# Debarking firewood.



## Janesvillejohn (Feb 23, 2011)

What are the opinions out their on debarking wood for more efficient burning and drying.  Using a bark spud.


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## iceman (Feb 23, 2011)

I am gonna buy some as soon as I can get it in my yard! 
Supposed to dry faster and get more wood vs a cord with bark


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## Woody Stover (Feb 23, 2011)

The only times I've de-barked were when it pretty much fell off on its own, like it did with the down Ash I just got to tide me over.
It certainly would be cleaner in the house, but we aren't averse to sweeping up the trash every couple of days.
Might dry a little faster, but I'm not concerned with that for next season.


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## oldspark (Feb 23, 2011)

Woody Stover said:
			
		

> The only times I've de-barked were when it pretty much fell off on its own, like it did with the down Ash I just got to tide me over.
> It certainly would be cleaner in the house, but we aren't averse to sweeping up the trash every couple of days.
> Might dry a little faster, but I'm not concerned with that for next season.


+1 there are better ways to spend your time, like cutting splitting and stacking more firewood.


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## hemlock (Feb 23, 2011)

I can't imagine de-barking 8 cords by hand......


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## Adios Pantalones (Feb 23, 2011)

I will take all of your bark, as long as there's no sand/dirt with it.  Serious- I would take 4 cord a year of JUST bark- I'd mulch 1 cord, and burn the rest in the kiln.


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## firefighterjake (Feb 23, 2011)

oldspark said:
			
		

> Woody Stover said:
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+2 . . . life is too short and offers too many other things to do than to spend my time removing the bark from my wood . . . as far as I can tell . . . bark still burns and offers some BTUs so I'll just keep on burning wood with the bark on it. As Woody said . . . if the bark is falling off on its own I may pull it off and toss it . . .


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## Wood Duck (Feb 23, 2011)

I'd rather not have bark on most species of firewood, but it doesn't seem worth the effort to remove most of it. If it looks like it is loose I make a small effort to remove the bark. If the small effort is enough the bark is removed, otherwise it stays. I like to use the bark for mulch, and bark seems to create a lot of ash so I'd rather not burn it, but it is no big deal either way.


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## kettensÃ¤ge (Feb 23, 2011)

Bark clean up after splitting 7 cords of oak is the worst part of woodburning. I mulch an old time cross country ski trail turned woodpile access road on my property with it. 

Turkeys love to come around and dig in it all summer.


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## billb3 (Feb 23, 2011)

wouldn't do it to a dog
wouldn't do it to my wood




I have places to dump it though .....


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## WoodpileOCD (Feb 23, 2011)

For people with too much time on their hands.


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## Backwoods Savage (Feb 23, 2011)

I agree that it would take too much time and too much effort for any slight benefit. Personally, I'd really hate to do it to even one log. Have you ever debarked a log before? Not fun.


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## shawneyboy (Feb 23, 2011)

Bark?  It burns !  Waste of time IMHO.

Shawn


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## Kaptain (Feb 23, 2011)

I could not imagine the amount of time this would take...

The idea of it is just silly.


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## NH_Wood (Feb 23, 2011)

A colleague of mine debarks most of logs with a smaller spud. Need to do it to trees dropped in the spring - it's the only time the bark comes off easy (his advice). He keeps the bark for kindling - he has a massive pile in his garage. Whatever floats your boat - for some of us weirdo's, playing with debarking logs would be fun (not me though!). Cheers!


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## Adios Pantalones (Feb 23, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> I agree that it would take too much time and too much effort for any slight benefit. Personally, I'd really hate to do it to even one log. Have you ever debarked a log before? Not fun.



A lot of wood will shed bark very easily if split fresh after cutting.  Ash and some elms come to mind (though many here are cutting dead ash, which is a different story).  Taking the bark off ASAP is sometimes used in prepping a stave for bow making.


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## lukem (Feb 23, 2011)

My stove removes the bark pretty effectively.


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## bogydave (Feb 23, 2011)

Birch bark has lots of BTUs. So when it falls off I save it so I can burn it.
If you are sold on de-barking**Most bark comes off easy in the spring when you cut live trees.


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## Backwoods Savage (Feb 23, 2011)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
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Very true, however, prepping a stave for a bow is a whole lot different than debarking a winter's supply of wood.


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## shawneyboy (Feb 23, 2011)

lukem said:
			
		

> My stove removes the bark pretty effectively.



+1


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## basswidow (Feb 24, 2011)

I can see doing this if you were using the logs to make furniture or building a cabin.  But making firewood?  Waste of time IMO and I don't think it will cause it to season any faster.


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## Adios Pantalones (Feb 24, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Adios Pantalones said:
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I'm in no way suggesting that taking the bark off firewood is a good way to spend your time- LOL


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## formula_pilot (Feb 24, 2011)

Even after a full year of drying in a stack, the bark on some sugar maple I have was infested with bugs from being on the ground too long. (free wood).   I took the bark off some of the splits, rather  than having the bugs crawl around the living room. It often falls off pretty easily once the wood is seasoned.  After one load of that , I decided to just carry that stuff directly from the stack to the stove, rather than deal with the bark. Dry bark burns just fine.


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## 410MAN (Feb 24, 2011)

Janesvillejohn said:
			
		

> What are the opinions out their on debarking wood for more efficient burning and drying.  Using a bark spud.




I would rather go fishin or drinkin,  a good use of my spare time.  thank U


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## wood-fan-atic (Feb 24, 2011)

I'll take the bark off some of the Black Locust while i have it on the splitter. Its so damn thick,and usually comes off without much coaxing. Because of its thickness, my little brain tells me it will probably season faster with the bark OFF-- plus the bark on the locust takes up alot of room in the stove. Takes a little bit longer,true. But if it gives me a 2-3% less moisture next winter....then it was worth it.


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## Wood Duck (Feb 24, 2011)

I believe I can see clear evidence that the bark on firewood makes it season more slowly. Many times I peel some bark off a split to find moisture trapped underneath while the rest of the split is dry, suggesting that the bark is hindering seasoning. I still don't plan to debark my firewood supply, but that is because I think it is too much work, not because I think it wouldn't help (a little).


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## Kenster (Feb 24, 2011)

Wood Duck said:
			
		

> I believe I can see clear evidence that the bark on firewood makes it season more slowly. Many times I peel some bark off a split to find moisture trapped underneath while the rest of the split is dry, suggesting that the bark is hindering seasoning. .



I'm thinking that would just be some surface moisture from rain or snow trapped by bark and has nothing to do with seasoning.  If, as you say, the split is dry other than just under the bark, it would seem that the wood has seasoned just fine.  The bark may impede merely that one surface of the split and not the entire seasoning  process.


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## wendell (Feb 25, 2011)

I know Janesville's not that boring that you can't find a better use for your time.  :lol:


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## OhioBurner© (Feb 25, 2011)

Only bark I take off is the bark covered in poison ivy... I'd rather throw those btu's back in the woods! But I try not to remove any btu's from my fuel that I dont have too...


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## velvetfoot (Feb 25, 2011)

I've been trying to take off the bark and brushing off each piece before I bring it into the garage, for bugs.
Not sure it does much good, but every once in a while I'll find some ants.
It's so nice just having to go into the garage all winter for more wood...

I put the bark into garbage cans.  Some of it gets pretty moldy, but it still burns, and I do burn it all.
I used to sprinkle them out in the woods to the extent I could drag the cans, but those 16" pieces of bark still look like litter to me.
I bought a residential chipper/shredder off Craigslist-it does chip up the bark so it's more usable and breaks down easier, maybe for use in the wife's flower garden, but, put it this way:  "wanna buy a chipper/shredder?"


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