Tree Debarking Tools

Trees are most often debarked after being chopped down to make their wood more uniform and useful and also to remove excess weight. As for tools used to debark, there is a great variety. They range in configuration from those made for light use hobbyists and homeowners, to large commercial rigs used to process entire trees at once.

Draw shaves are metal blades sharpened to a chisel bevel, and on either end of the blade there is a handle. The knife is pulled down to shave off thin slices of bark. Traditional wood worker often uses the strips of bark to weave baskets. It is better suited for use by traditional craftsmen.

Another debarking option for lighter use is a chain driven debarker. They are special blade attachments for chainsaws that shave bark away by means of rotating planer blades. They offer great portability and convenience to small-scale logging operations, enthusiasts and craftsmen alike.

For industrial logging, many saw mills turn to the use of drum debarkers. These large machines are not portable, and thus logs must be brought and fed into them. They tumble the logs together in a rotating tube that is lined with abrasive surfaces called the drum. In a short time, using log against log and drum against log friction all the bark can be stripped from a log or tree stem.