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Power Wash the Bark Off!

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duffontap:
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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Pat B:
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

duffontap:
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

Gordon:
Works great on vine maple too  8)

samuraiwarrior:
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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