Debarking or Not

[treedog]

Hello to all!  I'm new to the Forum, been snooping for a while thou.  Great place to be for this "greenhorn".  I bought a portable mill Oct. 2004 to clean up farm from storm damage and rebuild or replace old buildings on the place.  Using a Farmi to get logs out of woods and built a cart to get logs to mill.  Getting to the point: I love dirt on the ground not on my logs!!!  Wondering has anyone added on a mud-saw debarker to their mill, how do they work; never seen one work, wonder how it follows the contour of the log.  Scraping, washing, air blowing has been the norm for me.  Bout wore out before get to sawing!! Thanks for any ideas or suggestions.

Treedog

[Todd]

The debarker on my Baker is a circle of chainsaw chain that can be engaged to cut in front of the band.  It spins to the right throwing material away from the direction of the bands cut.  Most of the time my logs are clean and I don't use it, and it takes about 2 feet off the total usuable length of my mill.  I personally don't care for it, but if I was cutting dirty logs like you are I would spring for one.

[WH_Conley]

I have the debarker on my WM. Didn't think it was doing much til the motor took a crap, planned to finish the job without it. I found out real quick there was a big difference.

[Todd]

Hmmm...maybe I should use mine more and see?
Todd

[PawNature]

Where can you buy these debarker thingies

[ronwood]

Kirk Allen recently put on on his LT40. Seen an approvement of around 200 bd ft. per blade. I use mine all the time on my LT40. Works well except on Walnut logs with the deep bark.

Ron

[Brad_S.]

I have the factory supplied model on my Timber Harvester. Use it every cut that has bark and am lost without it when I am having issues with it. Definitely extends blade life.

[Bibbyman]

Welcome to the Fourm Treedog.

You didn't say what brand of mill you have.  Most manufactures have debarkers for their mid and larger mills.  That's be the first place to look.



The only other maker of a debarker for some of the more popular mills is Jones.  We had one on our 94 Wood-Mizer.  Worked great. Very aggressive.

If you do a lot of sawing of skidded logs then the debarker is well worth the $$.

[WH_Conley]

Pawnature, mine came on the mill from WM.

Don't see why with a little imagination that a person couldn't build one, welcome to come and look if you want to.

Bibby beat me to it, his looks beefier than mine, looks like 110, mine is 12 volt, if not portable the 110 would be a lot more agressive. You can still come and look anyhow.

[JP]

For those of use with manual type mills the wood wizzard  works will. used with the el. saw go easy or you will kill it.  JP 

[PawNature]

Pawnature, mine came on the mill from WM.

Don't see why with a little imagination that a person couldn't build one, welcome to come and look if you want to.

Bibby beat me to it, his looks beefier than mine, looks like 110, mine is 12 volt, if not portable the 110 would be a lot more agressive. You can still come and look anyhow.

May do just that WH next time I have a day or 2 off. I have a lumbermate with a 13 horse. I would probably have to go to a bigger engine afore I could install a debarker, ie one power supply

[treedog]

I've got a portable manual Mixon Mill made in Vilas N.C. Heard this guy sold his busines to someone in Alabama, if someone knows Please let me know. The mill was only a year old when $'ed; in great shape. It will handle 30" log 22' 6"; with 20hp kohler. I set it up semi-permanent (removed axle and tongue) got tired of walking around the DanG things . I built a shelter around it, with it and do most of my acual sawing after 8pm. Gotta take care of the bovines, retreiving logs, and scraping the crud off logs while it's light.  1 man show; i dream it, i do it, i suffer the result. Very pleased with mill, just hoping to cut back on my labor some by inquiring about debarker; scraping is harder than sawing process. I've never seen one operate, only guessing in my head on how it can follow the contour of log? Cook's sells them as extras on some models; don't know if they will work on my mill thou.  I think i saw it priced at $1895 on one model; can buy alot of blades for that price!! 8) Thanks for any & all the comments. I'll try some pic's at later date; sounds somewhat difficult thou. :

[Brucer]

There's a sawyer about an hour's drive from me who has built his own debarker using an old circular saw. He's set up semi-permanent and only uses it at his own place where he's got 110 V. in his shop. Now that I'm shut down for the winter, I plan to drop in on him and get a good look (and some pictures  ;D).

[rbarshaw]

I took a 4' long by 1" thick piece of barstock and welded an old file to the end, it sticks out about 2". I then sharpened the end at about 45 deg. on the side by the bar. I just start at one end of the log, while it's on the mill and push it along the log where the cut will be, works real well and if I need to use a little force the weight of it comes in real handy.

[Stump Jumper]

For those of you with wood-mizer type debarking blades get them sharpened once in a while and they will do much better in the deeper bark logs.  just recently had one sharpened myself for $4 to get it sharpened and boy does it really work good.  Sorry to hi-jack the thread.