DE-barking a log half

[athiker]

I am doing some turning as a beginner and find that removing the bark from a bowl blank to be time consuming and tool dulling.

I am looking for a way of removing bark on a green blank.

Am wondering if a right angle grinder with some sort of blade would work but I can't find the right kind of blade.

Any ideas.

Thanks.

[tdacon]

This is kind of low-tech, but how about using a bark spud and just peeling it off by hand?

(a bark spud is kind of like a great big wood chisel with a long handle - you push it down the log peeling up the bark)

Tom

[Sonny]

Or a draw knife works well. A good quality knife keeps a sharp edge, also.

Sonny

[Drew Lawson]

Another common method is to use a hatchet. It probably depends on the size and shape of the piece.

[Martin Eastburn]

I've used a Bastard file on some wood. It is the file that has hooks to grab wood. I use it two-handed. Grind the wood with the center area.

Just remember with a tool of any type can grab something and pull in or throw the tool out at you.

Martin

[athiker]

I tried a hatchet once and also a wide chisel. Neither of which worked well. Actually the chisel had to be driven thru the boundary of the bark and wood.

I think I have see guys doing sculpture work on big logs using a right angle grinder and some sort of blade but looked at Lowe's today and they have nothing like that.

Time to do some Googling I guess.

Thaanks for the replies.

[Lew Hodgett]

---------------------------------------------------------- The following works on fiberglass, it would be my first stab at it.

A 4" Dia, Milwaukee right angle sander/grinder equipped with a sanding disc attachment.

Remove the guard.

4" Dia, 24 grit x 7/8" ID sanding discs.

Don't waste your time with anything but Milwaukee.

I burned out everybody but Milwaukee.

Go to a good industrial hardware, definitely not a Lowes or HD item.

I bought discs in lots of 60 to get a price.

Wear a sanding mask.

Lew

[Spalted Walt]

Fits 4" or 4-1/2" grinder with 5/8" arbor:

[Nick]

Something like this would do the job

or an arbortech Pro-4 perhaps.

[Phil Kangas]

"Lew Hodgett" <

Metabo, best there is!

[Dan Kozar]

I've turned a couple hundred bowls from green wood, and if the bark isn't loose enough to peel off by hand, I turn it off. It's much quicker and easier. It takes a lot less energy to sharpen a gouge than to get the bark off. You might want to get David Ellsworth's video on his signature gouge. He uses the gouge in a different way, that removes the bark and shapes the bowl easier than the older methods

[hubops]

< snips >

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: [e-mail] ---

[jloomis]

Draw Knife

john

I am doing some turning as a beginner and find that removing the bark from a bowl blank to be time consuming and tool dulling.

I am looking for a way of removing bark on a green blank.

Am wondering if a right angle grinder with some sort of blade would work but I can't find the right kind of blade.

Any ideas.

Thanks.

[Martin Eastburn]

And isn't the way - from the top down to skin it off.

Lots of people start from the bottom and go up. Guess they figured the cut off area was to start from.

Martin

[athiker]

Thanks for the ideas. I will try some of them.

[woodchucker]

Yep, and that's made in the USA... so double bonus. The chineese version costs more.

[woodchucker]

Same one as harbor freight but about $18 more at lee valley