Removing Winter Bark and Cambium with Power Washer

[PatM]

IMHO this is clearly much messier than programming a robot to do it.
It's much easier to leave the bark on and bring the stave close to the finished front profile. Then it would take five minutes with a drawknife to remove bark.

   
 Show us your pristine drawknifed backs with every ripple perfectly intact. You must have a special drawknife.

[scp]

Show us your pristine drawknifed backs with every ripple perfectly intact. You must have a special drawknife.

If I want such a thing, I just cut it during the growing season. Otherwise I simply leave the cambium on and wait for it to come off eventually. I basically never finish any bow once I made them shootable. Not even one after fifty shootable bows. Sorry.

[PatM]

These guys probably want to finish bows they cut in the winter.

[scp]

These guys probably want to finish bows they cut in the winter.

I have no idea where most people would get the powerful enough power washer that can use hot water and where in their home they can use such a thing without making too much mess. Anyhow, there are many expert bowyers here who want to make marketable bows with reasonable effort. Nothing's wrong with that.
But most hobby people are better off just using hand tools. I enjoy making just bow blanks and "you-finish" bows, even if I might sell them eventually. Just my bias.

[PatM]

lol.   This is for the people who do and have a place known as "outside".

[H Rhodes]

Cool idea.  I will be trying this out soon. 

[bjrogg]

Thanks again for all the replies guys.
spc I understand your concerns. The Elm stave I did was a very large stave. I first removed Bark with draw knife. I then took Cambium off as carefully as I could with draw knife. I did very slightly violate, scrap,scuff whatever a person wants to call it in about a dozen places. I really wish I would have thought of this first but I didn't. It literally took less than two minutes to power wash this stave perfectly clean with zero violations of any kind that I'm aware of, other than the ones I did with draw knife. The mess was way less than washing my pickup after driving our muddy gravel roads. I'm sure many people don't have high pressure washer with burner and others that wouldn't do this even if they did and I totally understand and respect that. When I first started harvesting HHB I didn't know the difference between winter and summer harvest. I had seen on you tube somewhere that you where suppose to harvest in winter so that's what I did. I have made several bows from these staves leaving some cambium on and knicking ring in places. I even used one of them for hunting this year and haven't had a problem with any of them. Anyone who uses summer harvested HHB soon realizes that this wood has many dips, bumps, ravines and ripples that make removing cambium a real challenge. I also like a perfectly clean back for laying out my bows. I like to follow the grain, it may not be totally necessary but I like the wiggles anyway. When I did the Elm I was concerned about powder post beetle holes and wanted a clean back before I continued. It was really out of nothing to lose that I tried this. Having said all this I'm not totally 100 percent sure I'm not doing something completely invisible to my eyes to this wood that could possibly effect it in a negative way. I was however with my draw knife. In all honesty I expected to get a lot of negative feedback that this isn't primitive and I understand that. It's not meant for those bowyers I respect their view point. This is for the ones who are sharing the same problems I am. I also would advise anyone trying this that so far it looks fantastic, but I haven't made a bow from one of these staves and possibly there could be a negative I haven't yet noticed. Thanks again for all replies + or -
Bjrogg

[Outbackbob48]

bjrogg, 99.9% of self bows being made today are not primitive , unless you are using a sharp rock for a scraper and a stone axe to cut trees, Where  is the line being drawn for primitive, stone tools, hand steel tools , chainsaws and power tools, aersol spray finishes. Don't worry about it just keep making bows Just my .02 worth. Bob

[BowEd]

The way I see it bjrogg making wooden bows many times is an evoloution of problem solving 101 class.Seems your brain gets set into survival mode wanting to make a bow shootable.Being a farmer I'm sure you blended into this mode easily.Just another day at the office so to speak.Taking chances.Trying this and that to get the job done.Especially the undulating lumpy backs of ironwood.Might work great on black cherry too which can have the same type of back along with others I'm sure.More power to ya.In the future though there's nothing written in stone to harvest these staves in the winter.I like to pull the bark off my hickory when the sap is flowing myself.
I love the look of the backs of those kind of bows.It looks like they are just plucked right out of the tree.Just like my hickory.

[PNewton]

Innovative thinking bj. Thanks for sharing.

[bjrogg]

Thanks Outback I wasn't going to let it bother me if I did get negative feedback and really surprisingly to me it been  really positive.
Thanks Ed I do believe being a farmer almost my whole life has helped me in many of life battles. You learn to get along with what you have at the time wherever you are. You learn at a young age to cobble stuff together when you have to and fix it right when you can. I also lived in Detroit area went to electronics school for five years and learned many of life's lessons from that experience to. My dad said I'd could come back to farm but I had to do something else for a couple years first. I'm glad he did.
Thanks Pnewton and thanks for the Elm stave. Might not have ever tried this without it. Hopefully I'll get a bow made out of it.
Bjrogg

[Selfbowman]

Did you seal the entire back so it would not check or leave it to dry without sealing? Arvin

[bjrogg]

Arvin I did seal the Elm the next day so far I didn't seal the HHB but was thinking I might do it today. I'm not sure if it's necessary since they have been harvested and stored inside climate controlled shop for 11 months. That was one question I had to. I might seal them but leave a couple bare just to see what happens. Was curious what others thought about this.
Bjrogg

[osage outlaw]

Seal those beauties up BJ.  It's a good idea to seal a stave anytime you expose the backs.  A coat or two of polyurethane is cheap insurance against losing a stave.  I have worked osage cut in the early 90's and I still sealed the backs after I chased a ring. 

[bjrogg]

Thanks Osage it would be a shame to lose them now. I was planning on doing it yesterday but got sidetracked. Guess it must be a Sunday job. Probably gonna have some more skinning to do and a 4-H meeting traps to check could be a busy day.
Bjrogg