ok guys havent posted in awhile,been busy finishing up the inside of the house,finally got all the trim done.ok what i need help with ,is how do you get the bark of slabs,my neighbor sold me some Cedar slabs,but they need to be cleaned up,cause wife wants me to make a bench seating for our dinningroom,got me some nice pieces,so ideas on how to clean them up,pics inclosed

I use a spud.     Any spud-like tool will do.  A crowbar and a couple of wonderbars ( flat pry bars) shou;d do the job fine.

 

Get an edge under and start prying the bark off.

Best time is in spring with fresh cut wood because the cambrium is looser but  no matter the time of year it's best to get at the log as soon as it is cut.

Waiting guarantees a much harder job.

Maybe running a chain saw along the length of the barked side- like cutting a thinner slab but just taking off enough to expose the wood at the high point. Then doing what cliff said. I'm just guessing here.

Or Possibly a good sharp Draw Knife would take it off.

How about an electric handheld planer.  Buy a cheap one from Harbor Freight.

thanks for the ansewers,will try the electric handplaner since i do have one of those,because my stepsister gave me her fathers big planer

The windblown grit in the bark may be an issue for the  power hand plane.

 

Just so's you have a point of reference:

I had a wood pile that had been sitting and seasoning for a  couple years.  When I went to saw the stuff up into short log chunks so I could split 'em, my chain saw chains would go dull  very very quickly.  I mean I couldn't go a half hour on a fresh chain but that it'd start burning  - that's how dull they'd get.    It was wind blown grit and crud.

I ended up buying a carbide tipped chain.

use a draw knife. the planer will dull instantly and cannot take a heavy enough cut for the bark

Throw the wood back in the woods for a year or two... The bark will fall right off....

29 minutes ago, Kevin Beitz said:

Throw the wood back in the woods for a year or two... The bark will fall right off....

Apparently, you've never met mesquite.

On cedar as pictured, it will come off easily with a draw knife, hatchet or some form of pry bar after it sits in a couple of rains.  Bugs will populate the space between wood and bark.  It will take time and effort.  I realize this thread is initiated 5 years ago, but just for future reference.  Whatever sharp tool you use, will dull quickly because of the dirt between the tree and bark.  That is some really beautiful cedar.  

39 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

Apparently, you've never met mesquite.

None in my area... I had to look that one up....

 

Looks like I don't want to meet it...

 

Known as one of the world's most problematic invasive species.

Edited December 15, 20196 yr by Kevin Beitz

It's a nice tree for shade in the desert. The wood has fascinatingly wild grain or, it can be very subtle. It's hard, but no match for ironwood. Sands out beautifully. The voids and cracks it's known for provide plenty of design opportunities.

Here's one of my completed mesquite projects. Cleaning the bark was an all day job. The stuff is tight and, that slab was well over five years cut.

 

2 hours ago, Kevin Beitz said:

Throw the wood back in the woods for a year or two... The bark will fall right off....

Yeah do that in my area and the termites will enjoy the feast.  

22 minutes ago, Gene Howe said:

It's hard, but no match for ironwood.

I have played with some Ironwood, it lives up to it's name and reputation.  Now Mesquite, never had some to play with.  Add this to my list of woods to look for when I decide to leave the house / shop and get to a lumbermill.  Oh and win the lottery, gotta pay for it, I doubt they will just give it to me.

I have used a drill with a wire wheel to clean up bark. Then once cleaned of dirt and grit a draw knife or jointer or planar works fine.  But just how hard is Mesquite?  Is it like ironwood?

 

10 hours ago, Michael Thuman said:

I have used a drill with a wire wheel to clean up bark. Then once cleaned of dirt and grit a draw knife or jointer or planar works fine.  But just how hard is Mesquite?  Is it like ironwood?

 

Here's a Janka scale. Mesquite is at 2345. Relatively hard. But, iron wood is at 3260! Had to go to wicki to find that.

Edited December 15, 20196 yr by Gene Howe

12 hours ago, Woodbutcherbynight said:

I have played with some Ironwood, it lives up to it's name and reputation.  Now Mesquite, never had some to play with.  Add this to my list of woods to look for when I decide to leave the house / shop and get to a lumbermill.  Oh and win the lottery, gotta pay for it, I doubt they will just give it to me.

Gunny, around here, mesquite goes for $50 a bf to $4 a bf. Take a guess where I buy. 

Gene, thanks for the chart.  From just my observation of trees in the region, I would have guessed that black walnut, ash, hickory and pecan would be about the same as they seem to be in a family by size, bark and leaflets.  What a surprise!!!

How about of these carbide discs for an angle grinder Carbide Wood Roughing Disc for Angle Grinder - looks as if it would make short work of knocking the bark off those slabs, and I wouldn't think that the dirt would bother it too much.