a disk type cutter with 5 or 6 blades kind of like a food processor blade. It mounts on a 4" grinder. I've seen video's of it, seems to work good. I have also seen people use a hand held planer.
Hope it helps

[Bob Aliano]

I've always used my draw knife to strip bark. It can be controlled so well that I rarely damage the wood. I built a shave horse to make it easier and safer to use.

[Rick Lizek]

There's a tool called a bark spud or chisel and or a draw knife. You should not use any power type as was suggested providing you want to keep the wood intact. We do a lot of fancy work with debarked cedar and it is really nice looking if you take the time. The next step is to pressure wash it. Cutting the branches close and a bit of careful sanding with a small angle sander is the next step. Do it right and you will have some spectacular stuff to work with. Using the power tool will butcher the wood and lose the character which is the reason for doing it. Wood harvested in the dormant period is the easiest bark to peel but it can be done anytime but doesn't peel as easy when the sap is running.