Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: duffontap on April 13, 2007, 04:53:35 pm
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I was out in front of my house the other day stripping bark off some winter-cut staves I had cut a couple months ago and my neighbor started powerwashing her driveway. The idea occurred to me that this might be a good tool-free way to strip bark off winter-cut wood that was stubbornly holding its bark. It worked great!
By holding the power washer wand at a very low angle you can force the jet of water (I used a 13 HP, 3,700 PSI washer with a 15 degree tip) between the bark and the wood thus lifting the bark off without tearing the wood or forcing the sap out. The wood I had cut was very green but cut in January.
I was a power washing contractor just out of college so I have a lot of experience with them but I still made a mistake or two. For those who don't have much experience with power washers on soft wood--the most important thing is to keep your power washer wand at an angle and ALWAYS keep it moving. Lift the tip away from the surface of the wood to change directions and then sweep back down.
Hope a few of you will get to try this.
J. D. Duff
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That is yew? With its thin bark, that looks like the trick. I wonder how it would work with the thicker bark of hardwoods?
That is a cool idea. It would give you a good clean, unviolated back to work from especially with thin ringed wood like yew. Pat
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Hey Pat,
That is Yew. I'll try it on some locust and see how it works. As you know, a lot of times the real difficulty is with the inner bark. This provides a way to soften up the inner bark and lift it off without damaging the wood you'll use for the back of the bow. I much prefer getting bark off and sealing with shelac (if necessary) to cutting it off when it's seasoned. I know that with Osage, Locust, Mullberry, etc, that isn't an advantage, but there are many times when it's a huge advantage. I like cutting wood in the winter and this makes it even more practical.
J. D. Duff
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Works great on vine maple too 8)
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JD,
This sounds like a great idea. But I'd be concerned with getting the wood wet, and then letting it dry out again.
I think it would be possible for the wood to develop cracks, unless it is very fresh wood and you then seal the back
after removing the bark. I often get small checks when I just steam wood just because of that small influx of moisture.
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Hey Gordon, I'd bet it works on vine maple. I've cut some vine maple in the winter but I've never had a problem just stripping it off. What time of year do you do most of your harvesting?
Samurai, I just shellac it once the bark is off. I wouldn't do this if the wood was anything but soaking-wet-green.
J. D. Duff
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JD, I harvest much of my vine maple about now. Will be doing some of that at our Spring Rendezvous next month. Would love to have you join us if it works out for you.
Gordon
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Josh thats great that is called clean yew. marlon ;D
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Sweet looking yew JD. Thanks for sharing the process. I hope you can make it to Gordon's rendezvous I;m really looking forward to trying to go myself. Keenan
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Great tip JD, thanks
DanaM
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Gordon,
This is a great time of year to start cutting white wood. I just cut my first Oceanspray stave on Friday. I've been keeping my eye out for good vine maple but haven't seen anything worth carrying out of the woods recently. Is that 'god's valley' down near Nehalem?
Marlon,
120 rings per inch good enough? Ha, ha. Tight rings but it's just a limb. It should make a nice bow though. The really, old-school war bows were made from Yew boughs I'm told.
Keenan,
I'm trying not to get caught shooting in public. :-[ It's coming back, but slowly. I had a meltdown during the late archery season that forced me to quit hunting so I could find my shot again. You know, like a Tiger Woods thing.
DanaM,
Hope you get a chance to try this.
J. D. Duff
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JD, that is a pretty cool trick. I will have to drag my washer out and give it a go. I never wear rain gear when I use it, and get soaked totally. Good idea, :)
Dane
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Dane,
You get a lot of splash-back with this method. :o You may want to give the rain gear a try.
J. D. Duff
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God bless America.
I wonder if soaking a log in a creek or pond for a month or so, would also loosen bark and make it easy to remove.
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It probably would make it easier. I know Torges is against putting bow wood in water (because the oils can be leached out I think) but I was pretty confident that the powerwashing wasn't doing any damage.
Someone with a swimming pool will have to throw a couple logs in it to see what happens.
J. D. Duff
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Dane,
You get a lot of splash-back with this method. :o You may want to give the rain gear a try.
J. D. Duff
I think it was Thoreau who warned against having to acquire new clothing for a job? First, I don't own rain gear, and second, us humans are waterproof. Besides, you Northwesterns probably all have rain togs just to live there.
Seriously, when I got my power washer last year, I was cleaning the deck, and made some nice grooves in a teak table, so you do have to be careful. I would have signed the top of the table, but my the wife would have killed me.
Dane
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Yeah, around here we call rain gear 'clothes.' Thoreau wasn't a volunteer fireman was he...?
J. D. Duff
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Tom Sawyer, where I grew up the local veneer mill routinely soaked their logs in ponds to loosen the bark. A time honored method.
DanaM
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Yeah, around here we call rain gear 'clothes.' Thoreau wasn't a volunteer fireman was he...?
J. D. Duff
No, I don't think so, though he was pretty clever making stuff with his hands. I think he may have made a good bow maker.
I've visted Walden Pond, pretty cool, and tromped about looking for his hut site. I never did find it. Right now, there is a big fight to save some of the woods from becoming a soccar field for a local school who owns part of the woods the poet hung about in. As usual, "progress" may mean losing something forever.
Dane
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JD yes 120 rings per inch should make a nice bow marlon ;D
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If I put a log in my pool it wouldn't matter if the bark came off or not,I wouldn't get to use it cause my wife would kill me.That is a cool Idea JD.I am like Pat,wonder if it would work on wood like Hickory.I have always heard you could put in a warm shower and would make it easier but
like the pool idea I would get killed.I just cut mine in the Spring and early Summer. ;D
Pappy
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Marlon, ;D ;D.
Pappy,
I try to cut my white wood mostly in the summer too. There are times though when it takes me a couple days or even weeks to strip it and I think I will use the power washer in such cases now. I do know that keeping the stave wet will help a lot. As far as the swimming pool goes--I guess we'll just have to find a more courageous swimming pool owner. ;D
J. D. Duff
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Ya JD,my wife lets me get away with a lot,but I think that would put her over the edge.
I am kind of hen pecked you know. ;D
Pappy
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Oh I know! I think almost all of us have extremely understanding wives or we wouldn't be in this at all. When we bought our house a few years ago my wife volunteered a promise to never try to park a car in our garage. It's all mine. What a gal!
J. D. Duff