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Peeling Logs

Peelings_logs_with_text.jpg
Illustration by Joseph Smith.

If you’re building a log cabin or some other sort of log structure, your instructions will likely tell you to peel the logs first. Peeling the bark off logs increases the longevity of the wood because bark provides both a home for damaging insects and a place for moisture to collect, which can ultimately lead to rot.

Perhaps you’ve tried peeling a log or two and, after considerable effort, have ended up with a bruised and gouged piece of wood, not at all like the smooth logs pictured in the log home catalogs. Peeling logs can be very easy or very difficult, depending on when and how you go about it.

The keys to an easy peel are to cut the tree when it is actively growing, which only happens in the spring of the year, and peel it as soon as possible thereafter. In spring, the cambium is dividing rapidly and creating new wood, resulting in a soft, slippery layer beneath the bark. This allows the bark to be peeled away easily. Loggers know to be careful not to bump up against trees at this time of year (generally mud season to mid summer), since just a light bump against the “loose” bark of the season can cause a large section to be stripped completely off.

By the time autumn rolls around, the sapwood and cambium are drier and the bark has tightened. If you try to peel a tree in autumn, you’ll find the bark is practically glued to the wood. The most important part of any log-peeling task, therefore, is planning.

If you have a quantity of fresh, spring-cut logs to peel, the right tool for the job is a bark spud. No, not a potato, but a long, curved metal blade on the end of a wooden handle, looking something like a giant, sharpened spatula or an oversized, curved chisel. To peel the log, first make a “zipper” with an axe by lightly scoring the bark along the length of the log, just deep enough to reach the sapwood. Then insert the spud into the bark zipper, perpendicular to the length of the log, with the curve in the blade matching the curve of the log. Then slide the spud in under the bark, a little bit at a time, as you lever the handle to pry the bark away from the wood.

You can also use an axe to do the same task, though a spud makes the job easier. With a spud and an axe, you ought to be able to completely remove the bark from a large log in a matter of minutes. One word of caution: a spring-peeled log will be slicker than a greased pig, so plan on allowing your freshly peeled logs to dry for a few days before hauling them in to place on your project. If you aren’t going to start building right away, you can keep the peeled logs from molding and staining by rinsing them in a dilute bleach solution.

If you haven’t planned ahead and need to peel logs whose bark has already tightened up and dried out, a drawknife is the best option, but the work will be very time consuming. Unless you are thorough and patient, you’ll leave behind streaky brown bands of inner bark. Better to plan the job in advance and do the harvesting and peeling in the spring.

Discussion *

Dec 10, 2022

Great article.
I cut some Oak logs for making a mallet next year. I want to dry them out and get ‘‘em strong for camp task. Should I remove the bark right away or let the bark stay in a few months if I’m storing the logs in the house?

Anthony
Nov 28, 2018

Hi, will the bark on a log cut in the fall loosen up by spring?
Thank you,
Fran

Fran SERAFINI
Jan 31, 2017

I am skinning peeling pine logs freshly cut today Jan. Plan on making a teepee/tipi. My logs are 3” at base and 20’ long….Have just starting peeling bark off with machete…Any suggestions on how to treat timber?

Gayle Robinson
Jul 21, 2016

We built a pole shed using fir logs in a hurry when we didn’t have time to peel them first.  Once done it was too easy to get busy with other tasks and not get on with the peeling.  Four years later bug activity has taken hold and we are now peeling.  Are we too late?  Will treating and sealing the logs once peeled preserve them?

Arlyene
Jan 15, 2016

I plan on cutting logs for a cabin, and thank you for the information you have given. I have a large selection of trees, but most are only around 10” in diameter. The one thing that I have going for me is they are pretty straight. Thanks again for the tips on peeling a tree. I will look into the best time to cut trees in my area.

William
Sep 30, 2015

My log home building instructor was adamant that logs for a home must be cut in the late fall and winter. Yes the sap is down and it will be hard to peel at that time of year but it will also be far more rot resistant. As you mentioned, during the spring and summer the tree is actively growing and creating the thicker softer band of that years growth ring. This layer is much more susceptible to insects and decay. For a major investment like a home, and one that should last for many generations, it doesn’t pay to take any shortcuts just to make it easier, at least not if doing it the hard way produces a longer lasting result.  A pressure washer with a rotating tip can make fast work of peeling a log but great care must taken not to get to close or shoot directly at the log or you will shred it and expose the softer wood.

Dan
Sep 21, 2014

A bark spud is pushed under the edge of the bark, then pushed down at the handle. The curve allows the spud to lever against the log to push the bark up and off the log. It’s plenty of exercise!

Tom Jones
Jun 24, 2014

Your instructions suggest a Spud with approximately the same curve as the diameter as the tree. From that, I pictured using the Spud, curve down, following the tree curve. But the illustration looks like the Spud is being used curve up, opposite the logs curve. What am I not understanding? Thanks! Mark

Mark
Jan 07, 2014

Hello, I would like to peel some pine logs to use in the future. The ones I’m peeling are only 8 inches at the biggest. I treat my sawmill wood with Borax, then keep out of weather. Winter is my off time so I have to do all my cutting now - so six months or 1 year before I can use some of the logs. Thank you for any help.

melton tilley
Feb 19, 2011

I’ve been around the woods since I was 6-7 years old. My father had one of the first chainsaws in this area. I had a tree business in Massachusetts for over 40 years. I built a post & beam house in Franklin in the ‘eighties, but would like to try my hand at something made from logs - wood shed or an extension on the house. We have some nice red pine on the lot. My father peeled pulp in the ‘forties, so I am familiar with the procedure. Also have a bark spud. Been giving my age of almost 70 years. I’ll need some Red Bull. Thanks.

jwfrost sr

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