Any information regarding cleaning up live edge boards appreciated!
I bought some beautiful burled maple live edge boards and am chiseling away to get the bark off. I tried soaking the edges and that didn’t seem to help – and some areas I need to tread with care because of the burl forms.
The bark is mostly crumbling bit by bit and rarely peeling.
Thanks all!
Replies
It's hard to say without seeing it , but a wire type brush may help . Also there are sanding wheels with strips of sandpaper spinning that you mount on a drill motor , can't think of the name of the strips .
good luck dusty
I tried a wire brush after chiseling down to a thin layer of cambium - did not work at all. The sander referred to is a flap sander. I have not tried it but I can't imagine it would select out only bark - the burl edges are almost thorney and very lovely. I want to save them and if I can't I think I will have to leave some of the bark on...
Hello Pheobe. I tried the same thing with some diseased beech. The only thing I found to remove the bark was time,elememts, and lots of sun. Eventually the bark loosens itself. I had finally left a chunk outside.
But from a chemical stand point I think that if you could identify the chemical bond between the bark and the sap wood. Another chemical may be used to cut it and loosen the bark. That was my thought at the time anyway. Seemed right. Never explored it to the end though.
Good luck, would be interested in hearing your adventures.
C
How about a light sand blasting ?
As Keith says, the ease with which the bark comes off depends on when during the year the tree was cut. (It also depends on the species.) But if the wood is dry and the bark doesn't want to come off, I don't think there are any shortcuts that won't damage the underlying wood. You're pretty much stuck with picking it off, bit by bit.
-Steve
Steve,
Why not use a draw knife? Perhaps a small one.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 10/9/2007 1:46 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
"Why not use a draw knife?"
Because I'm not the one with the wood that needs cleaning up. ;)
The words "burled maple" suggest to me that a drawknife, even a small one, is out of the question.
-Steve
Steve,
I was kinda following this discussion as I've got some cherry burl that I want to slice up for inlaying. The bark is really loose so I took off the outer layer with a small d-knife and it went well.
What is the deal/issue with not wanting to use the d-knife. I'm curious as this will be the first time I've dealt with burls.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Well, we're not talking about bark that's really loose. We're talking about bark that stubbornly refuses to come off. Using a drawknife in that situation that would risk cutting into the wood underneath, which kind of defeats the "live edge" part of the deal.
-Steve
Is this to be turned, methinks? I guess I'm not familiar with the term live edge. Is it just under the bark and the OP wants it to remain natural looking sans bark?
In other words is this going to be turned into a bowl with the outside left natural or with a live edge? My lack of knowledge is showing, sorry.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 10/9/2007 2:47 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
"Is this to be turned, methinks?"
No, I think these are boards, as in planks. Not turning stock.
"I guess I'm not familiar with the term live edge. Is it just under the bark and the OP wants it to remain natural looking sans bark?"
Exactly.
-Steve
Ah, gotcha.
The 3 cherry burls I have are small, the largest is about 14" in diameter. I sliced one open and it has some really nice firgure inside and solid. Swirly dark reddish lines with sort of pinkish meat. They should look really great, I hope.
Thanks Steve,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 10/9/2007 2:52 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
"Swirly dark reddish lines with sort of pinkish meat."
I haven't had my lunch yet. Now I want a rib eye steak.
-Steve
Thanks all,
The burls are about 4 in. in diameter on the edge of a natural edge board - as my instructor says "you couldn't sell this stuff ten years ago and now it is going for a fortune" and it is true, I paid quite a bit for it - partly because it is book-matched as well as having some ambrosia and burls. I am going to make a platform bed out of it - for nimble types who can navigate or leap over the rough parts!I will go after it bit by bit unless I find the solvent for the connection of cambium to sap wood!I can only assume this was cut in the hard to peel part of the year - or does this change over time? It is air dried maybe 2 years...I have not checked with a moisture meter...I think this was a bonus to sending logs downriver to the saw mill - still wet and easy peeling!
Bark is most easily removed when the wood is harvested in the Spring months, and will be hardest through the Winter.
I like to strike the bark with a corrugated face framing hammer. I direct the striking force to hit at about a 45º angel, across the grain, which causes the bark to shear at the cambium layer. Also you need to strike the bark so that the bark can slip toward an opening where the bark is already missing.
I think there are some turners who clean up with a power-washer, but when I tried that, it was really slow going if you count on it to do all of the work. Although I may not have had one that put out enough pressure / velocity / volume. If you try this, see if you can shoot the stream in under the bark, so you can use the water pressure to lift the bark off, rather than just eroding it away.
If your lumber is already dry, you shouldn't re-wet it, so I hope you are working with freshly cut green lumber.
PiA, I think as other posters said that you have to get it-the bark- real wet and give it some time. I had a 55" log of black walnut-a different bark for sure- that I had the joy of chunking square with a wood miser at my sawyers-he's a friend and a brave man,ha ha- but one piece was an oval slab cut off to get past the bark curve after the first 1/2" top cut. It was tossed aside but I went back later and saw it (at 5/8" x 6" x 30" clear wood before the bark taper) was probably usefull.
Long story short. it had been very wet so when I finally went and rescued it from the slab -going to the stove- pile the bark fair popped off with the typical BW black hairs still attached to the bark edge. A soft brass brush cleaned it all up in no time at all , the sloped bark edge was a pristine good colour and she was clamped up between two heavy boards and several copies of the Rogersville Review-a journal size news paper- till dry and very flat.
I hope this helps for your wood. Paddy
Btw. the board will be scraped smooth, finished, carefully drilled with a forstner 2 3/8" bit to house a brass set from Lee Valley of a clock, thermometer, barometer,and hygrometer. A nice addition to my home office. I have seen these in junk catalogs for $200+ , my cost is $45 and a little elbow grease. The log itself will be the dumb head on my shave horse as soon as Mr. Wagner tells me that the moisture level is OK. pfh
Living in Japan this is not an uncommon chore when the wood comes to my door. Depending on the size of the tree and species the bark will be thicker or thinner. Thick bark is easier and you can sometimes use your hands to work it off. Sounds mundane but seeing your progress gives you a sense of accomplishment which makes it fun work.
It's most productive if you start a strip and try to continue it as long as you can with out it breaking. This way you have extra leverage with the loose piece of bark. You do this by finding a loose part and getting under the bark and lightly pulling and lifting with a metal or wooden scrapper or even an old chisel.
Tools I use are a scrapper, not super sharp so as not to cut into the wood but with sharp corners to get between the bark and the wood.
I use a chisel in the really thick bark or around knots, but of course being careful not to cut into the wood as this reduces the selling cost of the piece.
A long wooden stick maybe a foot or two long and 2-3 inches wide, I use bamboo, it's hard but not too hard to scratch up the wood. Sharpen one end and one edge (or use two sticks). Using it to get under the bark and the edge like a draw knife in a scrapping action.
A coarse wire pad for cleaning pots is used with water to clean up the paper thin cambian layer left after getting the bark off.
If it's really tough to get off I'll put water on the bark and come back to it after it softens. Using the tool that best fits the job.
If I can't get it off without damaging the wood I'll use a hand held spindle sander to fix it up and make it look like the natural wain edge.
This is a long answer, sorry about that, the bottom line is it's work and takes time
...Hopefully I won't be type cast into the Knots resident bark-puller-off expert.
Edited 10/13/2007 7:30 am ET by pqken
Thank you so much for your thorough and well thought out answer - I will certainly use some of these techniques, perhaps starting with the wooden draw-knife and the souring pad and sander at the last layer. I wonder how long I can saturate the edge before inviting warping - I suppose it is different with each species and thickness.
Phoebe,
I just noticed your post so sorry for the late reply.
In green woodworking, riven chunks of tree are often steamed or boiled, for various subsequent processes like bending, with the bark in place. Sometimes the wood has been cut for some time and the bark is very attached.
The steaming or boiling always loosens the bark, to the point where it will drop off the wood. It also smells delicious - most species seem to smell like Christmas pudding (it's the sugars in the sap).
Now, it may or may not harm the special stuff you have, to steam or boil it. But it may be worth trying a small piece in some form of steamer to test the possibility. Steaming wood does not seem to damage it as long as it not over cooked. (Too long and all the sugars go, with the wood turning out dry and "cracky" once it has cooled and dried).
Stesming for bending purposes can be up to 2 hours and does no harm. It also tends to reduce green wood from around 35 to 20% moisture content, paradoxically. But I wouldn't mind betting that just ten minutes or so in a steamer is enough to loosen bark. This amount of steaming may well have little or no effect on the wood itself.
Steamers are easy to build (just a long plywood box screwed together, some form of bathroom sealant in the joins, a hole to let steam in, a hole to let condensing water out). A wallpaper stripper or electric kettle produces enough steam to keep quite a large box steam-filled.
If it works, this method would be least likely to damage the wood surface exposed if and when the bark drops off.
Lataxe
Thanks,
That sounds perfect - I only wish my boards were not so darn big (they are over 100 inches each)- But, it might be worth it to save those burled areas. I'll run it by my instructor next week. We have a steam bending box, but not that size. It would be fun to try on a cut-off.
We don't use an excess of water, put it on the area we're working and work on it in 10 - 20 minutes then wiping it off. Warping has never been a problem even with a soft absorbent wood.
I like to use a sharp flexible drawknife, the Flex Cut knife is perfect for this. If I get into tricky grain I will use a card scraper or a micro plane. When all the rough work is done I hand sand to 320 grit. These photos are not close ups but they give you an idea of final results.
Dale
Thanks for sharing - photos too! The natural edges look great. That's a sturdy piece - nice shop too. I'll look up that flex knife you write of.
Thanks, here is a link for the drwknife. http://www.flexcut.com/products/cart.php?target=category&category_id=175
Dalehttp://www.timberwerksstudio.com
Phoebe
I work with live edged slabs quite frequently. When wishing to remove the bark, I use an air grinder with a carbide burr. (Like an dremel) They're available almost anywhere air tools are sold, and are pretty easy to control, and come in different sizes so you can get into the nooks and crannies.
Hope this gives you another idea.
Jeff
PS Don't forget the eye protection, with chips flying everywhere very fast!!
Thanks Jeff - there is a Foredom tool at school that I have been using to wire brush. I bet that would work.
Hope there arent any powderpost beetles under that bark.I had a pile of flitches of Red and hard maple get riddled with beetles and it was because i left some bark on some of the slabs i believe.
1 of 4 boards de-barked and clear. I looked for the tell-tale signs when I purchased the wood.
we used to use drawknives and an old car spring seated in a wooden handle and sharpened at one end to get bark off cedar logs on the farm. When the log was frozen in the winter and dried for a few months it worked easiest.
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