I am making some rustic furniture, and things that use pieces of wood from
nature.
How does one get the bark off, and down to the wood without having gouge
marks, and so they can either sand or sandblast it smooth enough to varnish?
My pieces will be smallish, from one to four inches in diameter.
TIA
Steve
On Fri, 26 May 2006 22:37:31 -0700, "Steve B" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>I am making some rustic furniture, and things that use pieces of wood from
>nature.
>
>How does one get the bark off,
Depends a lot on the species.
Expect lots of end checking, so cut the raw stock long
Get a wood stove, the wastage is enormous, so stop worrying about it and
see it as a useful by-product instead.
Work quickly while the wood is still green (for most species - some
peel on drying).
Take all the bark off in one go - soft cambium beneath is hard to shift
once dried.
Any edged tools you like, it's the clamping bench that makes the most
difference to ease and speed. If you're doing a lot, look at making
yourself a shave horse to sit on.
A whole variety of spokeshaves and drawknives, particularly wooden
spokeshaves with big mouths for rough stripping, then iron shaves with
tight mouths for finishing.
Clean your tools after use and oil them - green shavings cause rust in
no time.
Sharp tools are less effort to sharpen than blunt tools are to use.
"Steve B" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:uARdg.89103$iU2.2697@fed1read01...
>I am making some rustic furniture, and things that use pieces of wood from
>nature.
>
> How does one get the bark off, and down to the wood without having gouge
> marks, and so they can either sand or sandblast it smooth enough to
> varnish?
>
> My pieces will be smallish, from one to four inches in diameter.
>
Fresh cut with sap up sits for a week warm and damp and peels after
slitting.
Old cut with sap down is a job for a bark knife.
> news:uARdg.89103$iU2.2697@fed1read01...
>>I am making some rustic furniture, and things that use pieces of wood from
>>nature. How does one get the bark off, and down to the wood without
>>having gouge marks, and so they can either sand or sandblast it smooth
>>enough to varnish?
>> My pieces will be smallish, from one to four inches in diameter.
> Fresh cut with sap up sits for a week warm and damp and peels after
> slitting.
>
> Old cut with sap down is a job for a bark knife.
>
I have found that even if you cut it green (sap up) butr failt to get to it
for a coupleof weeks - probably less for such small material - that the bark
begins to stick. It starts on the side which is facing up because gravity
puolls the sap to the underside of the stock. In other words, don't do what
I did!