De-barking a burr/burl?

[Sawdust=manglitter]

I've just messily finished de-barking a 15yr old dry oak burr/burl(?) using the below...

But i also have this other rather large dry oak burl to de-bark...

Is there a better and less messy method than what i've used?

 

[marcros]

I saw a reference earlier to pressure washing off the bark. it was a US maple burr I think. I didn't take much notice at the time, having never had a lump of burr myself.

 

[NazNomad]

Shove it between centres and rough it off with a gouge?

 

[Racers]

Wire brush in a angle grinder?

Pete

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

I saw a reference earlier to pressure washing off the bark. it was a US maple burr I think. I didn't take much notice at the time, having never had a lump of burr myself.

Hmmm, I'm sure it works but I don't fancy risking that

Shove it between centres and rough it off with a gouge?

Even if my lathe had the capacity I would probably need to change my pants a few times!

Wire brush in a angle grinder?

That sounds pretty feasible, thanks Pete. Have you tried it youself?

 

[Racers]

I have used a hand wire brush on a burr it worked well, but was slow.
I guess an angle grinder would be faster but more scary, ppe would be a good thing and doing it outside might be a good thing.

Pete

 

[marcros]

there must be a fairly straightforward way, because all australian burrs are debarked before export, and they retain the sharp features that the bark hid.

 

[hawkeyefxr]

Would like the see the finished article, i bet it will be a beaut.

 

[duncanh]

The regular way to do it is with a power washer.
Failing that - do it mechanically, which is a pain. Wire brush in a drill works but leaves score marks on the burr surface (which can be an interesting feature).

 

[thick_mike]

Power washer definitely

I have no experience or knowledge by the way. It's just totally logical that it's the best way

Oh, or sandblasting!

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

Thanks all for the input. I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with them yet. If they were green then I'd have no hesitation in power washing them, but they are 15yrs dry so I'm twitchy about risking soaking them too much. Wire brush, whether drill or grinder, sounds logical, but for now maybe I'll just leave the bigger one as it is until I know what I want to do with it

 

[Bm101]

I've used industrial pressure washers at work that will cut soft stone face like sand stone etc. Always interesting work when you're hanging off the side of a building on a 10mm rope... Maybe the key here is getting one powerful enough that it will remove the bark quickly without soaking the wood too much? Hire a big beast for a morning? Might work.
Cheers
Chris

 

[thick_mike]

I've used industrial pressure washers at work that will cut soft stone face like sand stone etc. Always interesting work when you're hanging off the side of a building on a 10mm rope... Maybe the key here is getting one powerful enough that it will remove the bark quickly without soaking the wood too much? Hire a big beast for a morning? Might work.
Cheers
Chris

Yes, I've used proper beefy ones too. They could certainly do the job. You would have to adjust pressure/distance so that it would remove the outside without damaging the heartwood.

 

[AndyT]

There's an uncommon power tool called a scabbler. It has a set of long thick needles which vibrate. The points move back and forth at random. They are often used for removing rust from difficult, non-flat surfaces (eg on boats) without damaging the steel underneath. So like a powered alternative to a wire brush. Less messy, less dangerous.
Might be worth hiring one and having a go.

Not a big machine for concrete floors, this sort of thing

https://youtu.be/O-LMXoUZkeA

 

[NazNomad]

There's an uncommon power tool called a scabbler. It has a set of long thick needles which vibrate. The points move back and forth at random. They are often used for removing rust from difficult, non-flat surfaces (eg on boats) without damaging the steel underneath. So like a powered alternative to a wire brush. Less messy, less dangerous.
Might be worth hiring one and having a go.

Good idea, like a needle scaler for use with compressors. I reckon that would work.

Edit: duh, just like the video link posted above. never heard them called a scabbler before.

 

[AndyT]

Maybe I remembered the name wrong!

 

[NazNomad]

Maybe I remembered the name wrong!

I think they are one and the same, I just never heard that name before.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

e.g -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hammer-Descale ... needle+gun

not expensive if it works (assuming you have a compressor, of course)

 

[Robbo3]

Lots in Machine Mart
- https://www.machinemart.co.uk/categorie ... dle+scaler

 

[rafezetter]

If you dont have a compressor you can get one that fits to an sds drill which is a bit more common.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Nm7LzTcpUY