De-barker

[Gentlewolf]

What is the benifit to the de-barker option on the new mills?

[thecfarm]

Gentlewolf,welcome to the forum. Are you buying a mill? Upgrading?

[Gentlewolf]

Looking to buy a mill soon and was wondering if the debarker is a huge benifit or not, right now I used friends old woodmizer 40 but soon going to purchase a mill for myself

[thecfarm]

While you are waiting for replies,go to the top of this page, put in debarker, into the search box,click onto the next box,I see This Topic,you want This board,we are in the Sawmill board and press search. that will keep you busy.  :D

[Gentlewolf]

Thanks I will check it out

[kelLOGg]

My "debarker" is one of various tools I use to peel bark off of a lot of pine I have. It extends the band lifetime very significantly. In my case, if the bark were still tight I would choose to saw right thru it suffer the consequences of sand/dirt. If I had a production mill I would certainly have a debarker.
Bob

[Magicman]

My Debarker is second only to my Setworks.  I would not saw without both of them.

[ladylake]

 I found my debarker more trouble and in the way than what it was worth and took it off, I'd never be without my sharpener, and yes a couple times a year I wish I had my debarker on. About 90% of the time I can get any dirt off in the first slab and flitch board.   Steve

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

My Debarker was the best think I had installed on my mill before it arrived to the farm.
It has paid for itself. I don't have to scrape bark off or wash logs......put 'em on the mill, engage Debarker and go to sawing.  8)

[drobertson]

the advantage shows up when sawing heavily skidded logs. They are not 100% in my opinion but better than not having if the logs are dirty.  The one on my 40 is trouble free, not sure on other makes,    david

[Magicman]

I always set the log up for the first face opening according to the log, not the dirt.  That way the debarker takes care of the dirt and I get the most quality lumber from the log.  Notice the turner claw marks made when I adjusted the log.


 
This SYP log is set up for sawing.  The Debarker will and did take care of the embedded dirt.

[Chuck White]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Gentlewolf.

I would not want to be without my debarker.

I honestly believe that the debarker extends blade life about 5 times!

Without a debarker you can get into a situation where you can't saw a whole log without changing the blade, unless you scrape the dirt off!

[mesquite buckeye]

I concur with what was said before. The debarker will pay for itself quickly with extended blade life and less hand cleaning time. I would also add a leaf blower to the list of stuff you need. Blows off loose dirt, use to clean up sawdust on the mill, lumber and engine. You can pick up a good lightweight one for $100-150.

[ladylake]

I always set the log up for the first face opening according to the log, not the dirt.  That way the debarker takes care of the dirt and I get the most quality lumber from the log.  Notice the turner claw marks made when I adjusted the log.


 
This SYP log is set up for sawing.  The Debarker will and did take care of the embedded dirt.

In that pic I would just give the another 1/4 turn and be in clean wood and still be cutting the same 4 faces.   Most times there are ways around dirt.  Steve

[mesquite buckeye]

One more thought I didn't mention earlier. Lots of windblown grit gets embedded in the tree bark, so if you don't have to cut through that, the blade will last longer. The debarker can help you even if the logs look clean. Also in many species the outer bark can actually be harder than the wood you are cutting, so more blade wear that you can reduce with the debarker. I love mine. ;D

[Gentlewolf]

Thanks for the advice, looks like the opinions sway both ways on the subject, a lot to consider

[Gentlewolf]

I have been looking and considering the lt35 hydraulic from woodmizer is there another mill from another manufacturer that would compare
20,000 is a lot of money, but it is an investment and I want the best along with the most out of my money any ideas on that?

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

IMO.....go with the Woodmizer and the Debarker. You can thank me later.  ;D

[JustinW_NZ]

I'm in a different country and generally sawing different things but still love the debarker.

Since i'm portable sawing for others and charge by the hour I think it is a must, as it extends the time between blade changes and no time spent mucking about with dirty logs.

Also - Welcome to the forum, great place here

Cheers
Justin

[Peter Drouin]

My Debarker is second only to my Setworks.  I would not saw without both of them.

[AnthonyW]

I haven't even cut a single slab and I'm already contemplating upgrades. But more so, saving money. For my old LT25, what options do I have for a debarker?

[YellowHammer]

A debarker is a fundamental accessory.  Before the debarker, when I had a dirty log, I used to pressure wash, scrub with a brush, chop with a hatchet, and scrape with a drawknife.  Now with a debarker, I just saw.
YH

[Brucer]

Here's the standard consultant's answer. "It depends."

I ran another guys Wood-Mizer for a season, no debarker. Didn't miss it when I was sawing Western Red Cedar. Didn't know what I was missing when I was sawing Douglas-Fir. The D-Fir bark holds a lot of dirt/sand/clay/pebbles/rocks.

My manual mill didn't have  debarker and by the time 9 months had elapsed, I was seriously regretting it.

When the opportunity came to upgrade to a hydraulic mill, the debarker was the very first option I chose. I've since added an autoclutch, a few quick-adjust outriggers, a dragback, and modified my blade lube system to make it semi-automatic. Still no setworks.

If I had the volume of work to justify it, my next machine would be a Super Hydraulic with a full set of FA outriggers, a diesel power plant, remote operator's station, autoclutch, lubemizer, and maybe setworks. But number one would be a debarker.

[customsawyer]

The best example I can give is one time when Danny and I was cutting one of our many projects. We had a log loaded up with a fair amount of Ga. red clay on the outside of it. I got the log in position and Danny steps up to start cleaning the log. I motioned for Danny to get out of the way engaged the debarker and went to sawing. Danny just stood there shaking his head and said, "That one cut would have killed a blade on his mill". The debarker will not only save you money on blades but in time from not having to clean the logs.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

Yep.....everyone should experience some of this Southern Red Clay. Can't live without a debarked.