Page 2 of 2 FirstFirst 12
Results 16 to 20 of 20

Thread: Tool suggestion for debarking and smooting poles

  1. #16
    When I was a kid in the 50's I would occasionally get loose and head for the docks. My Mom used to wonder how I survived. The sturgeon fishermen used poles driven into the bottom of creeks and rivers to hang their sturgeon nets. They used draw knives for peeling the bark. The poles were pine that is plentiful in SC.

    The better peelers could strip a pole of it's bark in about 10 minutes.

    To hold the poles at a comfortable work height, they used sawhorses.
    To hold the poles steady, they used wooden wedges.

    Allen

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    2,758
    I'm guessing that you have Maple saplings 1" to 3" diameter and 12 feet long.

    Lashing up a tripod to hold the poles would be a good starter project.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Grand Rapids, MI
    Posts
    38
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    I'm guessing that you have Maple saplings 1" to 3" diameter and 12 feet long.
    You are correct that most of what I have is Maple saplings, though no 1" stuff. I'm sticking with 1.5" - 4" stuff and only the 4" stuff will be 12'. But my goal is to find someone who is thinning a cedar stand to get some cedar poles from them. Or basswood.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Grand Rapids, MI
    Posts
    38

    The resuts!

    I ended up finding an 8" folding drawknife on the big e-auction site. The metal is in great shape, though one of the handles is cracked and needs glue in the short run and replacement in the long term. At $33 shipped, I can't complain. I suspect the only reason I picked it up that low was the fact that the actual manufacturer's name is all but gone. One of these days I'll try looking through images of similar items to try and find lettering that matches and identify the make.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Posts
    547
    Blog Entries
    1
    It is pretty easy to find cheap drawknives on eBay. I bought two there and use them in chairmaking.

    Just had a (morbid) thought -- using a sharp drawknife with the boy scouts would allow them some first aid practice as well. Just make sure there are no amputations...

    Speaking of sharp drawknives, the draw sharp from Peter Galbert, available either directly from him or from Benchcrafted, is a great tool for sharpening a drawknife.

    Mike

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •