Jig for peeling bark

[wisconsitom]

Not sure where to go with this, but:  I'm going to have quite a few smallish stems of hybrid larch from thinning my plantation, beginning in roughly 2 years. I'm going to be culling the worst, smallest, least straight stems first.  When possible, I wish to make poles and fence posts out of these small-diameter sticks.

My question:  Are any of you aware of a jig for balancing/holding poles and post-sized material as one strips the bark off with a draw shave?  I did such work, on white-cedar poles, back in my youth, but I can't remember how the dad of my friend, who was the logger, set this up.  I seem to remember the poles suspended on a logging chain from a tractor bucket, but I have not that piece of equipment at this time, nor do I see how it would work.  It did work, but I don't remember how we kept the pole or post taught.  

I'm thinking some kind of x-shaped jig made from 2x4's or some such, with an extender leg to allow it to angle down to ground.  Might be all I need.....but if better ideas exist, I'm open to suggestion.

Thanks,
tom

[luap]

I bought an item called a jaw horse from Lowes when I draw shaved poles  for a small cabin. One end of the pole supported on a saw horse, the other locked in the jaw horse. easy and quick to unlock and lock. Very versatile third hand for any carpentry project. 

[WV Sawmiller]

  If you have an ATV with a winch put the post on top of the front basket or front rack 90 degrees from the direction the ATV is pointing, loop the winch cable over it and connect the winch hook to the frame of your atv wherever it is handy and cinch it down tight, shave, loosen and rotate, tighten and repeat then switch ends and do same there till done. Pretty low tech but it will work.

   If you are doing too many you may want to build something more permanent like the old X frames you see on old TV shows where they are sawing firewood with a one man saw.

[Dana Stanley]

If they are going to be a consistent length you could make a jig with 4x4s. Bury  the end of one in the ground 3 or 4 feet attach another to it laying on the ground attach another to that at the other end, with a couple steel plates so it pivots. Install a lag bolt threw the two verticals and use a comealong to pinch the poles in between. Set it up so you can straddle the poles. With the lags as centers like on a lathe you could turn them as you shave them.


 

[Dana Stanley]

You could just set then up on a couple of saw horses with blocks on the ends to keep them from rolling off!

[barbender]

I've seen a jig, I think in Bailey's catalog, that you stick the end of the log in and it holds the log horizontal for cutting. It looked kind of silly to me for it's intended purpose, as any firewood big enough to cut is a bit too heavy for me to lift up and hang in the jig. It could work well for holding posts to be peeled, though.

[Downstream]

I second the jawhorse since buying one last year.  One of the most used tools in my shop since purchasing.  Wish I had a long time ago.  You will want to secure it to something or it will slide/tip as you work down the length of your piece.  Some day I will build a shaving horse for this type of work also.

[wisconsitom]

Thanks for some great ideas, fellows.  I think I should get one of those Jaw Horses, but just for general work around the house and farm. Not quite sure it's what I'm after for this application. Maybe I'm not seeing it, but most every version of peeling logs I've looked at recently features the log held straight horizontal.  But I recall back in my childhood peeling white-cedar posts, the posts were held at an angled vertical slant, such that the backwards motion of the draw shave had gravity assist.  I think I want one end of my log up in an X-shaped crib of some kind.....and the log angling downward to the ground.  Wish I was smart enough to draw a picture like the nice work Dana Stanley has done here.  My idea might make more sense then.

My vision is simply a big X made out of 2x6's, like one end of a  sawhorse but much longer, to which is attached an angling leg set perpendicular to the "X" and slanting downward to the ground....on the opposite side of the X as where the peeling will be  going on.  Any additional thoughts?

Fence posts are typically 8 feet in length.  That is likely to be the dimension of cut stock.  Maybe some poles will be made too.

Thanks,
tom

[Gearbox]

My dad built ours out of a curved Cedar big end on the ground small end up . Notch the bottom to hold the post . legs on the top hold the top of stick . That's all I  can remember it was 65 years ago .

[wisconsitom]

Thanks Gearbox.  I can picture that.

[luap]

The biggest plus of the jaw horse saw horse combination was it was at just below waist height so no bending or kneeling. I see they are available at most big box stores and Amazon now. When they first came out it was Tv ads only, call this number etc., not available in stores. 
The jaws also have rubber inserts so no marring wood clamped in it. I have clamped glued up assemblies, great for hand planning, held gun stocks. canoe paddle planning. I don't have any affiliation with the company which I think is Rockwell. Just a satisfied customer . As I said in earlier post,  very versatile third hand. I Know it will work for what you want to do

[luap]

In  theory your idea of an x with an angled support down to the ground sounds reasonable but I am going to give it some constructive examination. I don't know how high your x is but your pole to be peeled will have some part  of it extending beyond the x and other end in the dirt. The part near where it is cradled will require several moves of the pole to completely peel the end as the cradle will impede where you can place your hands. Then you will work down the pole bending  over more until you say enough and pick up the pole and reverse ends. then there is bending over to pick up the pole in the first place. Then you find a couple knots that didn't get trimmed  and you have to set the draw knife down and pick up an axe. The jaw horse will eliminate not all but most of the bending over. I have arthritis showing up on the latest xrays I had taken of my spine so I look critically at every thing  I have to do in this regard.

[SawyerTed]

Do a web search for a shaving horse.  It is designed for clamping wood and using a draw knife for stripping bark or for shaping wood.  They are easily made and the beauty is the wood is clamped by foot pressure.  

[wisconsitom]

Thanks guys.  Ted, aren't those shaving horses generally only useful for very small work pieces?  Things like chair legs, etc?  Maybe I'm wrong but I spent some time looking at a variety of shaving horses, and none looked right for my application.  My length of work pieces would be 8 or 10 feet.

I'll probably buy one of those jaw horses-as I said, for general use-and then see how it does for this.  luap, I get all the points you've made.  But in my (mostly) non-arthritic world-I'm 63 now but in really good physical condition-I don't see flipping post and pole-sized stems around as you describe as particularly troubling.  I lift much heavier metal bars and weights over my head most days just for the exercise.  I'm a compact man, just 5'9", but full of muscle and no fat whatsoever.  I can really work!  That's a Wisconsin characteristic BTW......all us German-Americans over here are probably collectively the hardest-working group in the nation.  And my last name is Irish!  We have one of the most classically Irish names there is, yet me and my sibs are roughly 75% German heritage.

tom

[SawyerTed]

Typically, yes, shaving horses are used for shorter items but my grandfather built one for shaving posts. Lengthening the bench and building the seat so the post can go beneath the person doing the shaving. Clamping and unclamping is quick and easy. My dad and uncles shaved hundreds of posts for fencing. 

[wisconsitom]

Thanks Ted.  That does sound doable.

tom

[luap]

Thanks guys.  Ted, aren't those shaving horses generally only useful for very small work pieces?  Things like chair legs, etc?  Maybe I'm wrong but I spent some time looking at a variety of shaving horses, and none looked right for my application.  My length of work pieces would be 8 or 10 feet.

I'll probably buy one of those jaw horses-as I said, for general use-and then see how it does for this.  luap, I get all the points you've made.  But in my (mostly) non-arthritic world-I'm 63 now but in really good physical condition-I don't see flipping post and pole-sized stems around as you describe as particularly troubling.  I lift much heavier metal bars and weights over my head most days just for the exercise.  I'm a compact man, just 5'9", but full of muscle and no fat whatsoever.  I can really work!  That's a Wisconsin characteristic BTW......all us German-Americans over here are probably collectively the hardest-working group in the nation.  And my last name is Irish!  We have one of the most classically Irish names there is, yet me and my sibs are roughly 75% German heritage.

tom

I am not Finnish but I have rubbed elbows with some Finns that would give you some competition. I have always studied the steps and movements to do a job and my fellow machinists complained to me that I was making them look bad and that we didn't get paid by the piece. I just did it so I wasn't worn out at the end of the day but my productivity improved a lot.

[wisconsitom]

I got to know a number of Finns up in the U.P. when wife and I lived there years ago.  I like those guys.....generally speaking!

tom

[Hilltop366]

A couple of ideas,

My first idea (to be used standing up) was to have a large post buried in the ground then cut off the desired height and cut a V notch on the top, add a hold down over the top of the post. Ideas for the hold down could be a boat winch or perhaps a chain vice made with a load binder. 


Or if going with the shaving horse,

Wondering if the shaving horse was made so the fence post was held at a bit of an angle or off to one side so the post could go past you as you work your way down the post, perhaps a Y shaped rest just behind you to take the weight of the post when the saving horse hold down is let off for repositioning the fencepost.

[wisconsitom]

Some good ideas, Hilltop366.  I may well incorporate when I build my jig.  Thanks.

tom

[btulloh]

Forks and crotches from trees are great ready-made sources for things like this.

[wisconsitom]

Funny you should mention that, btulloh.  I was thinking much the same....that if I just look around long enough, I'll find the piece I need!

Thanks
tom