[Mottles]

OK, what is a good hand tool to purchase to remove bark from dry wood? I have several pieces of cottonwood and aspen I'd like to remove the bark from. I have been using a roughing knife and chisels.
Your recommendations would be really appreciated.
Thanks,
Kathy
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[Alice in Wonderland]

Hi Kathy
There is a tool to shave the bark off, I am trying to remember the name .
it is sort of like a half moon and has handles on both sides , you draw it toward you down the wood and it literally shaves the bark off. could it be spookknife ??? somebody else may come up with the correct name, I will keep thinking about it too.not much help??? lol
Alice

[Mottles]

Hi Alice, would it by any chance to called a 'draw knife'? I just got a Wood Carvers Supply catalog in the mail this afternoon. I saw a tool by Flexcut called a draw knife. It doesn't say it's for removing bark, but says accommodates concaved, convex and flat surfaces.
Thanks for your help,
Kathy

[santasknee]

I buy cypress knees with the bark already removed because removing it with cutting tools is such a chore. My supplier steams the wood and the bark comes off leaving a slick, natural wood surface.

[Anita]

Hi, I just use a linoleum knife I got at the hardware store. It is half moon shape. Cost was around seven dollars. Hope this helps

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

A dull draw knife is what I use. A sharp tool has a tendancy to dig into the wood. A dull one will cut the bark, but doesn't tend to cut into the wood.

[Eddy Smiles]

A draw knife is great for stripping thin layers of bark. The Cottonwood bark that I've seen looks pretty thick. I'm not sure if a draw knife wood work in this situation or not. Other draw knives than the popular Flexcut are available...i.e. www.japanwoodworker.com. I use a draw knife for stripping off the bark from sweetgum, poplar and red cedar and it works great in these applications. Since the knife is a two handed tool you really need to make sure that the wood that you're working on is securely clamped in place. Otherwise there is a strong possibility of amputation of lower extremities! Ouch!

Kathy... I think that you are referring to a spokeshave which I do not believe would work in this situation. Like the draw knife it is designed to remove thin strips of wood and operates much like a plane.

[Thomp]

Kathy,

theres a tool called a spoke shave, you can spend as much as a hundred bucks for one or go to harbor freight and get a set one spoke shave and a scraper for 8 bucks,.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=39917

i dont make but an occasional stick, so i use a small block plane...

if your going into production to make a hundred sticks get the good one but for occasional work the harbor freight spoke shave should do fine

[AlArchie]

I use an OYSTER knife for stripping bark. Picked it up in the kitchen section of some department store. Has a nice big rubber handle, and stainless blade with a round tip, that's great for cleaning out the diamonds in diamond willow.. Better yet it only cost me about 5 bucks.

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I agree with Kathy, a drawknife is what you are thinking of, I sometimes use however a large old kitchen knife...works great. A spokeshave or such will be constantly filling up with bark chunks.. I also use a linoleum knife when stripping diamond willow